Attorneys in the office of the State Appellate Public Defender are making an average of nearly $16,000 less than their counterparts in the Idaho Attorney General’s office who represent the other side in the same cases, state Defender Sara Thomas told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning. That’s after lawmakers approved $100,000 last year to help address the difference; Thomas had requested $351,800. For next year, Thomas is requesting another $91,900 to help make up that gap; Gov. Butch Otter included the funding in his proposed budget.

The average appellate unit attorney in the state public defender’s office makes $55,763 a year; the average in the Attorney General’s appellate unit is $71,724.