As we reported back in June, C&J criminal defense attorney Mary C. Corporon was appointed to the newly formed Utah Indigent Defense Commission. The Commission was formed following "four years of study by a state task force, which included hiring the Sixth Amendment Center to review the way the accused are being represented in Utah." During a recent judiciary interim committee hearing at the Utah State Capital, members of the Commission provided the committee with an update regarding the Commission's progress. Chairman Michael Zimmerman told lawmakers that "the commission hopes to quickly dole out $1.5 million in funding to counties in the most need, while also beginning to collect data about how the counties and cities provide public defenders."  Specifically, Zimmerman told lawmakers, "[The state] has never gathered data and has never given [the counties] any money. We need to put in place statewide information to give them feedback. But in the process, we can certainly identify some that are in worse need than others and put some of this money out pretty quickly."  The Commission will be hosting its first meeting on Fiday November 4, 2016, at the the Utah State Bar Building.  Read more about the Utah Indigent Defense Commission here.