Primary Department: Managed Assigned Counsel
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Porscha Brown
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable):
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Choose an item.
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request by the Office of Managed Assigned Counsel for approval to create one Assistant III (Program Support Assistant) position, as well as a supplemental budget for the position, effective March 7, 2026.
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Background and Discussion:
This funding request is to expand Attorney Invoice Processing Services by adding one Voucher Review Program Support Assistant. The assistant will be responsible for reviewing and processing payments for attorneys eligible to receive appointments through the MAC. The MAC currently reviews and processes over 700 vouchers weekly across 16 County Criminal Courts. The number of vouchers submitted to the MAC continuously increases from 30,803 in 2023; 36,071 in 2024; 40,735 in 2025, underscoring the need for additional staff to maintain timely and accurate processing.
As courts continue to assign more cases to MAC attorneys and increase their clearance rates, we expect further increases in voucher submissions. Additional staff will enable the MAC to meet the County’s 30-day vendor payment goal, ensuring that all vouchers are processed on time, reducing delays, and improving the overall management of voucher submissions. The Program Support Assistant will review attorney vouchers to ensure they meet approval conditions, communicate voucher status to attorneys, and respond to inquiries. The position requires expertise in accounting and auditing to spot and resolve invoice discrepancies, many of which occur daily. Currently, only one qualified staff member handles this complex function, leading to delays in voucher processing.
Form 3441 is attached to this request. The MAC also requests OMB to provide funding for such position in the amount of $50,218 plus a $5000 non-labor for various subscriptions and software licenses for the remaining pay periods in this FY and a recurring non-labor expenses of $5,000.
The MAC does not require space for such position.
Expected Impact: This funding will enhance the MACs ability to efficiently review vouchers, maintain fiscal accountability, and ensure payments are processed in accordance with state and national workload standards, supporting quality representation. This expansion will also improve the accuracy of voucher processing by accounting for auditing protocols and fiscal awareness, addressing the growing volume of submissions.
Alternative Options:
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: E: Increase efficiency across the legal system.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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$50,218 |
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$55,218 |
$98,261 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
3 |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
4 |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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Anticipated Court Date: 2/26/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 3/7/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Porscha Brown, Executive Director
Elizabeth A. Mendez, Administrative Assistant
Attachments (if applicable): 3441