Each interested county or municipality shall apply to the Unified Judicial System. Before making a determination of eligibility, the Unified Judicial System shall conduct a county or municipality assessment designed to evaluate the county or municipality's need for an attorney and its ability to sustain and support an attorney. The Unified Judicial System shall maintain a list of counties and municipalities that have been assessed and are eligible for participation in the recruitment assistance program established by this chapter. The Unified Judicial System may revise any county or municipality assessment or conduct a new assessment as necessary to reflect any change in conditions within a county or municipality.
SDCL 16-23-2