Section 5254 - Personnel designation and expenditures(a) The Defender General, Deputy Defender General, public defenders, and deputy public defenders shall be exempt from the classified State service.(b) Clerical and office staff in the Office of the Defender General and in all local offices shall be hired by the Defender General. Clerical and office staff shall be State employees paid by the State, and shall receive those benefits and compensation available to classified State employees who are similarly situated, unless otherwise covered by the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of employment, negotiated pursuant to the provisions of 3 V.S.A. chapter 27. Clerical and office staff employed by the Office of the Defender General shall not be part of the classified service as set forth in 3 V.S.A. chapter 13.(c) The Deputy Defender General shall be entitled to compensation at an annual rate that does not exceed an amount $500.00 less than the salary of the Defender General. The public defenders and deputy public defenders shall be entitled to compensation at annual rates not to exceed an amount $1,000.00 less than the salary of the Defender General.(d) The Defender General is responsible for assuming expenses for his or her office and all local offices. The entirety of expenditures shall not exceed those set in the annual budget of the Office of the Defender General and such expenditures shall be subject to the provisions of 32 V.S.A. § 702.Added 1971, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 6, eff. date, see note; amended 1973, No. 77, § 41; 1973, No. 266 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 1977, No. 109, § 14; 1983, No. 88, § 15; 1987, No. 183 (Adj. Sess.), § 25; 1997, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 6a, 8; 2015 , No. 58, § E.203. 1.