Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, got four bills introduced yesterday to reduce various misdemeanor charges to infractions, the AP reports; Luker says the move is an effort to ease the burden on public defenders, and also to make penalties better match offenses. Most misdemeanor charges include potential jail time, which means that the judge must appoint a public defender, according to the Associated Press. Lawmakers have been trying to fix Idaho's patchwork public defender system for years. A report from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association in 2010 found that public defenders' caseloads are too high and some defendants didn't meet their lawyers until entering the courtroom. Luker’s proposed changes would apply to juvenile curfews, littering on highways, some fireworks violations and some fishing and hunting violations.