A Maine commission is urging lawmakers to approve a doubling of their budget as a lack of public defenders in Maine leaves some defendants without any legal representation.

The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, which provides legal representation for those who can’t afford it, voted Monday to recommend a $62.1 million budget next year.

According to reporting in The Maine Monitor, Commission Chair Josh Tardy said the system is at a critical point and needs more funding to prevent it from collapsing.

The commission said Monday that 10 defendants in Aroostook County were without legal representation because the state couldn’t find qualified attorneys for them.

Before a bipartisan deal earlier this year, Maine was the only state in the nation that did not employ public defenders. About $966,000 was allocated to hire five full-time defenders, but those positions have not been filled due to a disagreement between MCILS and the Bureau of Human Resources over how much they should be paid.