Hood unhappy over snub by GOP-controlled House
by Associated Press
Published: February 7,2012
Tags: attorneys, law, lawmakers, lawyers, legislative, Legislature, state government, state law
JACKSON — Attorney General Jim Hood is steamed because a state House committee wouldn’t let him testify on a bill that would cut his authority.
Under the bill, any state agency would be able to hire its own lawyer without Hood’s approval.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 13-10 today to approve the bill, setting it up for a vote of the full House as early as Thursday.
Republicans have been trying for years to limit Hood’s authority, now the lone Democrat in statewide office. They had discussed ways to inhibit him from hiring lawyers to pursue large cases against corporations. But yesterday’s bill instead gives every other agency head the ability to hire lawyers without Hood’s OK any time that an agency head finds that Hood can’t adequately represent the agency.
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3 Responses to “Hood unhappy over snub by GOP-controlled House”
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February 7th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Who determines when the representation of the agency is inadequate ?
February 8th, 2012 at 8:35 am
This is long overdue. Dept. Heads can manage their agency. Hood does not need to have authority over the Dept. Heads.
February 8th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Maybe if this bill goes through, the Attorney General will have time to recognize and devote some time to the voting citizens and investigate some of the problems that they are reporting to him.