Committee advances bill limiting attorney general—revocation power over select agency counsel

The State and Local Government Committee voted 6-0 to advance as amended a bill (draft 02/2002 of 16-01) that would limit the attorney general—s ability to refuse to appoint or to revoke special assistant attorney general (SAG) status for certain state entities.

The committee met at the call of the chair and spent most of its substantive discussion on 16-01, a measure that would change how and when the AG can deny or withdraw SAG designations for attorneys who work for state officials or agencies. Committee members also discussed bills 13-77, 02/1956 and 15-35 but deferred action on those until next week.

The bill as amended would insert the Ethics Commission into a statutory list of entities and would limit the AG—s authority to refuse or revoke appointment to a narrowed group of officials and offices, retaining the governor and specifically including the State Auditor and the Ethics Commission in the subset protected from unilateral AG revocation. Senator Wallin moved the amendment to add the Ethics Commission and to limit the list; the amendment was seconded by Senator Bromberg and passed on a voice-recorded roll call, 6-0.

Committee members repeatedly stressed the…