Legislative Management Committee votes to enter executive session over lawsuit on term limits

The Legislative Management Committee voted to enter executive session to discuss hiring separate counsel after the legislative assembly was sued by two individuals over a constitutional measure on term limits passed during the last regular session, the committee chairman said.

The chair explained that the question of separate counsel arose after staff "pulled out the statute" and raised the matter with the committee. "Under the law, we are entitled, if we're going to discuss legal strategy and legal issues, the law does authorize us to go into a closed meeting and go into executive session to have frank and candid discussions about this issue," the chairman said.

A motion to go into executive session was made by Marydell and seconded by Senator Hogan; Mr. Bjornsson conducted a roll-call vote. Multiple members responded "Aye" or "Yes," and Mr. Bjornsson announced, "Motion carried, mister chairman." The recorded responses in the roll call included Beckettall, Hogan, Klein, Merdahl, Sorvag, Representative Lefour, Bosch, Vrelich, Hager, Houck, Vista, Warrie and Weiss. The clerk stopped the live feed and changed the recording before the committee moved into closed session.

The committee did not state in the public record whether it formally approved hiring outside counsel, only that it would discuss legal strategy and the question of separate counsel in executive session. No further public details were released before the live feed was stopped.