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House approves measure letting Legislature hire private counsel for litigation
Summary
House Bill 4 98 passed the Idaho House after the sponsor said it would let the Legislature retain private counsel in addition to the attorney general to pursue lawsuits deemed in the state's interest; sponsor cited past use for defense and argued the tool helps act quickly when necessary.
The Idaho House passed House Bill 4 98, a bill authorizing the Legislature to hire private counsel to pursue litigation in addition to, and not in lieu of, the attorney general.
The sponsor told the House the Legislature already uses private counsel in defense matters and that the bill simply adds authority to hire counsel proactively when the state’s interests require rapid legal action. "We already have passed that law a couple years ago for defense... We've done that 10 times. We've won 9 out of the 10 cases," the sponsor said, arguing that the ability to engage private lawyers can help the state "defend the work that we do here" and occasionally "go on offense." The sponsor said such authority can allow quick responses to federal actions without waiting for a regular session.
After debate the clerk announced the majority had voted in favor and the bill was passed and sent to the Senate.
