Private attorney contract transparency bill passes Senate

A bill to bring more accountability and transparency to taxpayer dollars by capping the amount of contingency fees collected by private attorneys for government work passed through the Senate Monday with a 26-12 vote and goes back to the House for concurrence.

Rep. Jason Nemes, the sponsor of House Bill 198, has stated that the bill would simply ensure the hiring of outside counsel by the state’s attorney general is necessary for a case and change the fee structure and add more transparency to guarantee taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

House Bill 198 now goes back to the House for concurrence before heading to the governor’s desk.