Bill Seeks To Limit Attorney General’s Power

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A critic of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is again trying to restrict his powers to bring lawsuits.

HOOD

The House Judiciary A Committee on Tuesday passed House Bill 555 , which would require a three-person panel of the governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state to approve plans to file any civil lawsuit where the state could win more than $250,000. That panel must already approve hiring of some outside lawyers.

The bill moves to the full House for more consideration.

Committee Chairman Mark Baker, a Brandon Republican, says Hood is improperly setting state policy through lawsuits, usurping the Legislature’s role.

Hood’s lawsuit victories have helped patch state budget holes in recent years. A spokeswoman for Hood, Mississippi’s only statewide elected Democrat, isn’t immediately responding to a request for comment.