Mississippi Senate passes new sunshine law

A bill passed by the state Senate last Friday would require the attorney general’s office to provide all records relating to hours and expenses of outside attorneys available to the public. In the aftermath of a recent judicial bribery scandal, the bill would set up a new system of checks and balances for the attorney general’s office when dealing with private lawyers.

Supporters of the bill maintain that it’s an open government solution to hold the government more accountable, while critics fear this is simply a means to go after the current attorney general, Jim Hood. Hood has been interrogated about two attorneys, Joey Langston and Timothy Balducci, who he paid $14 million to help him settle a multi-million dollar case. 

This bill, which must now goes before the state House of Representatives, would require a review board to look over all contracts to hire counsel and also limit the contingency fee to $1 million to put a stop tosuspicious pay outs.