TiPAC, an NFIB/Ohio Key Vote for 2015, establishes uniform transparency standards for the Ohio Attorney General, a win for Buckeye small businesses and taxpayers.
Chris Ferruso, NFIB’s Ohio legislative director, explains that SB 38 will:
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Require the attorney general, when seeking outside counsel, to provide a written explanation for the need
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Limit the amount in fees contingency counsel may collect to a $50 million cap, minus reasonable expenses and court costs, with the state Controlling Board able to approve overages
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Require solid recordkeeping to be performed by any contingency fee counsel contracted by the attorney general throughout the case and for three years following disposition, including an annual report to the General Assembly from the attorney general on the use of outside counsel
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Require any contracts be posted to the attorney general’s website for the duration of the contract
These transparency measures are designed to ensure that Ohioans know what’s being done with their tax dollars on their behalf and that their best interests are being represented by any contingency counsel contracted by the attorney general. SB 38 will ensure that these good government practices are codified and continue under all future attorneys general.
“At the end of the day, the bill is about transparency and public trust when the attorney general contracts with outside counsel and returning the most money for taxpayers,” Ferruso says. “For small business owners who fund the government and pay taxes, returning more money to them in lieu of contingency counsel is good public policy. This is one more block in the tort reform efforts Ohio has undertaken.”
