ATTORNEY GENERAL'S TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY PASSES KEY HOUSE COMMITTEE

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TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today released the following statement after his top legislative priority, the Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting Act, received a favorable recommendation from the House Criminal and Civil Justice Policy Council, chaired by Representative Will Snyder:

"We have heard reports of outside law firms getting sweetheart deals to represent states and walking away with millions in fees, and it’s repugnant" said Attorney General McCollum. "This legislation will insulate the Florida Attorney General’s Office from any situation that could involve a pay-to-play arrangement."

The bill, sponsored by Senator John Thrasher and Representative Eric Eisnaugle, requires common-sense provisions such as posting contracts and payments online, keeping detailed time records for private attorneys’ hours, and competitively selecting private attorneys.

To further protect the public’s interest, and potential recoveries in a significant lawsuit, the bill imposes sensible limitations on the contingency fee percentages to be applied to the damages award, and limits the maximum payout to $50 million in contingency fees, excluding costs.

"When Florida was involved in the tobacco litigation, the private attorneys who handled the lawsuit received billions of dollars in profits that could have gone to the taxpayers," said Representative Eisnaugle.
"Floridians should be appalled at such an amount and should be pleased we are working to ensure that never happens to Florida again."

The Attorney General’s Office has already implemented the bill's provisions as a policy, and passage of the legislation would codify the policy, establishing best practices both now and in the future.

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