Bill: Attorney general must get OK for suits above $250,000

A critic of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is trying to restrict his authority to file lawsuits.

The House Judiciary A Committee 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, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.