DENVER—A state lawmaker says he plans to introduce a bill next year to prohibit Colorado officials from hiring private legal counsel after Gov. Bill Ritter hired his former law firm to analyze stimulus money spending.
Republican Sen. Ted Harvey says the bill would require state officials to use the Colorado attorney general’s legal team except in emergencies or when there is a conflict.
Harvey says Ritter, a Democrat, should not have hired his former law firm, Washington-based Hogan & Hartson, because “it’s inappropriate and sends a bad message.”
Hogan & Hartson was hired in April in a no-bid contract. The firm has been paid $40,000 through June.
Ritter’s office says hiring the firm was proper and approved by Attorney General John Suthers.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
