AUSTIN - A recently filed bill aims to have all contingent fee contracts sent to the Office of the Attorney General for approval published online.
House Bill 1918 was introduced by Rep. Janie Lopez (District 37) on Feb. 3 and relates to “publication by the attorney general of a contingent fee contract for legal services for political subdivisions and related information.”
Contingent fee contracts between political subdivisions and attorneys must be sent to the OAG for approval.
In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed a bill moving contingency fee contract approval out of the hands of the Comptroller’s Office and into the lap of the OAG, allowing the attorney general to reject agreements related to a matter that the state has already addressed or is pursuing, and where also litigation brought by the local government would not promote the just and efficient resolution of the matter.
If enacted, HB 1918 would require that the attorney general publish the contract within 90 days after receiving an approval request from a political subdivision.