This bill addresses funding for the Office of the Attorney General.
This bill:
- exempts the Office of the Attorney General (office) from the provisions governing internal service funds;
- directs the office to charge each agency for legal services based on the actual time spent on the legal services;
- requires the office and each agency to annually execute a service-level agreement that includes the agency's expected legal services needs, the rates at which the office will charge for the legal services, and the total anticipated cost of the agency's legal services;
- establishes the Legal Services Retainer Fund into which the Legislature will appropriate the total anticipated cost of each agency's legal services from the office;
- allows the office to use money in the Legal Services Retainer Fund to pay for the legal services that the office charges to each agency;
- requires an agency to use the agency's existing budget to pay for any legal services charges that exceed the agency's balance in the Legal Services Retainer Fund;
- creates the Public Policy Defense Program to pay costs of defending the state in civil litigation that meets specified criteria; and
- makes technical and conforming changes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 52-4-205, 63J-1-410, 63J-1-602.2
Amended 2/18/2026 11:02:829: 52-4-205, 63J-1-410, 63J-1-602.2