Raleigh, NC— Today the North Carolina House of Representatives has advanced legislation that would prohibit the Attorney General from excluding the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate from settlement agreements when they are parties to a lawsuit.
Senate Bill 360 would require that “when the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate have jointly intervened on behalf of the General Assembly, or are jointly named in their official capacities as parties to a lawsuit, both must approve any consent judgment or settlement agreement prior to the Attorney General entering into the judgment or agreement.”
House Speaker Tim Moore said, “No public servant is immune to the need for checks and balances. When the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate are named as parties to a lawsuit, they must be involved in any settlement agreements.”
He continued, “Our current attorney general has repeatedly excluded the General Assembly in settlement agreements, often choosing politics over his duty to defend our state constitution.The justice system is simply not a venue to be weaponized for political gain. Accountability at every level is imperative to our work for the people of North Carolina.”