Lawyer Normal Tim Griffin including positions and wage bumps to his grandstanding fiefdom

Good report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on an appropriation invoice presently into consideration within the ongoing legislative fiscal part that will enhance the variety of staffers working underneath Lawyer Normal Tim Griffin.

Home Invoice 1037, the appropriation for the AG’s workplace, would authorize Griffin to rent for 26 new positions within the coming fiscal 12 months and lift the utmost wage by 9% to 22%.

From the D-G:

“I’ve continued to chop my workplace’s funding in different areas, together with this 12 months,” Griffin mentioned Thursday in a written assertion. “But when we’re critical about enhancing public security and sustaining regulation and order — identical to with nationwide protection — you must pay for it.”

“My group and I are up for the battle every day; these extra assets are lengthy overdue and can assist us get the job executed,” the Republican legal professional common mentioned.

What does Griffin want extra attorneys for? What’s “the battle” he speaks of?

Just a little little bit of this, somewhat little bit of that, mentioned Chief Deputy Lawyer Normal Ryan Owsley in response to questions from lawmakers final week:

The theme … is we’re doing extra work in the entire divisions than a lot of the divisions have executed within the earlier a number of years, so, for instance, we have now quite a few new obligations and previous obligations that we’re choosing up the baton on and ensuring that we’re doing round regulation enforcement, round investigations and so forth.

I’ll gently recommend that one other motivation is that Griffin needs to proceed the sample established by his predecessor, Leslie Rutledge, of grandstanding lawsuits on nationwide hot-button political points fairly than addressing points that immediately influence the individuals he serves. Abortion! Weapons! The probabilities are limitless, and Griffin loves the cameras.

He’s additionally a vicious operator who certainly needs to make his personal fiefdom as highly effective as potential. He could be working in opposition to Rutledge for the governor’s spot ultimately.

Many key businesses are dealing with flat funding, however Griffin will likely be nabbing a 2.2% web enhance from the earlier 12 months. Headlines don’t come low cost.

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