Idaho News

House lawmakers have approved a $200,000 account for the Legislature to hire outside legal counsel, something majority Republicans contend is necessary because the state attorney general's office often has a conflict of interest on heated issues.

Add another voice to the chorus of lawmakers saying a foreign bribery law must be changed because the statute may be too costly for business. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Id.) has sent a letter to SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro asking for clarification on the Commission's enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, stating the "need to update" the foreign bribery law as Congress ratchets up the pressure on the statute's enforcers.

Attorneys general in 16 states and the U.S. government want to put a little distance between themselves and the rest of the plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation against BP PLC over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. They've asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans to separate their cases from the hundreds of lawsuits brought on behalf of businesses and individuals.