John Suthers (R)
Cory Gardner (R)
DENVER, Colo. (Legal Newsline)- The thousands of dollars the state of Colorado pays each year to belong to the National Association of Attorneys General could come to an end, at least for a while.
Colorado pays $54,698 annually in dues to NAAG and sends $14,784 a year in dues to the Conference of Western Attorneys General.
General Assembly Minority Whip Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, said he is questioning whether the state can afford to maintain those and other such memberships amid a state budget crisis.
Officials say the state is short more than $600 million for the fiscal year that ends in June.
"Some of these memberships are very important, but the question is, 'Can we afford all these memberships?'" Gardner was quoted Monday by The Denver Post as saying. "I don't think so."
Gardner has asked the nonpartisan Legislative Council for a list of membership fees for the executive branch, which includes stae Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican.
Suthers told the Post that it would be unwise to discontinue its membership in NAAG and CWAG.
"It would be so penny wise and a pound foolish not to belong to organizations of this nature," Suthers was quoted as saying.
Suthers sits on the NAAG executive committee and is CWAG president.
From Legal Newsline: Reach staff reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.