Outside counsel on Amendment 3

If there are still hard feelings among some of the lawmakers, they could surface as Shurtleff pushes his agenda. He said he's heard some talk there may be retaliation for his stand, possibly against his pay raise proposal.

"I've had to say because there's been some rumors . . . 'If you feel inclined to want to punish somebody, then punish me,' " Shurtleff said. "I need to keep and retain the very best attorneys that we can."

Shurtleff is seeking more than $2 million from the state to boost the salaries of the attorneys working for what amounts to the state's largest law firm — his office. Even local governments are able to offer higher salaries to their attorneys than his office, he said.

Last year, the Legislature gave attorneys in Shurtleff's office about a 5 percent hike. That was appreciated, the attorney general said, but it wasn't enough to avert what he's calling a looming crisis.

Don't look for Shurtleff to propose establishing a drug czar for the state, or to resurrect the porn czar. Filling the empty porn czar slot, he said, is not a high priority. Nor will he take the lead in supporting hate crimes legislation.

"I've been concerned about hate crimes, and I continue to support that," the attorney general said. "I'd prefer to have other groups more visible. . . . Hopefully, that's what will happen and I won't have to be."

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Contributing: Bob Bernick Jr.

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com