Opinion No.

The Honorable Stanley Russ State Senator P.O. Box 787 Conway, AR 72033

Dear Senator Russ:

This is in response to your request for an opinion on nine questions involving a contract between the Department of Human Services ("DHS") and SCAN, a private non-profit corporation. You state that the contract, which was cancelled in September, 1994, allowed representatives of SCAN to conduct child abuse investigations. Your questions focus primarily upon the legality of the contract, and the various ramifications or consequences in the event the contract was illegal or improper.

Because the contract was,…