2019 Press Releases

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• 3/26/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL, REVENUE SERVICES AND CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMISSIONERS WARN AGAINST FRAUD, IDENTITY THEFT AND SCAMS

  Attorney General William Tong, Revenue Services Commissioner Scott Jackson, and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull cautioned taxpayers today to remain vigilant on multiple fronts about identity theft, unscrupulous preparers, and scams related to the filing of their tax returns.

• 3/25/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION OF 21 ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN BRIEF DEFENDING ACA IN TEXAS V. US

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, in filing an opening brief in Texas v. U.S., defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans. The brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argues that every provision of the ACA remains valid. It also details the harm that declaring the ACA invalid would have on the tens of millions of people who rely on it for access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, as well as the broader damage that it would do to the nation’s healthcare system.

• 3/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BIPARTISAN COALITION TO PROTECT STATE LOTTERIES

  Attorney General William Tong joined a group of 25 attorneys general in expressing concern over a sweeping legal opinion that may negatively impact state-run and multi-state lotteries, including Mega Millions and Powerball.

• 3/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTISTATE AMICUS BRIEF CHALLENGING ANOTHER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ATTACK ON IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a multistate amicus brief defending the rights of immigrant families to access basic housing, healthcare, and other public benefits.

• 3/20/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ISSUES CONSUMER WARNING REGARDING SPORTS MEDIA ADVERTISING

  Attorney General William Tong today warned local businesses to avoid business with Texas-based Sports Media Advertising (SMA), which appears to be actively engaged in scams targeting Connecticut businesses and schools.

• 3/19/2019 STATE ANNOUNCES THIRD EXTENSION OF AMPHASTAR REBATES FOR NALOXONE PURCHASES

  Governor Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong today announced the third extension of a rebate agreement with California drug-manufacturer Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the purchase of naloxone by the State of Connecticut or local municipalities and town agencies. The two-year agreement will extend the $6 rebate on every purchase of naloxone—also known by the brand name Narcan.

• 3/19/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF LAWSUIT BY OAKLAND AND SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITIES TO HOLD BIG OIL ACCOUNTABLE FOR COSTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE

  ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF LAWSUIT BY OAKLAND AND SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITIES TO HOLD BIG OIL ACCOUNTABLE FOR COSTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE

• 3/19/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION OF 21 ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN DEFENSE OF EVIDENCE-BASED TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAM

  Attorney General William Tong this week joined a 21-state coalition led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in filing an amicus brief supporting Planned Parenthood’s legal challenge against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ change to the funding structure of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) grant program.

• 3/18/2019 AG TONG OPPOSES CFPB EFFORT TO DELAY PROTECTIONS FROM PAYDAY LENDERS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 25 states led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein in urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to take immediate action to protect consumers from abuses in payday, vehicle title, and other types of high-cost exploitative consumer lending.

• 3/18/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION CALLING ON EPA TO WITHDRAW ITS PROPOSAL TO WEAKEN EMISSIONS STANDARDS FROM COAL POWER PLANTS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined 20 attorneys general and seven local governments in a coalition led by California to demand the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw its proposal to weaken federal standards limiting greenhouse gas emissions from new, modified, and reconstructed coal-fired power plants. The coalition asserts in its comments that these standards protect against increased emissions and further acceleration of climate change. The proposal, if finalized, could increase carbon dioxide pollution contributing to climate change by weakening current requirements that new power plants minimize their emissions to the extent feasible. Under EPA’s proposal, a new coal-fired plant would be able to emit 35 percent more carbon dioxide than it could under current law. In 2015, after exhaustive technical analysis, EPA determined that new plants can meet the current standard by using carbon capture and storage. The coalition asserts that the EPA’s reversal of that finding and its new proposal are arbitrary and capricious, and in violation of its statutory obligation to control emissions under the Clean Air Act.

• 3/17/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES INVESTIGATION INTO HYUNDAI AND KIA FIRES

  Attorney General William Tong today announced that Connecticut is one of the leaders of an ongoing multistate investigation into both Hyundai and Kia for potential Unfair and Deceptive Acts or Practices related to spontaneous vehicle fires.

• 3/14/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG DELIVERS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 7222

  Attorney General William Tong released written testimony today in support of House Bill 7222, "An Act Concerning the Duties of the Office of the Attorney General."

• 3/13/2019 AG TONG STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT'S RULING THAT SAYS SANDY HOOK FAMILIES WILL HAVE THEIR DAY IN COURT TO PROVE REMINGTON VIOLATED CUTPA

  Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled today that Sandy Hook families should be given the opportunity to prove that Remington — the maker of the A5-15 used by the gunman in the massacre — violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) by marketing a military-style weapon to civilians.

• 3/10/2019 AG TONG SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION BILLS

  Attorney General William Tong submitted written testimony today to the legislature's Judiciary Committee in support of a series of initiatives aimed at further promoting gun safety.

• 3/7/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG URGES CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST ROBOCALLS

  Attorney General William Tong this week joined a coalition of attorneys general representing 54 states and territories urging the U.S. Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, legislation to curb illegal robocalls and spoofing. The coalition of attorneys general, led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald, and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, sent a letter to the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation supporting the TRACED Act. The legislation is sponsored by Sens. John Thune and Ed Markey.