Announcements, information and updates from CWAG Members and Associates
February 23, 2018
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2018 CWAG Chair's Initiative
May 3-4, 2018
Scottsdale, Arizona
CWAG Chair, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, announces his 2018 CWAG Chair's Initiative, which will focus on cyber security, data privacy, and digital piracy. Please mark your calendars and prepare to engage in a dialogue on these important topics!
Building on CWAG's Cyber Security efforts in 2016 and 2017 at the Cyber Security and Technology Forums and the Cyber Security Working Group established in June 2017, General Brnovich's Initiative will feature an in-depth conversation to discuss financial technology and government and industry cooperation, vertical integration and platform development issues, encryption and data security issues facing public, private and law enforcement along with national and international privacy concerns.
To find complete details about hotel accommodations, suggested transportation and to register online, use the following link
CWAG 2018 Chair's Initiative Registration Site. To register click on the "Register" link and enter your name, last name and email address, then select your registration type.
If you are an existing sponsor you may use the registration code that was provided to you to register for the Annual Meeting. If you need your code re-sent, please contact Event Coordinator and Meeting Manager Ale Stephens at
[email protected] or 303.304.9206.
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SCHOOL SHOOTING IN FLORIDA
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Florida AG Pam Bondi Responds to School Shooting
2/14/18
At a Wednesday evening press conference, Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi said her office will pay for the funeral expenses of the 17 deceased students that were victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Bondi called him shortly after the shooting occurred to tell him she would come down from Tallahassee to be with the victims and local officials.
Bondi called the shooting a "horrible tragedy" and said Florida has experienced such loss before after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. "We will pay for the funeral expenses of these poor victims," Bondi said. "We will take care of it." Bondi also issued a stern warning to scammers, saying she is working with GoFundMe to prevent fake charity drives from duping people into donating money they believe is going toward victims.
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Attorney General Becerra Establishes Bureau of Environmental Justice
2/22/18
Bureau to Protect Communities that Endure Disproportionate Share of Environmental Pollution
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that he is establishing a Bureau of Environmental Justice within the Environment Section at the California Department of Justice. The Bureau’s mission will be to protect people and communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution and public health hazards. This will be accomplished through oversight, investigation, and enforcement of the law. The Bureau’s attorneys will work primarily with attorneys in the Environment Section handling environmental enforcement matters on behalf of Attorney General Becerra.
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45 AGs Reach Settlement with TK Holdings, Inc., US subsidiary of Takata
2/22/2018
44 states and the District of Columbia announced a settlement with TK Holdings, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Takata, over allegations that the company concealed safety issues related to its airbag systems which were installed in a wide variety of vehicles. The settlement concludes a multistate investigation into the company’s failure to timely disclose known safety defects associated with certain airbag inflators using phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate as a propellant.
Beginning in 2008, auto manufacturers issued a number of recalls of vehicles containing these airbag inflators in response to ruptures upon deployment of the airbag. More than 50 million airbags in more than 37 million vehicles have been recalled to date, with future anticipated recalls through the end of 2019 likely, bringing the total number of affected airbags to around 65 or 70 million.
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36 State AGs Endorse CLOUD Act
2/21/18
Clarifies when Law Enforcement can Obtain Foreign-Stored Electronic Data in Criminal Investigations
A a bipartisan coalition of 36 is endorsing federal legislation known as the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act. It would confirm law enforcement’s ability to obtain probable-caused based warrants to search an individual’s email or other online account when the information is stored on a server outside the United States. The CLOUD Act would update and amend the Stored Communications Act (SCA).
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Attorney General Becerra Files Brief in U.S. Supreme Court Defending California’s Reproductive FACT Act
2/20/18
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of California’s Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency (FACT) Act which empowers women by requiring they receive neutral, fact-based information.
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WI SEXUAL ASSAULT KIT INITIATIVE
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Wisconsin DOJ Prosecutes First Cold Rape Case
as the result of the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (WiSAKI)
2/20/18
Attorney General Brad Schimel announced the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) filed its first prosecution as the result of the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (WiSAKI). WiSAKI is a statewide effort to address the decades-old accumulation of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits that were in the possession of local law enforcement agencies and hospitals. DOJ filed a criminal complaint in Winnebago County, charging Aaron J. Heiden with two felony counts in the sexual assault of a woman in 2008. For more information about DOJ efforts to address the accumulation of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits, go to
https://wisaki.doj.wi.gov/
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Attorney General Laxalt Joins National Elder Fraud Sweep Announcement
2/22/18
Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt’s office participated in a national announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice and National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) in the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history.
The sweep involves cases from the U.S. Department of Justice, state attorneys general, U.S. attorneys and law enforcement agencies around the country. Cases involve more than 250 defendants who victimized more than a million Americans, most of whom were elderly. The cases include criminal, civil and forfeiture actions across more than 50 federal districts. Of the defendants, 200 were charged criminally. In total, the charged elder frauds caused losses of more than half a billion dollars. The actions charged a variety of frauds victimizing the elderly, including telemarketing and investment frauds, mass mailing and individual instances of theft by guardians and identity theft.
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Coalition of 23 AGs Commence Lawsuit to Block Rollback of Net Neutrality
2/22/18
A coalition of 23 attorneys general filed a petition to formally commence their lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission’s illegal rollback of net neutrality. The coalition filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after the FCC published the final rule rolling back net neutrality in today’s Federal Register.
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Follow the 31 AG Races in 2018 on this Interactive Website
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A significant number of states, 30 and the District of Columbia, have contests for the Office of Attorney General. This week, Cozen O’Connor’s State Attorneys General Practice introduced an interactive map for those interested in following the races throughout the country. The State AG Election Tracker includes state-by-state AG candidate snapshots, filing deadlines and primary election dates; daily news, insights, polling and fundraising data; and the ability to sign up for real-time election-night updates via text and email. Access is free.
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Hate Crimes Training Program in Flagstaff, AZ
Wednesday, February 28th – Thursday, March 1
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The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Civil Rights Enforcement Associates, and the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission invite you to a two-day training workshop for prosecutors and law enforcement officers on hate crimes investigation and prosecution best practices, at no cost to participants. Learn from trainers with over a combined 100 years of experience investigating and prosecuting hate crimes to develop further skills and techniques to recognize, investigate, and prove hate crimes.
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CWAG LEGAL DIRECTOR JOB OPENING
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Job Opening
CWAG is accepting applications for the position of Legal Director. The Legal Director provides legal counsel to the CWAG staff and executive committee, while developing and fostering relationships between and amongst public and private sector legal professionals. The Legal Director takes initiative to create programming, support state Attorney General’s Offices on a variety of legal topics, and works well with stakeholders at all levels. Detailed information is attached, and questions and applications can be directed to Deputy Director Lauren Niehaus at
[email protected].
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