Announcements, information and updates from the AG Alliance Members and Associates
May 6th, 2021
|
|
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY
-
District of Columbia AG Racine co-hosted a landmark national convening with Connecticut AG Tong and the Attorney General Alliance on countering anti-AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) hate.
-
Illinois AG Raoul joined Nevada AG Ford and Virginia AG Herring in filing a notice of appeal in their lawsuit to ensure the federal government acknowledges the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.
-
In recognition of the National Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women Day of Remembrance, Washington AG Ferguson announced that his office will lead a 21-member task force to assess systemic causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of Indigenous women.
|
|
State and Local Responses to Rising Hate
AG Alliance Social Justice & Equity Initiatives
Tuesday, May 18th from 3 - 4pm ET
Moderated by Attorney General Karl Racine, District of Columbia Attorney General
District of Columbia Attorney General and AGA Co-Chair Karl Racine is joined by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and leaders from the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League to explore the rise of hate incidents and hate groups across the U.S., and to present how their organizations are helping state and locals respond. This conversation will focus on sharing opportunities and practices to empower state and local authorities to combat hate.
Panelists:
- Peter Neronha, Attorney General, Rhode Island
- Michael Lieberman, Senior Policy Advisor, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
- Ryan Greer, National Security Director and Chief of Staff for Government Relations, Advocacy and Community, Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
|
|
Consumer Alerts and COVID-19 Scams
Thursday May 27th from 1-1:40pm ET
Moderator: TBA
The pandemic has seen an unprecedented increase in unemployment fraud, where bad actors are using social security numbers to illegally obtain COVID-19 unemployment relief funds. Additionally, given modifications in regulations around medical devices, several offices have put out senior alerts on hearing aids. Jessica Whitney from the Iowa AGs office will discuss what they are doing to protect consumers, track and combat such fraud and share best practices for moving forward. Matt McGuire of Shopify will discuss Shopify's approach to combating fraudulent and illegal COVID-19 products, including what the company is doing to track and take down fraudulent vaccine cards and vaccines themselves. Finally, Clay Friedman from Crowell & Moring will share case examples and discuss how attorneys general and lawyers can help clients through this kind of activity.
Panelists:
- Jessica Whitney, Deputy Attorney General for Public Protection, Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
- Matt McGuire, Senior Legal Counsel, Global Regulatory Affairs and Enforcement, Shopify
- Michael Scholl, Chief Compliance Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations, Starkey
- Clayton Friedman, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
|
|
Banding Together: Reddit, Robinhood and
Regulatory Response to Market Populism
Thursday, May 6th from 12 - 1 pm ET
Hosted by Thomson Reuters Institute
The Thomson Reuters Institute is pleased to present an ongoing series of contemporary takes on our current social justice environment. Our aim is to foster healthy debate and intellectual inquiry into forces and trends shaping the global public square.
|
|
OPIOID CRISIS
-
New York AG James was quoted in an article about Governor Cuomo’s administration for diverting more than $20 million from the McKinsey & Company opioid settlement agreement to the state’s general fund rather than using the money to increase substance prevention and treatment programs.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
-
Michigan AG Nessel warned Michiganders to beware of scammers reaching out to loved ones of COVID-19 victims offering to register them for funeral assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
-
California AG Bonta issued a consumer alert warning Californians about sham health insurance plans offered by some healthcare sharing ministries (HSMs). These HSMs use misinformation to mislead consumers into enrolling under the guise of offering an affordable alternative to health insurance.
ENVIRONMENTAL
-
Alabama AG Marshall joined a 19-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take swift action to stop a federal appeals court ruling that would give the Environmental Protection Agency virtually unlimited authority with rules that would increase energy costs and eliminate countless jobs.
ELDER PROTECTION
-
Arkansas AG Rutledge released a statement following the Arkansas Legislature’s passing of the Safeguarding Against Financial Exploitation of Retirees for Arkansans Act and Governor Asa Hutchinson’s signing it into law.
|
|
CONSUMER PROTECTION
-
Alissa Gardenswartz and Mark Pryor, shareholders at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, wrote an opinion on Attorneys General to fill void as Justices say the Federal Trade Commision can't impose restitution.
-
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released two reports showing that more work needs to be done to help mortgage borrowers coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn.
HEALTH CARE
DATA PRIVACY
-
Facebook published a white paper on how they are protecting privacy and supporting the public health community by connecting people to accurate information about COVID-19, removing harmful content, providing health researchers with data and tools and helping people get vaccinated.
CANNABIS
-
Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced the completion of its acquisition of Greenwich Biosciences Pharmaceuticals a leader in the science, development and commercialization of cannabinoid-based prescription medicines.
ENVIRONMENTAL
-
Walmart committed to becoming a regenerative company powered by 100% renewable energy in their operations by 2035. It announced that in collaboration with ENGIE North America, more than 500 megawatts of new renewable energy generation capacity are now operational across three wind projects.
|
|
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR ONGOING SOCIAL JUSTICE & EQUITY INITIATIVES
Over the last year, communities across the country have assessed their treatment of minorities and other under-represented populations. In an effort to facilitate dialogue in the Attorney General community, Amazon and the Attorney General Alliance have partnered to create a series of conversations exploring issues around justice and social equity. We are excited to announce 2021 as the inaugural year of this forum and we look forward to providing focused programing aimed at facilitating exploration of these issues. We thank Amazon for their leadership and invite all of our public and private partners join us as we embark on these discussions.
|
|
A COMMUNITY UNITED:
A National Convening Against Anti-AAPI Hate
Tuesday, May 4th, 2021
Riley D. Blake
On Tuesday, the AGA organized “A Community United: A National Convening Against Anti-AAPI Hate,” a webinar streamed live from Washington, D.C. and hosted by Connecticut AG William Tong and D.C. AG Karl Racine. Speakers included Utah AG Sean Reyes and Nevada AG Aaron Ford; U.S. Representatives Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, and Grace Meng; AGA Executive Director Karen White; and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
The event was the first of its kind: a cross-industry national convening to address the anti-AAPI hatred seen across the United States over the past year. We heard from experts like Adam Neufeld of the ADL about how the internet and modern technology have amplified anti-AAPI hate; from AAPI advocates, like Phillip Tajitsu Nash of the Asian American Legal Defense Fund, about how we can all show support for those who have been impacted by these acts; and from law enforcement officials, like David Hong of the D.C. Police Department, about how government agencies and groups around the country are preventing these acts and holding perpetrators of anti-AAPI hate accountable.
|
|
Missed our live programs? No problem! Follow the button below to visit our Virtual Seminar Library for access to all recordings.
Do you have a webinar topic suggestion? We want to hear from you! Please email ideas to Andrea Friedman at AFriedman@AGAlliance.org. |
|
CWAG Executive Committee
- AG Wayne Stenehjem - AG Phil Weiser -
- AG Jason Ravnsborg - AG Hector Balderas -
AG Alliance Co-Chairs
- AG Lawrence Wasden - AG Sean Reyes - AG Karl Racine -
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
