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Announcements, information & updates from the Attorney General Alliance Members and Associates
January 14, 2022
ATTORNEY GENERAL NEWS
January
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Awareness Month
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer are highlighting resources available and important work being done to combat trafficking. AG Nessel’s Human Trafficking Initiative prosecutes traffickers and provides training throughout the state. Since its inception, 34 individuals have been arrested on human trafficking charges. While several cases are currently pending, 25 convictions have been secured thus far.

Since 2019 alone, in over 30 presentations, the initiative provided human trafficking training to approximately 200 law enforcement professionals, 350 legal professionals, 300 victim service providers, 800 medical professionals, as many as 1,000 various other professionals and about 300 members of the public. Information and educational tools are available on the initiative’s website. The Department of Attorney General is also home to the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission.
“Those victimized by traffickers face sexual, physical and emotional abuse – all for the purpose of control and submission. That is why it remains incumbent upon all of us to report trafficking and support those who feel helpless. I encourage everyone to take some time to review the resources available to better identify these instances of abuse.” 
--Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel 

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall noted on January 11, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, that the state of Alabama is making progress in addressing the largely hidden crime of human trafficking.

Each year, millions of men, women and children are victimized by human traffickers worldwide. While dozens of cases are reported annually in Alabama, it is believed the actual number of victims is much higher as most cases go unreported.


“A year after our joint announcement of the creation of the Alabama Anti Human Trafficking Alliance, law enforcement in our state are becoming better prepared to identify, investigate and prosecute the dark crime of human trafficking.  And this increased awareness is already making a positive difference in halting this form of human slavery that hides in the shadows of many communities."
-- Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall
California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighted resources available to businesses and members of the public to help combat human trafficking and support survivors. California law requires certain businesses and establishments to post notices that provide information and resources for survivors and the public regarding human trafficking. The Attorney General urges businesses and members of the public across the state to use these resources to help federal, state, and local authorities and community organizations combat human trafficking in California.


“Every year, there are thousands of reported human trafficking cases across the United States — including right here in California.  Whether it’s for sex or labor, abusing power to force or coerce someone into doing something against their will is wrong. At the California Department of Justice, we’re committed to standing up for survivors, disrupting and dismantling human trafficking rings, and securing justice. However, it takes all of us to combat human trafficking. I urge businesses across the state to use the resources we’re sharing today to help put an end to trafficking in California. If you or someone you know has been affected by human trafficking, there are resources available to you. You are not alone.”
--California Attorney General Rob Bonta
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced that the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force (Task Force) has been selected as one of two sites nationally to participate in the federal TraffickSTOP (Signs To Observe and Prevent) pilot program to educate high school youth about human trafficking. This program will be a collaboration between the Task Force, the Newport News Police Department, and Newport News Public Schools. Attorney General Herring was instrumental in the creation of the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force and the Task Force Coordinator is housed in the Office of the Attorney General.

TraffickSTOP is both a human trafficking identification and prevention curriculum for high school students, as well as training for law enforcement to deliver the curriculum in schools. Newport News School resource officers will deliver the curriculum to students, along with members of the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force and others, and with support from other community stakeholders.
“I am incredibly proud of the work that the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force has done to combat human trafficking in the region, and their selection to participate in this program shows just how impactful their work has been. The sad reality is that unscrupulous people will prey on young, impressionable people, which is why it’s so important that Virginia’s youth are armed with the tools they need to help protect themselves and others.”
--Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring
Hawaii Attorney General Holly T. Shikada and the Hawaii Sexual Assault Response and Training (HSART) Program Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) announced the release of a “Media Guide for Reporting on Sexual Violence.” 
 
The purpose of the Media Guide is to encourage media professionals to utilize a trauma-informed approach when reporting sexual violence. Trauma informed is the ability to understand how trauma affects individuals, their families, and the community.
 
“The media informs, amplifies, and shapes cultural norms and understanding of sexual violence by the public.  I recommend that media professionals utilize the Media Guide to reduce biases and myths of sexual violence that often impact the reporting of sexual assault.”  
-- Hawaii Attorney General Holly T. Shikada

ROBOCALLS
A bipartisan group of 51 attorneys general is working to stop international scam calls. In a comment letter, the coalition urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put in place measures that will help stem the tide of foreign-based illegal robocalls that attempt to scam Americans. 
   
The 51 attorneys general are calling for the FCC to require gateway providers – the companies that allow foreign calls into the United States – to take steps to reduce how easily robocalls have been able to enter the U.S. telephone network, including implementing STIR/SHAKEN, a caller ID authentication technology that helps prevent spoofed calls. Gateway providers should be required to implement this technology within 30 days of it becoming a rule to help eliminate spoofed calls and to make sure that international calls that originate from U.S. telephone numbers are legitimate. In December the coalition of 51 attorneys general successfully persuaded the FCC to shorten by a year the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement STIR/SHAKEN. 
  
The attorneys general are also encouraging the FCC to require all phone companies to block calls from a gateway provider if it fails to meet these requirements. Illegal robocalls are a scourge – in 2020, Americans lost more than $520 million through robocall scams. 
 
Attorneys General in the coalition that joined in sending this letter to the FCC includes AlabamaAlaska, Arizona, ArkansasCaliforniaColorado, ConnecticutDelaware, District of Columbia,  FloridaGeorgia,  Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,  Indiana, Iowa, KansasKentucky Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New HampshireNew Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,  OhioOklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
STUDENT DEBT
A bipartisan coalition of 39 attorneys general secured $1.85 billion from Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, resolving allegations of widespread unfair and deceptive student loan servicing practices and abuses in originating predatory student loan and resolved allegations that Navient harmed student borrowers. As part of the total $1.85 billion in relief, Navient will pay $1.7 billion in debt forgiveness and $95 million in restitution to former students across the country. The settlement agreement, which concludes a nearly five-year investigation into the company, states that Navient will also reform its practices and pay penalties of $46.9 million to the states.

Arizona, ArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticut, DelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, KentuckyLouisianaMaine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New YorkNorth CarolinaOhioOregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South CarolinaTennessee Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin signed the settlement.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that Mississippi also entered into a stand alone settlement with Navient to resolve allegations of unfair and deceptive student loan servicing practices. The settlement will require court approval.

Relief terms in this settlement include improved notification of options available to borrowers, as well as training for loan specialists on how to advise distressed borrowers about alternative repayment options and how to counsel eligible borrowers about Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Terms also prohibit compensating customer service agents in a way that incentivizes them to minimize the time they spend counseling borrowers.

ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is working with state legislators to address organized retail theft in Florida. Attorney General Moody held a news conference with lawmakers in Hialeah to announce legislative efforts to help law enforcement and prosecutors dismantle retail theft crime rings. The announcement comes one week before Florida’s 2022 Legislative Session begins. 
 
FORCE is a statewide task force and database to help spot trends, identify suspects and take down massive, organized retail theft rings. The database is designed to bridge the gap between retailers, law enforcement and prosecutors by allowing shareable, searchable information on theft incidents statewide. 

To help bolster the effectiveness of FORCE, the Florida Attorney General’s Office will partner with state legislators this session to seek to remove barriers to prosecution for what is clearly organized criminal activity. Upcoming legislation will provide a targeted revision to current statutes determining the felony status for retail theft when someone steals multiple items from multiple locations in a short period of time. These changes would strengthen the laws on the books to allow prosecutors to bring stronger penalties against criminals who commit crimes across the state to avoid justice. 

Organized retail theft is on the rise nationwide, and the Attorney General Alliance is dedicated to ensuring all states remains ahead of the trend to help prevent the retail crime wave.

"We’ve seen the damage and disorder caused by brazen criminals across the country through terrifying smash-and-grab robberies, and we must continue to innovate to stay ahead of this national crime trend.”
 -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody
COMBATTING DRUGS
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey co-led 15 other states urging the U.S. Department of State to take a tougher approach to stem the influx of deadly fentanyl into their states and the nation as a whole. In their letter, sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the attorneys general outlined their concerns about the production and distribution of fentanyl. The attorneys general are asking Secretary Blinken and his department to take a tougher stance on stopping the influx of deadly fentanyl from China and Mexico.

The following states joined the coalition: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia.
COVID MANDATES - SCOTUS DECISIONS
On Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for workers at large businesses but allowed enforcement of a similar mandate for certain health care workers.

While challenges to the mandates from businesses and a number of states were returned to lower courts, the ruling suggests that the justices are likely to rule against the business rule if the case reaches the court again.

National Federation of Independent Business v. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

By a 6-3 vote, the Court stayed application of an emergency rule adopted by OSHA that would have required all employers with at least 100 employees to require their workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or else obtain a medical test each week at their own expense and on their own time, and also wear a mask each workday.  

Biden v. Missouri

By a 5-4 vote, the Court stayed injunctions that had barred operation of a rule adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that, “in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding, participating facilities must ensure that their staff—unless exempt for medical or religious reasons—are vaccinated against COVID–19.” 

As the United States Supreme Court made these decisions regarding COVID-19 mandates, attorneys general nationwide issued the following statements:
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