Announcements, information & updates from
the Attorney General Alliance Members and Associates
March 3, 2023
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson co-led a lawsuit against the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). They were joined by 10 other attorneys general. The suit alleges the FDA unnecessarily singles out the drug mifepristone "for excessive regulation." Additionally, the suit seeks a preliminary injunction asking the court to halt any FDA enforcement of restrictions while the lawsuit is pending.
WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATIONS
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey co-led a coalition of 22 states in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a broader right to religious accommodations in the workplace.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case, Groff v. DeJoy, on April 18.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, filed a petition for review against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) challenging a new rule-changing proxy voting reporting requirements. 
AGs IN THE NEWS
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced that her Special Investigation and Prosecution Division charged a former Hawaii Department of Education official with three counts of felony theft.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced final sentencing in three child exploitation cases.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called on Michigan utilities to automatically credit customers and offer resources for residents affected by power outages.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with a home health care company preventing "patients and caregivers from choosing a provider of their choice."
An investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit led to the sentencing of two individuals "found guilty of submitting fraudulent run sheets for ambulance transports that did not occur and submitting them to both Medicare and Medicaid for payment."
Acting Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a multi-agency effort to dismantle a Pennsylvania gun trafficking organization which resulted in several arrests.
IN MEMORIAM
Former Colorado Attorney General John Dee “J.D.” MacFarlane, who served from 1975 to 1983, passed away February 16, 2023. Prior to becoming Colorado Attorney General, MacFarlane served in the Colorado House of Representatives and in the Colorado Senate from the 4th district. He attended Stanford Law School and Harvard University. He is survived by his wife Janet, his three children Jennifer, John and Andrew as well as seven grandchildren.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said “J.D. MacFarlane was a path-making leader in Colorado. As attorney general, he invented the idea that the Colorado attorney general should serve as the People’s Lawyer, and he built the modern Colorado Department of Law. He attracted an incredibly talented team, recruited diverse lawyers, and appointed some of the first women to serve in senior positions at the department – including Jean Dubofsky and Mary Mullarkey, who went on to serve as Colorado Supreme Court Justices. J.D. also mentored generations of public servants, including myself, and set a standard of excellence that we will continue to strive to meet. His memory will live on as a blessing.”
OPIOIDS
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined Tempe police and Phoenix DEA to discuss the recent interagency narcotics investigation. Agents seized fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced that fentanyl seizures by anti-drug task forces in Montana have increased nearly 11,000 percent since 2019.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced support of legislation to permanently add nitazene compounds, synthetic opioids also known as Frankenstein opioids, to the list of Schedule I substances in Florida.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron continues his "Operation Fight Fentanyl" community forums with five additional meetings scheduled in March and April.
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced the inaugural winners of the Excellence in the Application of the Opioid Litigation Principles Awards. Rock County, Wisconsin and the State of Colorado were the first awardees.

School faculty "developed a set of evidence-based guidelines, known as the Principles, to help policymakers use opioid settlement funds effectively and equitably." The Principles are: 1 - Spend the money to save lives, 2 - Use evidence to guide spending, 3 - Invest in youth prevention, 4 - Focus on racial equity, and 5 - Develop a fair and transparent process for deciding where to spend the funding.
ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares discusses his efforts to combat organized retail crime with FOX 5's Chief Legal Correspondent Katie Barlow.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a statewide grand jury "indicted a couple for allegedly carrying out an organized retail theft scheme involving The Home Depot stores in Adams, Jefferson, Boulder, Broomfield, and Weld counties, and pawning or selling the stolen items for their own personal benefit."
AG HIGHLIGHTS
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark spoke to ABC22 and FOX44's Lauren Maloney - host of "What Matters This Week" - about her first weeks on the job and her priorities for the upcoming year.
UPCOMING EVENT
SPONSORS
Lowe's announced the awarding of $90 million in additional discretionary bonuses to all of their hourly associates in the US. Executive leadership expressed their appreciation for "the hard work these associates put in over the past year." 
TikTok has created a series of new features designed to limit screen time by youth on the app. Among the features being rolled out over the coming weeks are: automatic screen time limits for users under 18-years-old, weekly email updates recapping screen time, and updates to the parental control features as part of Family Pairing.
Walmart and CareSource entered into a three-year agreement to address cardiometabolic conditions and maternal health in under-resourced and underserved communities.
VIRTUAL SEMINAR LIBRARY
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 Patricia Salazar at PSalazar@AGAlliance.org.
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