AG Alliance Roundup - February 18th, 2021

Announcements, information and updates from the AG Alliance Members and Associates

February 18th, 2021

CHAIR'S WORKING GROUP:

COVID-19 VACCINES & CONSUMER PROTECTION

IN THE NEWS: COUNTERFEIT MASKS

Secretary Mayorkas and other Homeland Security officials announced that agents have seized 11 million counterfeit masks in recent weeks as part of an ongoing investigation.

Thank you again to all the public and private representatives who joined our second working group call. We had representatives from 10 states along with several companies of whom were all able to share insights and thought leadership on the challenges we are all facing related to COVID-19 vaccinations and rollout plans.

Specifically, we focused on challenges states face in deciding who can receive vaccines, and were joined on the call by Mike Gruber, Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs for the Consumer Brands Association. Mike discussed how some of the different approaches governments – federal, state and local – have taken has generated confusion. For more details on this call, please contact David Blake (info below.)

Join us on Wednesday, February 24th at 11am PST for another conversation on issues related to the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccine. Additional information for that call will be provided to registrants via email.

To join any/all of these calls, REGISTER HERE.

Download our current Chair's Policy Outline here.

For more information, please contact

David Blake

General Counsel for the AGA

david.blake@agalliance.org

(202) 255-9668

SOCIAL JUSTICE & EQUITY INITIATIVES

IN THE NEWS

Ohio AG Yost wrote an OpEd on America's division over supporting the police or the communities they serve. He expressed how this issue isn’t an either-or choice and what the grand jury can do in cases of police misconduct.

Gilead Sciences Inc, published a story on addressing inequities that African Americans experience, titled Four Questions with Douglas Brooks: Leading Efforts in Advancing Black Equity

Our partners at Verizon shared how technology is helping change the way we share Black history. With so many devices on the street recording history as it happens, the traditional gatekeepers are being cast aside.

In celebration of Black History Month, CNBC Invest in You is featuring weekly stories from CNBC contributors and members of the Financial Wellness Council, including the lessons they’ve learned growing up, their advice to Black youth, their inspirations and how they are working to close the racial wealth gap.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Please check back for frequent updates

Hate Speech and the Internet

Thursday, April 8th from 2 - 3pm ET

Moderated by Attorney General Karl Racine, District of Columbia

Registration & Details

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL PROGRAMS

*Cybersecurity Subcommittee Winter Session

Thursday, February 25^th from 1-3pm ET

Moderated by Attorney General Sean Reyes, Utah

For more information on registration and working group participation, please email Andrea Friedman at AFriedman@AGAlliance.org.

*Please note: the Cybersecurity Winter Session is a CLOSED program available to AGOs and group members only.

HOT TOPICS

National Association Secretaries of State (NASS) partnered with Notarize to host a Remote Online Notarization (RON) Workshop as part of the NASS Winter Symposium. The Symposium included a bipartisan group of 39 Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors, along with over 400 senior state government staff, federal, nonprofit and private sector representatives attended the online sessions. The entire Workshop is available through NASS here. Notarize also announced its upcoming Rewired - Real Estate virtual event on April 7, 2021. More information can be found here.

A three-month investigation by the consumer watchdog group at Digital Citizens Alliance found that scammers could use internet domain names to disseminate false information about the pandemic that could result in things like identity theft and the distribution of fake or unauthorized medications, consumer advocates say

Draft Agenda

Registration

Organized Retail Crime and the INFORM Act

Tuesday, March 9th from 1-2pm ET

Moderated by Attorney General Chris Carr, Georgia

Organized crime rings are taking advantage of the pandemic, looser police enforcement and a softening in anti-shoplifting laws to swipe tons of merchandise from retail stores and warehouses across the United States.

Registration

ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTIONS

VICTIM PROTECTION

Arizona AG Brnovich announced that the Attorney General’s Office has awarded $600,000 in grants to 20 different Child and Family Advocacy Centers across the state. “Victims of crime should be treated with respect and dignity throughout the justice system” said Attorney General Brnovich.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

The Hawaii Attorney General's Office Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism joined with Alibaba to present ‘The Alibaba Business Workshop’, a one-day seminar that focused on teaching business owners how to enter the China market as a wholesaler and the consumer market as a small and medium enterprise.

Oklahoma AG Hunter reminded Oklahomans that the price gouging statute is in effect statewide with the ongoing state of emergency due to the winter weather that continues to impact the state.

With the rollout of vaccines, scammers have devised multiple methods attempting to take advantage of the highly anticipated vaccination distribution. Florida AG Moody issued a Consumer Alert to warn Floridians about COVID-19 vaccination scams.

Arizona AG Brnovich announced that a State Grand Jury indicted Incito Schools, along with its two co-founders, for a fraud scheme alleged to have occurred between November 2016 and November 2017.

COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Montana AG Knudsen announced a new partnership called the Sentinel Project between the Department of Justice, Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association, and Montana Association of Chiefs of Police to fight human trafficking in the state.

LEADERSHIP

The Access to Medicine Index just named Johnson & Johnson #3 on its biennial list, underscoring the company's deep history of ensuring people in underserved communities receive the treatments they need.

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 Andrea Friedman at AFriedman@AGAlliance.org.

Virtual Library

CWAG Executive Committee

- Wayne Stenehjem - Phil Weiser -

- Jason Ravnsborg - Hector Balderas -

AG Alliance Co-Chairs

- Lawrence Wasden - Sean Reyes - Karl Racine -

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