Announcements, information and updates from CWAG Members and Associates
March 30, 2018
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2018 CWAG Chair's Initiative
May 3-4, 2018
Scottsdale, Arizona
Chair’s Initiative Registration is Now Closed
Due to overwhelming response to this year’s Chair’s Initiative, CWAG has closed registration for the event. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming CWAG meeting!
Thank you for your continued support of CWAG and CWAG Chair, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. We look forward to seeing you all in May!
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South Dakota Attorney General Jackley’s Data Breach Bill Signed into Law
March 21, 2018
Attorney General Marty Jackley extends his appreciation to the South Dakota Legislature and Governor Dennis Daugaard for signing SB 62 into law that requires the reporting of data breaches of personal information to consumers.
Under the proposed legislation, upon discovery of a breach of a system security, the information holder must disclose the breach to any resident of South Dakota whose personal or protected information was acquired by an unauthorized person within 60 days of that discovery. Furthermore, if that breach of the security system exceeds 250 South Dakota residents, the Attorney General must also be informed within 60 days. The notice by the information holder may be by written notice, electronic notice, or substitute notice. A failure to comply with the notice requirement would be a Deceptive Act under existing South Dakota law (§37-24-6) for purposes of criminal and civil enforcement.
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Arizona Attorney General Demands Info, Action From Facebook On Protecting Personal Data
March 28, 2018
The Arizona Attorney General is calling on Facebook to lead an industry-wide transformation to protect personal data online, and demanding answers on how Arizonans have been affected by breaches.
In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, Attorney General Mark Brnovich said revelations that a political research company accessed millions of Facebook users' private data show the need for stricter rules on data sharing throughout the technology industry.
He said privacy protections at Facebook and other companies are "illusory at best." And he speculated they could fail to meet Arizona's constitutional requirements for protecting personal privacy.
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State AGs Demand Answers About Facebook User Privacy Policies and Practices
March 26, 2018
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter today to Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg asking him to answer a series of questions about Facebook’s user privacy policies and practices following reports that at least 50 million Facebook personal profiles may have been misused.
Reports allege that Facebook gave away the personal data of users who never authorized third-party software developers to obtain it, and relied on terms of service and settings that were confusing and perhaps misleading to its users.
“These revelations raise many serious questions concerning Facebook’s policies and practices, and the processes in place to ensure they are followed,” reads the NAAG letter
signed by 41 state and territory attorneys general.
The attorneys general also requested an update about how Facebook will allow users to more easily control the privacy of their accounts.
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Rutledge Announces Arkansas Suit Against Opioid Manufacturers Alongside Governor Hutchinson
Says, ‘The reckless actions of these opioid manufacturers have wreaked havoc upon Arkansas and her citizens for far too long’
March 29, 2018
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge was joined by Governor Asa Hutchinson today announcing that she has filed a lawsuit against the opioid manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and Endo on behalf of the State of Arkansas. Rutledge and Hutchinson are united in their efforts to fight the opioid epidemic and will do everything in their powers to bring an end to this deadly issue, including legal action against the companies responsible for over-proliferation of opioids.
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Pennsylvania State AG Partners With Penguins, Rite Aid Foundations To Launch Prescription Drug Safety Program
March 22, 2018
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is working with foundations from Rite Aid and the Pittsburgh Penguins to develop an effort to address teenage prescription-drug abuse.
The Prescription Drug Safety program will be made available to Pittsburgh-area high schools at no cost, according to a news release.
Through interactive scenarios and self-guided activities, the digital prescription-drug abuse prevention program, developed by Everfi, uses an evidence-based, public health approach to teach high school students skills to make safe and healthy decisions about prescription drugs, according to the release.
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Attorneys General Endorse Federal Bill to Expand Authority of Medicaid Fraud Control Units
March 28, 2018
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is endorsing federal legislation (H.R. 3891) that would improve states’ ability to combat abuse and neglect of Medicaid patients. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides medical benefits to millions of Americans.
Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs), the majority of which are in state AG offices, have long been in the forefront of health care fraud enforcement. Under current law, MFCUs may investigate and prosecute patient abuse and neglect only if it occurs in a health care facility or, in some circumstances, in a board and care facility. Other cases of abuse and neglect of Medicaid patients – such as in a home health care setting – fall outside the Unit’s authority.
Since the current statute was enacted decades ago, substantial growth has occurred in home and community-based services, office-based services, transportation services, and other settings that are neither health care facilities nor board and care facilities.
States electing to operate under the expanded authority of H.R 3891, if enacted, would be able to use their MFCUs to investigate and prosecute cases of abuse or neglect of Medicaid patients in non-institutional settings.
“H.R. 3891 proposes a common-sense change that will better protect an often-vulnerable population and will maximize the benefits and efficient use of MFCU assets,” reads the
NAAG letter
signed by 49 state and territory attorneys general and sent today to the bill’s sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives. “We hope it can become law soon….”
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Arizona Becomes First State in U.S. to Offer Fintech Regulatory Sandbox
March 22, 2018
Governor Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2434 into law making Arizona the first state in the nation to enact a groundbreaking regulatory fintech “sandbox.” Arizona joins countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Australia in encouraging fintech investment by instituting sandboxes. The bill was sponsored by Representative Jeff Weninger and drafted by the Office of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
In Arizona’s sandbox, startups, entrepreneurs, and even established companies can launch products on a limited, temporary scale to consumers to test innovative products, services, business models, and delivery mechanisms in the real market without incurring the regulatory costs and burdens that would otherwise be imposed. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office will administer the sandbox.
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Citi Becomes First Big Bank To Press Clients To Restrict Gun Sales
March 22, 2018
Citigroup Thursday announced a new policy aimed at pushing its clients to place restrictions on the sale of firearms, becoming the nation’s first large lender to take action on guns. The bank will require retail clients to only sell guns if the customer has passed a background check, to restrict sales to people under 21, and to refuse to sell bump stocks or high-capacity magazines.
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Utah Attorney General Reyes And Florida Attorney General Bondi Joint Statement On Passage Of H.R. 1865,
"Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017"
March 22, 2018
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, both leaders in the fight against human trafficking, issued the following joint statement commending the U.S. Senate passage of H.R. 1865:
“Today, we applaud the U.S. Senate for making the right decision and overwhelmingly passing H.R. 1865, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, in a 97 to 2 vote. This legislation will significantly support all state attorneys general and state prosecutors in their effort to hold online sites accountable for supporting the sale of sex trafficking victims.”
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Indy World Trade Center Gets Final OK, Former Indiana AG Greg Zoeller Says
March 26, 2018
A key new cog in Indiana’s economic development became a reality when the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) approved a final license for a new entity in Indianapolis. “Receiving this final license from the WTCA governing body is great news for Indianapolis and the State of Indiana,” said former Indiana attorney general Greg Zoeller, chair of WTC Indianapolis. “Our organization has received tremendous support from Hoosier business leaders, trade associations, academia, and state and local government officials to develop a WTC. I’m proud of all the excellent work by our team.”
Zoeller served as Attorney General of Indiana from 2009-2017, and is a member of the CWAG Alliance Partnership’s Advisory Board.
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Jeff Tsai Joins DLA Piper's Litigation, White Collar And Investigations Practices In California
March 26, 2018
DLA Piper announced today that Jeff Tsai has joined the firm's Litigation, White Collar and Investigations practices as a partner in California, based out of the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices.
Tsai, who previously led Alston & Bird's State Attorneys General team, represents companies in complex civil and criminal enforcement matters brought by state and federal agencies. He will help lead DLA Piper's efforts nationally in assisting companies subject to investigative scrutiny by individual and multi-state attorneys general.
Tsai's state attorneys general practice has included representations in multi-state investigations and lawsuits on a range of issues related to consumer protection, antitrust and health care. His representation has included many industries that are regularly the subject of state attorney general enforcement, such as Internet retail, daily fantasy sports, travel and online higher education.
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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. Cozen O’Connor’s State Attorneys General Practice hosts 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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