Announcements, information and updates from CWAG Members and Associates
October 11, 2018
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CYBER SECURITY WORKING GROUP MEETING
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The next meeting of the Cyber Security Working Group will be held in conjunction with the CWAG Winter Dinner in Charleston, South Carolina at the Dewberry Hotel. The Working Group session will be held on Wednesday, November 28th, from 9:00-11:00 am. A light breakfast will be provided.
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Articles on topics relevant to the work of Attorneys General around the nation.
(
Note: Subscription may be required for access
.)
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Sports Betting Seminar Summary
On October 4th and 5th, Attorneys General from across the country joined together to discuss changes in regulation and implementation of legal sports betting in the states. With the expectation that several state legislatures will take this issue up in their next few legislative sessions, the Attorneys General will be responsible for providing briefings and opinions to the legislature regarding the legal obstacles and parameters for Sports Betting within their state.
Panel discussions focused on the need for marketplace oversight, principal federal laws affecting sports betting, post-Murphy state statutory responses and game data integrity, amongst others. To view the recorded program in full, visit the
CWAG livestream page.
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Sports Wagering to Hit New Mexico Next Week at Santa Ana
October 9, 2018
Once considered a long shot, the odds are now good there will be sports betting in New Mexico sooner rather than later.
On the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May, Santa Ana Star Casino in Albuquerque will open a new sports book Tuesday with full sports betting accessibility.
The state of New Mexico will not get any revenue from the venture under existing gaming compacts. The state receives a percentage from slot machine receipts but not from most other gambling in the casinos.
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Attorney General Bondi Launches Tip Site to Report Allegations of Past Child Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests in Florida
October 4, 2018
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a tip site for people to report allegations of past child sex abuse by Catholic priests in the state. The tip site is part of Attorney General Bondi’s ongoing investigation into all seven Catholic dioceses in the state. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is assisting with the statewide investigation.
Attorney General Bondi is encouraging anyone with information about past child abuse by Catholic priests in Florida to please report it by visiting
https://MyFloridaLegal.com/StopAbuse.
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Attorney General Josh Stein Fights to Stop Illegal Robocalls and Spoofing that Plague Consumers
October 9, 2018
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein called on the Federal Communications Commission to create new rules to allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls being made to North Carolinians. In addition to taking this action, Attorney General Stein is leading a bipartisan working group of forty State Attorneys General to tackle this problem.
The formal comment to the FCC explains that scammers using illegal robocalls have found ways to evade a call blocking order entered last year by the FCC. Despite the FCC’s order, robocalls continue to be a major irritant to North Carolinians. In the last three years, telemarketing and do-not-call complaints have ranked as either the first or second most frequent consumer complaints filed with our office. In many years, we have received more than 5,000 complaints about telemarketing and do not call violations – out of an approximate 20,000 complaints each year.
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Utah Solutions Summit: Instead to Address Opioid Abuse Impacting the Beehive State
October 9, 2018
The National Institute of Drug Abuse reported there were 466 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016 in Utah—a rate of 16.4 deaths per 100,000 persons. This was more than the national rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 persons that same year. Various speakers are expected to expound on myriad issues surrounding the opioid epidemic and include Arthur Brooks, Bob Woodson, Jennifer Plumb, Amber Baum, among others.
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Rutledge Opens Opioid Abuse Awareness Exhibit at the University of Arkansas
Says, ‘
I am thankful for all of the partnerships that brought this to Arkansas’
October 3, 2018
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge opened Prescribed to Death: A Memorial to the Victims of the Opioid Crisis with Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, the Association of Arkansas Counties and the Arkansas Municipal League at the University of Arkansas. The National Safety Council’s opioid memorial will be on display at the Arkansas Union in Fayetteville from October 3-9 and is free to all members of the public.
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Attorney General Bondi Activates Price Gouging Hotline as Tropical Storm Michael Approaches
October 7, 2018
Attorney General Pam Bondi tonight activated Florida’s price gouging hotline for consumers in the Panhandle and Big Bend. The opening of the hotline comes as Governor Rick Scott declares a state of emergency for 35 counties in the projected path of Tropical Storm Michael. The storm is expected to strengthen before possibly making landfall Wednesday in Florida’s Panhandle. Florida’s price gouging law applies to sales within counties covered by the declared state of emergency.
State law prohibits extreme increases in the price of essential commodities, such as food, water, hotels, ice, gasoline, lumber and equipment, needed as a direct result of an officially declared emergency. Anyone who suspects price gouging during this declared state of emergency should report it to the Florida Attorney General’s Office by calling 1 (866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.
Violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation and up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period. In addition to the civil penalties for price gouging, state law criminalizes the sale of goods and services to the public without possession of an occupational license. Violators of the law can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.
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Attorney General Becerra: Education Secretary DeVos Abandons Promise to Americans Who Dedicate Their Careers Serving the Public
October 5, 2018
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has joined a multistate coalition in sending a letter pressing U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Federal Student Aid Acting Chief Operating Officer Jim Manning to address the 99 percent denial rate for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) applications. The PSLF program was created in 2007 to help student loan borrowers who aspire to give back to their country or community by working in a public service field.
Attorney General Becerra is joined by attorneys general from Illinois, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and
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SEXUAL ASSAULT KIT REVIEW
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AG Ferguson: Statewide Inventory of Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits Complete
Survey of law enforcement agencies finds more than 6,400 kits not yet submitted to crime lab for testing in Washington
October 3, 2018
The Attorney General’s Office has completed its inventory of Washington state’s unsubmitted sexual assault kits, finding 6,460 kits that have not yet been submitted for lab testing by local law enforcement agencies.
This month, Attorney General Bob Ferguson will request the remainder of a federal grant that funds sexual assault kit testing. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is currently reviewing the inventory data and working with the Crime Lab to develop a plan for testing the kits, which potentially provide DNA evidence for sexual assault investigations.
The AGO obtained
inventory information
from 208 law enforcement agencies across Washington state. These 6,460 kits were collected and booked into evidence by local enforcement, but were not submitted to a crime lab for a DNA analysis. Consequently, they remain in evidence storage facilities around the state.
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Attorney General Becerra Joins Coalition Announcing Nationwide Settlement on CVS Health, Aetna Merger
Settlement Will Protect California Seniors and Medi-Cal Beneficiaries from Increased Prescription Drug Prices, Reduced Choices
October 10, 2018
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) and a multistate coalition, announced a settlement in the CVS Health (CVS) and Aetna merger. The settlement requires Aetna to sell the Medicare Part D plans of 1.5 million people to their competitor, WellCare Health Plans, to ensure competition in the prescription drug benefit market for Medicare beneficiaries. In addition, Aetna is prohibited from selling any new Medicare Part D plans in 2020. The proposed merger raised significant antitrust concerns due to its potential impact on prescription drug prices for seniors in Medicare Part D, as well as individuals who are dually enrolled in both Medi-Cal and Medicare and who qualify for the federal Low-Income Subsidy Program. This settlement resolves California’s yearlong investigation into the $69 billion merger of CVS, a nationwide drugstore chain, and Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health insurance carriers.
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Updated
American Indian Law Deskbook
Is Now Available
The
American Indian Law Deskbook
is a concise, direct, and easy-to-understand handbook on Indian law. The chapter authors of this book are experienced state lawyers who have been involved in Indian law for many years.
American Indian Law Deskbook
addresses the areas of Indian law most relevant to the practitioner.
Topics include:
- Definitions of Indians and Indian tribes
- Indian lands
- Criminal, civil regulatory, and civil adjudicatory jurisdiction
- Civil rights
- Indian water rights
- Fish and wildlife
- Environmental regulation
- Taxation
- Gaming
- Indian Child Welfare Act and tribal-state cooperative agreements
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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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