2019 Press Releases

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• 3/11/2019 AG TONG SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION BILLS

  Attorney General William Tong submitted written testimony today to the legislature's Judiciary Committee in support of a series of initiatives aimed at further promoting gun safety.

• 6/18/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ASKS CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT INTEGRITY OF AMERICA’S ELECTIONS

  (Hartford, CT) — In expressing his “significant concern regarding the persistent threats to our election systems,” Attorney General Tong today joined a total 22 attorneys general from around the country to ask Congress to take action to protect the integrity of America’s elections.

• 9/17/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG CONDEMNS FEDERAL ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMVENT CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of attorneys general, led by Pennsylvania and California, in opposing a new Trump Administration rule undermining civil rights protections that prevent federal contractors from discriminating against employees.

• 7/17/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG AND GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCE LAWSUIT AGAINST IRS AND SECRETARY MNUCHIN

  Acting to protect Connecticut taxpayers from the harmful effects of the Trump Administration's federal tax overhaul, Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont announced today that the State is joining a multistate lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Treasury Department.

• 5/16/2019 AG TONG JOINS 25-STATE COALITION OPPOSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLLBACK OF COMMON-SENSE PROTECTIONS FOR PAYDAY LOAN BORROWERS

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 25 states opposing the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate rules protecting consumers from abusive payday and vehicle title loans.

• 10/31/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMISSIONER SEAGULL WARN AGAINST MEXICAN TIMESHARE RESALE SCAM

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull warned consumers of a scam targeting owners of Mexican timeshares.

• 8/13/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION CONDEMNING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PROPOSED RULE THAT ELIMINATES ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS IN HEALTHCARE

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed rule to drastically undermine Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination in federal healthcare programs, benefits, and services. Specifically, Section 1557 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age. The proposed rule would roll back anti-discrimination protections for women, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with disabilities by undermining critical legal protections that guarantee healthcare as a right.

• 1/29/2019 STATE REACHES FALSE CLAIMS ACT SETTLEMENT WITH WEST HAVEN BEHAVIORAL ANALYST REGARDING IMPROPER BILLING FOR AUTISM SERVICES

  A West Haven behavioral analyst has agreed to pay $20,000 and will be suspended from participating in Connecticut's Medicaid program for three years for allegedly submitting false claims for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) services, Attorney General William Tong and state Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby announced today. Settlement funds will be returned to the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP).

• 2/8/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG DEFENDS TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS HOLDERS BEFORE THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today joined 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to prevent the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders nationwide.

• 4/4/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTI-STATE AMICUS BRIEF PROTECTING WOMEN'S ACCESS TO ABORTION SERVICES

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general today in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to affirm a lower court's finding that a Kentucky law that severely restricts access to abortion services is unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

• 5/12/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG LEADS 44-STATE COALITION IN ANTITRUST LAWSUIT AGAINST TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS, 19 OTHER GENERIC DRUG MANUFACTURERS, 15 INDIVIDUALS IN CONSPIRACY TO FIX PRICES AND ALLOCATE MARKETS FOR MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT GENERIC DRUGS

  Attorney General William Tong led a 44-state coalition in announcing a lawsuit against Teva Pharmaceuticals and 19 of the nation's largest generic drug manufacturers alleging a broad conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition and unreasonably restrain trade for more than 100 different generic drugs.

• 1/17/2019 New Haven Behavioral Health Provider Agrees to Settlement, Suspension to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

  A former New Haven behavioral health clinician group and its owner have agreed to pay $100,000 and will be suspended from participating in Connecticut's Medicaid program for ten years for allegedly engaging in a systematic and long-term pattern of submitting false claims to the program, Attorney General William Tong and state Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby said today.

• 2/13/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS LETTER URGING CFPB TO REJECT ANTI-CONSUMER PROTECTION POLICIES

  Attorney General William Tong joined 21 other state attorneys general in signing a letter authored by New York Attorney General Letitia James urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to abandon recently-proposed policies that would erode critical consumer protections under the guise of fostering innovation in the consumer financial marketplace.

• 8/7/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG AND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONER COLEMAN-MITCHELL ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT WITH HARTFORD HEALTHCARE TO TAKE AND ADMINISTER INHEALTH MEDICAL RECORDS

  Attorney General William Tong and Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Renée Coleman-Mitchell today announced an agreement between Hartford Healthcare and InHealth Med CT, PC to take over the possession of and administer the distribution of medical records requested by former InHealth patients.

• 7/17/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 37 ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING FDA TO PARTNER WITH STATES TO PROTECT CONSUMERS OF CANNABIS-DERIVED PRODUCTS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 37 state attorneys general urging federal cooperation with the states to protect consumers from false advertising and harms to their health from products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds, including cannabidiol (CBD). In a public comment filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the AGs highlight the need for research into the risks and potential benefits of cannabinoid products to inform consumers and assist in state-level regulation. They also encourage the FDA to continue partnering with state consumer protection authorities as it considers guidelines for this emerging market.