2019 Press Releases

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• 8/5/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 39 STATE COALITION IN SENDING LETTER TO CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP URGING REMOVAL OF FEDERAL BARRIERS TO TREAT OPIOID USE DISORDER

  Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in a letter to Congress seeking the removal of federal barriers currently hindering the ability of health care providers to provide treatment for opioid use disorder. The letter, led by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, was signed by 39 attorneys general.

• 8/7/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG RELEASES GUIDANCE TO PROTECT AGAINST RELATIONSHIP SCAMS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

  Following an uptick in cases of fraud on Facebook and Instagram where scammers steal the identities of U.S. servicemembers to cheat people out of their money, Attorney General William Tong is urging Connecticut residents to be aware. These scammers will try to strike up an online relationship with you, earn your trust, and then steal money from you or your loved ones.

• 6/11/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTI-STATE COALITION TO BLOCK T-MOBILE AND SPRINT MEGAMERGER

  (Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined 9 states today in filing a multi-state lawsuit to halt the proposed merger of telecom giants T-Mobile and Sprint. The complaint, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, was filed in New York federal court in coordination with Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., alleges that the merger of two of the four largest national mobile network operators would deprive consumers of the benefits of competition and drive up prices for cellphone services.

• 11/27/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG FIGHTS TRANSGENDER DISCRIMINATION

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general fighting to support transgender rights in an antidiscrimination lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board in Virginia. Gavin Grimm, a former student at Gloucester High School, sued the local school board in 2015 — when he was still a student — for discrimination that banned him from using the common male restrooms at his high school. The coalition filed an amicus brief in the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in support of Grimm in the case of Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board.

• 8/7/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BIPARTISAN COALITION OF 43 ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING VIDEO STREAMING INDUSTRY TO PROTECT YOUNG VIEWERS FROM TOBACCO

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a bipartisan coalition of 43 attorneys general, co-led by Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, in urging the streaming industry to limit tobacco use in their video content. Due to the growing use of tobacco products amongst teens, the attorneys general urge the streaming industry to take proactive steps to protect the lives of young viewers. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of middle and high school students using e-cigarettes rose from 2.1 million in 2017 to 3.6 million in 2018.

• 5/3/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROPOSAL TO END COST-SAVING ENERGY STANDARDS FOR LIGHTBULBS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a comment letter opposing the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposal to overturn energy efficiency requirements for certain lightbulbs.

• 12/3/2019 TONG PRAISES PURA DRAFT DECISION PROTECTING VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS FROM PREDATORY ELECTRIC SUPPLIERS

  Attorney General William Tong praised a draft decision by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) that would shield hardship customers from third-party electric suppliers. Third-party suppliers have overcharged Connecticut's most vulnerable consumers by more than $7.2 million over a two year period when compared to the utility standard service rates offered by Eversource Energy and the United Illuminating Company. Hardship customers generally include those with a documented financial hardship, a certified medical protection, or those who receive public assistance.

• 7/30/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION OF 22 STATES ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN URGING CONGRESS TO ACT ON TOXIC ‘FOREVER’ CHEMICALS

  Attorney General William Tong today released a joint letter to Congress, signed by a coalition of 22 state attorneys general and led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, strongly urging the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation to aid states in addressing the public health threat of toxic “forever” chemicals.

• 4/2/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG AND COALITION FILE BRIEF IN CENSUS CASE CHALLENGING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ATTEMPT TO ADD CITIZENSHIP QUESTION TO THE 2020 CENSUS

  Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 18 states, 16 local governments, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, led by New York, filed a merits brief in the United States Supreme Court in the case challenging the Trump Administration’s attempt to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census. Attorney General Tong released the following statement:

• 12/26/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG NAMED CO-CHAIRMAN OF NAAG INTERNET SECURITY/CYBER PRIVACY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE

  Attorney General William Tong has been named co-chairman of the National Association of Attorneys General Internet Safety/Cyber Privacy and Security Committee, continuing to position the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General as a national leader on digital privacy and online consumer protection. Among the issues the committee will examine are digital privacy, child safety online, and security of personal, business and government data.

• 5/1/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, CONSUMER COUNSEL KATZ APPLAUD FINAL DECISION THAT IMPOSES $1.5M FINE, PENALTIES ON DIRECT ENERGY ELECTRIC SUPPLIER

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz praised a final decision issued today by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to fine third-party electric supplier Direct Energy $1.5 million for violating Connecticut statues by employing misleading sales and marketing practices.

• 2/11/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG GIVES TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 7070

  Attorney General William Tong gave public testimony today in support of House Bill 7070, "An Act Concerning Deceptive Advertising Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers," which seeks to protect women's health by prohibiting limited services pregnancy centers from engaging in false and misleading advertising.

• 10/2/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM TONG SEEKS INFORMATION FROM DO-IT-YOURSELF RAPE KIT MANUFACTURERS

  The Connecticut Office of the Attorney General has sent letters to the manufactures of the "MeToo" and "PRESERVE" "do-it-yourself" rape kits seeking information regarding representations and implications by the companies that their kits will yield evidence admissible in criminal prosecution.

• 10/17/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION ANNOUNCE $116.9 MILLION MULTISTATE SETTLEMENT WITH JOHNSON & JOHNSON, ETHICON, INC.

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull today announced a multistate settlement along with 40 states and the District of Columbia requiring Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon, Inc. to pay nearly $116.9 million for their deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices.

• 2/22/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG DENOUNCES TITLE X DOMESTIC GAG RULE TO RESTRICT ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

  Attorney General William Tong today released the following statement denouncing release of the final Title X domestic gag rule by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services imposing new unlawful restrictions on access to women's healthcare.