2019 Press Releases

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• 8/2/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR UNLAWFULLY CUTTING PENALTIES FOR INDUSTRY VIOLATIONS OF FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit challenging the Trump Administration's efforts to unlawfully undermine federal penalties for automakers who violate fuel efficiency standards.

• 11/12/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON SCOTUS DECISION NOT TO TAKE APPEAL OF SANDY HOOK REMINGTON CASE

  Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to take up the appeal of a Connecticut Supreme Court decision giving Sandy Hook families the opportunity to prove that Remington-- the maker of the AR-15 used by the gunman in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary — violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) by marketing a military-style weapon to civilians.

• 4/25/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 20-STATE COALITION URGING U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEES TO PROTECT STUDENT VETERANS FROM EXPLOITATION BY FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS

  Attorney General William Tong, along with 19 other state attorneys general submitted a statement for consideration to Congress during a joint field hearing of the U.S. House Education and Labor and Veterans Affairs Committees taking place this afternoon in El Cajon, California.

• 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.

• 4/3/2019 AG TONG JOINS COALITION OPPOSING TRUMP-IMPOSED FOOD STAMP WORK REQUIREMENTS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 21 states and territories in opposing an unlawful Trump administration effort to strip residents of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly called “food stamps.”

• 5/9/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION OF 38 STATES URGING CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION ALLOWING MARIJUANA-RELATED BUSINESS TO ACCESS THE BANKING SYSTEM

  (Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 states and territorial attorneys general urging Congress to pass the federal Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (H.R. 1595) or similar measures that would give legal marijuana-related businesses access to the federal banking system.

• 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.

• 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).

• 4/19/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, MULTISTATE COALITION FILE BRIEF IN ONGOING LAWSUIT TO PROTECT STATE, MUNICIPALITIES FROM UNLAWFUL RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC SAFETY GRANTS

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of six other Attorneys General in filing a brief today in their lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s efforts to punish so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions by putting immigration-related conditions on the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program (Byrne JAG), a federal law enforcement grant.

• 4/18/2019 AN OPEN LETTER TO CONNECTICUT ON MY 100TH DAY AS YOUR ATTORNEY GENERAL

  Today marks 100 days since I first took the oath of office as your 45th Attorney General.

• 5/9/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 42 ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN SUPPORT OF FEDERAL RULES TO BETTER COMBAT ROBOCALLS

  After 47.8 billion robocalls were made in the U.S. in 2018, Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in a comment letter supporting the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) proposed rules to improve and expand the prohibition on "caller ID" spoofing."

• 9/9/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 50 ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN BIPARTISAN MULTISTATE ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION INTO GOOGLE

  Attorney General William Tong announced today Connecticut has joined with 50 attorneys general in a multistate, bipartisan investigation of tech giant Google’s business practices in accordance with state and federal antitrust laws.

• 9/10/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES SEC FOR PUTTING BROKERS AHEAD OF INVESTORS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of eight attorneys general from around the nation in filing a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, challenging the Securities & Exchange Commission’s (SEC) “Regulation Best Interest” for failing to meet basic investor protections that were laid out in the historic 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.

• 3/8/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG URGES CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST ROBOCALLS

  Attorney General William Tong this week joined a coalition of attorneys general representing 54 states and territories urging the U.S. Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, legislation to curb illegal robocalls and spoofing. The coalition of attorneys general, led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald, and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, sent a letter to the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation supporting the TRACED Act. The legislation is sponsored by Sens. John Thune and Ed Markey.

• 12/19/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG PRAISES PURA DECISION THAT IMPROVES AWARENESS OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR HARDSHIP CUSTOMERS

  Attorney General William Tong today praised an Interim Decision by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) directing the electric utilities to implement a series of practical solutions aimed at improving public awareness of hardship programs that assist residents who struggle to pay their electric bills.