2020 Press Releases

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• 7/21/2020 Attorney General Tong Sues EPA to Protect Clean Water Act Oversight

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule unlawfully curtailing state authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

• 2/25/2020 Attorney General Tong Releases Testimony in Support of Update to Connecticut Data Breach Notification Statute

  Attorney General William Tong today testified before the General Law Committee in support of Senate Bill 137, An Act Concerning Data Privacy Breaches. The bill, sought by the Office of the Attorney General, updates and strengthens Connecticut’s breach notification statute.

• 4/13/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Supreme Court to Reconsider Public Charge Rule Due to COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of three states and New York City in filing a motion to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit implementation of the Public Charge Rule in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

• 3/27/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Multistate Coalition Urging Trump Administration to Ease Restrictions and Allow Medical Professionals to Research Solutions to COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general led by California in sending a letter to President Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services calling on the Administration to end its research ban on fetal tissue to aid the nation’s medical response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 4/23/2020 Attorney General Tong Statement on Trump Immigration Proclamation

  Attorney General William Tong issued a statement regarding President Donald Trump’s immigration proclamation.

• 5/5/2020 AG Tong Urges Telecom Industry to Expand Illegal Robocall Response

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a bipartisan coalition of 52 attorneys general in calling on USTelecom and its Industry Traceback Group (ITG) to expand its collaboration with state attorneys general by bolstering technological capabilities to improve enforcement against illegal robocallers.

• 10/5/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Bipartisan Coalition in Urging Creative Community to Protect Young Viewers from Tobacco Imagery

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 43 attorneys general in urging the creative community to take action to protect young viewers from tobacco imagery in streamed movies and programs.

• 10/5/2020 AG Tong Joins 18-State Coalition Opposing South Carolina’s Witness Requirement for Mail-In Ballots

  Coalition Argues in Supreme Court That Requirement Risks Health of Voters During Pandemic and Does Not Prevent Widespread Voter Fraud

• 10/6/2020 AG Tong Demands Drug Makers Abandon Unlawful Actions Imperiling Access to Affordable Prescriptions for Low-Income Patients

  Attorney General William Tong today sent letters to Eli Lilly, Astra Zeneca, Merck, Sanofi, and Novartis demanding the drug makers immediately abandon unlawful actions imperiling access to affordable prescriptions for low-income patients.

• 7/17/2020 Attorney General Tong Seeks Dismissal of Absentee Ballot Challenge

  Attorney General William Tong will personally argue before the Connecticut Supreme Court Monday seeking to dismiss a challenge to the state’s absentee ballot provisions protecting voters in the August primary during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

• 3/18/2020 Attorney General Tong Commends Municipal Electric Utilities, Metropolitan District Commission and Regional Water Authority for Following Shut-off Moratorium

  After urging member utilities in the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative and the Regional Water Authority to voluntarily comply with the shut-off moratorium ordered last week by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Attorney General William Tong thanked the municipal and regional utilities for taking swift action to help consumers.

• 6/30/2020 Attorney General Tong Defends States' Rights to Set Public Safety Priorities

  Attorney General William Tong joined a group of 15 attorneys general defending a New Jersey directive that limits when and how local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

• 10/6/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Congress to Adopt New Consumer Protections to Protect Airline Industry Customers

  Attorney General William Tong and a bipartisan coalition of 40 attorneys general, led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, yesterday sent a letter urging Congress to enact new consumer protection measures for airline industry customers as part of or in connection with any further financial relief package provided to the airline industry.

• 3/19/2020 Attorney General Tong Seeks Information from Amazon Following Price Gouging Complaint

  Attorney General William Tong today sent a letter to Amazon seeking information from the online retailer regarding efforts to detect and combat price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter follows a complaint from a Connecticut consumer who recently attempted to purchase two types of 3M face masks through Amazon. The consumer was charged nearly $400 in shipment fees for two small boxes of face masks with a retail value of under $100. The letter seeks information regarding the specific reported transaction, as well as procedures and practices being deployed by Amazon to prevent price gouging and protect consumers. “Consumers, especially under current conditions, should not be charged unreasonable sums for such health-related products. With the size of its market share, Amazon plays a crucial role in deterring price gouging, and assisting law enforcement in bringing predatory sellers to account,” the letter states. To date, the Office of the Attorney General has received 110 complaints regarding price hikes on basic supplies like hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and toilet paper since Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies on March 10. In addition to today’s letter to Amazon, the Office of the Attorney General has sent letters as part of its aggressive investigations and law enforcement efforts to multiple Connecticut retailers both large and small in response to consumer price gouging complaints. As states across the country continue with efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak, many states like Connecticut have declared a state of emergency. These declarations have triggered price gouging statutes which are designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous retailers seeking to profit from this public emergency. Anyone who suspects price gouging should file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General online at https://www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint/. To read a full copy of the Office of the Attorney General’s letter to Amazon, click here.

• 10/9/2020 Attorney General Tong Supports Extension of Emergency Moratorium on Utility Shut-Offs

  In a letter today to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Attorney General William Tong supported extending the emergency moratorium on electric, natural gas, and water utility shut-offs to February 1, 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.