2019 Press Releases

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• 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.

• 10/18/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES EFFORT TO UNDERMINE ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR DISHWASHERS

  ttorney General William Tong joined 13 attorneys general and the City of New York in calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) to withdraw its proposed rule to undermine current energy efficiency standards for residential dishwashers. The proposed rule, issued at the request of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, attempts to carve out a class of dishwashers from energy efficiency standards by creating a new, unnecessary category of dishwashers defined only by shorter cycle times. Attorney General Tong and the coalition assert that the proposal is unlawful, hurts consumers and the environment, and is not supported by any factual need.

• 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.

• 7/30/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG AND COMMISSIONER SEAGULL ANNOUNCE INVESTIGATION INTO JUUL LABS

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull have opened an investigation into JUUL Labs, Inc. regarding health claims made by the company.

• 10/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES EFFORT TO UNDERMINE PROTECTIONS AGAINST HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general opposing a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposal that would undermine key existing protections against housing discrimination in federal law.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.”

• 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.

• 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.

• 10/17/2019 TONG SEEKS EXTENDED LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR FORMER ARGOSY AND ART INSTITUTES STUDENTS

  Attorney General William Tong has joined a bipartisan coalition of 30 state attorneys general urging U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to expand loan forgiveness eligibility for students who were enrolled in schools operated by the Dream Center Education Holdings, LLC (DCEH). The letter details extraordinary misconduct and mismanagement by DCEH, which prevented students from obtaining degrees, and unfairly left them to repay federal student-loan debt from their time attending the failed schools.

• 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.

• 9/3/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION DEMANDING ANSWERS FROM TRUMP ADMIN OVER CHANGES TO PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES IMMIGRANTS WITH LIFESAVING MEDICAL CARE

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, calling on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide immediate answers regarding the status and oversight of the federal government’s medical deferred action program. For years, medical deferred action has allowed immigrants to apply to remain in the United States if they are in extreme medical need. USCIS has long overseen and managed this program, but last week, without warning, USCIS informed applicants in denial letters that the agency is no longer overseeing the program. The Trump Administration has since failed to issue any formal directive or guidance on the new process for reviewing medical deferred action requests, including what federal agency is overseeing the program, and the coalition is demanding answers.

• 1/24/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG PRAISES PURA DECISION LOWERING RATES ACROSS ALL PUBLIC UTILITIES

  "This decision today means lower rates across the board for Connecticut consumers across all regulated utilities. Ratepayers shoulder the burden of utility taxes, and the Office of the Attorney General fought to ensure every dollar saved due to corporate tax cuts will be used to drive down rates."