Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority granted his motion to open a “trial-like” proceeding to hold Eversource and United Illuminating accountable for their failed storm response. Attorney General Tong had called on PURA to open a contested case and prudence review—legal proceedings to enable the Attorney General to make the strongest claims on behalf of ratepayers and the states; seek fines, penalties and injunctive relief; and oppose the utilities’ requests for profits and reimbursement of storm-related costs. Attorney General Tong first made his request of PURA last week. When that first request was denied, Attorney General Tong filed a motion for reconsideration, cautioning that failure to open a contested case at the onset could “set the stage for an endless series of related proceedings taking years to reach conclusion.”
“This trial-like proceeding will allow us to make the strongest possible case on behalf of ratepayers, and to seek maximum fines and penalties in the swiftest amount of time. I want to thank PURA for this favorable decision, and appreciate their diligence in reconsidering our motion. Consumers are relying on this proceeding for answers and accountability,” said Attorney General Tong.
Hartford, CT — Attorney General William Tong today joined 19 attorneys general from across the United States in calling on Facebook to take additional steps to prevent their site from being used to spread hate and disinformation. The attorneys general also urged Facebook to provide stronger support for users who fall victim to online intimidation and harassment on its platforms.
today to Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, the attorneys general assert that despite its stated commitment to working to keep its user community safe, Facebook has fallen short in keeping hate content off its platforms and protecting users from online harassment.
The letter follows the release of a Civil Rights Audit of Facebook’s practices — commissioned by the company and completed in July—that faults Facebook for failing to advance civil rights, and refusing to enforce its own policies against dangerous organizations and individuals, including white supremacists and other extremists.
Recent surveys suggest more than 40 percent of Americans have experienced some form of online harassment, and that of those victims, more than 75 percent have reported being harassed on Facebook.
“Trolls, hate groups and foreign actors use Facebook as a weapon of choice to spread vile and racist disinformation. Facebook can and must do more to protect its users from hate speech, harassment and intimidation,” said Attorney General Tong.
The reforms recommended in today’s letter, many of which are highlighted in the recent Civil Rights Audit, include calls for Facebook to:
• Aggressively enforce its policies against hate speech and organized hate organizations;
• Allow public, third-party audits of hate content and enforcement;
• Commit to an ongoing, independent analysis of Facebook’s content population scheme and the prompt development of best practices guidance; and
• Expand policies limiting inflammatory advertisements that vilify minority groups;
The Attorneys General also recommends steps to enhance Facebook supportive services including:
• Offer live real-time assistance to victims of intimidation and harassment;
• Make information about unlawful harassment and intimidation more readily available; and
• Strengthen filtering, reporting, and blocking tools.
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#HARTFORD, CT – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement following a meeting Monday afternoon with Eversource CEO James Judge:
“I insisted to James Judge that he must make refunds to customers, and avoid any rate increase or charge for restoring power. He declined to commit to such action. In addition to money back to consumers and businesses for their losses, I also told him that there must be leadership changes, including his resignation. Connecticut residents and businesses suffered severe financial harm because of Eversource’s failure to prepare for this storm, and they should be made whole. I will continue to fight for consumer rebates, removal of Eversource’s senior leadership team, and a complete evaluation of the company’s abjectly poor performance including possible restructuring of the company. In the midst of a pandemic, as I have traveled across the state, I have seen and heard how this unacceptable epic failure has deepened the hardship and heartbreak of households and businesses. This company must be held accountable — this must never happen again. ”
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WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the New York Attorney General’s lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA):
“The NRA is rotten to the core – and this legal action will hasten its disintegration. For years, the NRA has been crumbling from within – rife with fraud, abuse, and misconduct. Responsible gun owners should be outraged that this organization has claimed to represent their interests while, instead, executives personally profit from their donations and work against reforms the majority of its membership supports. As the NRA implodes, its vice-like grip on lawmakers is weakening and we are finally seeing overdue gun violence reforms passed in state legislatures around the country. Now: when will my Republican colleagues in Congress catch up with the majority of the American people and pass universal background checks, a federal red flag statute, safe storage, and an end to the gun industry’s sweetheart deal immunity shield?”
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) wrote the Department of Justice (DOJ) today seeking an investigation into “reported violations of Americans’ civil liberties by Zoom and TikTok and the national security implications of both companies’ relationships with the People’s Republic of China.”
Both Zoom and TikTok have tried to conceal their ties to China, where “tech firms are notoriously bound to draconian intelligence laws, media regulations, and extrajudicial pressure that compels them to censor and spy for China’s state security services.” Americans’ use of these platforms has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic even following reports of potential threats to the privacy of their data and their freedom of expression. Compounding these concerns, both Zoom and TikTok have refused to answer even basic questions from lawmakers regarding their business practices, including who has access to users’ personal data and when they comply with information requests from China or other governments.
The full letter to DOJ is available here and copied below.
Assistant Attorney General Demers:
We are writing to urge the Department of Justice to open an investigation into reported violations of Americans’ civil liberties by Zoom and TikTok and the national security implications of both companies’ relationships with the People’s Republic of China. Based on numerous reports, we are extremely concerned that Zoom and TikTok have disclosed private information about Americans to the PRC and engaged in censorship on behalf of the Chinese government.
As tens of millions of Americans turn to Zoom and TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic, few know that the privacy of their data and their freedom of expression is under threat due to the relationship of these companies to the Chinese government. Of particular concern, both Zoom and TikTok have sought to conceal and distract from their meaningful ties to China, holding themselves out as American companies. This concealment is alarming – Chinese tech firms are notoriously bound to draconian intelligence laws, media regulations, and extrajudicial pressure that compels them to censor and spy for China’s state security services. Even when subsidiaries, product teams, or servers are located outside of the country, when their engineers or management are based in China, sensitive personal data is still within the reach of Chinese intelligence.
By hiding vulnerable ties and dependencies on China, Zoom and TikTok have obscured from American consumers that their personal data could be at risk. While Zoom is headquartered in the United States, the research group Citizen Lab found that the Zoom application appears to be developed by three companies in China, including at least 700 employees in China that work in “research and development.”[1] Similarly, although TikTok has claimed to be based in the United States or Cayman Islands, it is owned by a Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance. Moreover, although TikTok is quick to claim that the app does not work in China, it is slower to highlight the fact that Bytedance operates a sibling app in China that exactly mirrors TikTok. This naturally raises questions concerning TikTok’s other claims of independence from China and calls into question who is actually running the app.
Zoom and TikTok also share a recurring and disturbing history of complying with demands by the Chinese Communist Party and silencing criticism of the Chinese government. Although the United States has long prided itself on being a safe haven for dissidents and human rights activists escaping repressive regimes, we are profoundly concerned that both companies could pose a threat to the safety of Americans, their families, and brave activists inside of China working with U.S.-based dissidents.
For example, in early June, several Chinese pro-democracy advocates, including a prominent dissident based in the United States, were suspended by Zoom following a demand from the Chinese Communist Party because they had held a peaceful commemoration of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations on Zoom.[2] In addition to being a chilling case of censorship within the United States, Zoom has still failed to answer whether it turned over information about those attending that meeting to the Chinese government. Such disclosures of sensitive information concerning that meeting, and other similar events like online church services, could be a death sentence for vulnerable communities inside of China.
Despite repeated promises of transparency and multiple inquiries from Congress, both Zoom and TikTok have failed to answer even basic questions about their business operations, including who has access to personal information and when they comply with request from China or other governments. We believe that it is imperative that the Department of Justice investigate and determine whether Zoom and TikTok’s business relationships, data handling practices, and operational connections to China pose a risk to Americans. In addition to opening an investigation, we request that the Department of Justice and its partners in the Intelligence Community provide a briefing to Congress on this issue as soon as possible.
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#Washington, DC – The House of Representatives passed the Childcare is Essential Act and the Childcare for Economic Recovery Act. These bills are essential to providing immediate relief for suffering childcare centers and providing long-term stability to the industry.
While many childcare centers have remained open during the pandemic, new regulations requiring increased safety procedures and limiting the number of children cared for have increased cost while decreasing revenue. One estimate by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve reports that most childcare centers are currently operating at a loss. Only 6% of childcare centers were able to secure a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, and more than 240,000 childcare workers have lost their jobs or been furloughed.
“Childcare centers across the country, including here in Connecticut, are in immediate danger of closing their doors for good,” said Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04). “This would have devastating consequences as countless jobs would be lost and the essential workers and medical professionals who rely on childcare could be left with no options and forced to abandon their jobs to care for their children.”
“Currently only about half of CT’s childcare centers are open,” said Merrill Gay, Executive Director of the CT Early Childhood Alliance. “Those that are open are at reduced capacity and losing money every day. Without assistance many will close their doors forever.”
The Child Care Is Essential Act, led by Congresswoman Rosa Delauro, creates a $50 billion stabilization fund so child care providers can remain open during a period of increased costs and low enrollment over the next five to six months while the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act includes policy fixes to ensure the longer-term survival of childcare providers.
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HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced the launch of business.ct.gov – an online, one-stop-shop where entrepreneurs can easily find information and quickly create a checklist with everything required to start up or manage their business in Connecticut. The online service will make it easier to do business in the state, support small business owners as a partner in their success, and improve citizens’ interactions with state government.
The governor explained that the portal aims to prevent businesses from needing to navigate the sometimes complex nature of state government by merging many of their common needs into one simplified location online. When completing transactions through the portal, users will be interacting with several state agencies all in one seamless interaction, allowing them to get their work done quicker.
“It’s been our priority from day one to get more services online and create a true digital government where our business owners can spend time online – not in line,” Governor Lamont said. “Our economy depends on us continuing to lead the way with new technology to attract the best talent and minds in the country. Our citizens expect us to work across agencies so residents can interact with one seamless government – not siloed agencies. I look forward to seeing this program and our business community in Connecticut grow to become even stronger.”
“Business.ct.gov is the State of Connecticut’s front door and welcome center for businesses that are starting in or relocating to our great state, and this launch will let them know that we are open for business,” Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said. “This site will make it easier for businesses to get started and to expand by giving them a one-stop, online portal to state government so that we can grow together.”
“Instead of us making decisions about what this online service should look like within government, we asked businesses about their challenges and built the service based on their feedback,” Department of Administrative Services Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said. “Our businesses expect us to serve them where they are – not the other way around. Business owners and citizens alike think of our government as one entity – not siloed agencies – and they expect us to be working together.”
“This new portal is a game-changer as it redefines how we communicate and interface with small businesses, entrepreneurs and startups,” Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Glendowlyn Thames said. “By providing users with a simple, seamless experience in accessing all the resources needed to start a business or navigate their COVID recovery, we are making Connecticut more attractive to companies and investors alike. I look forward to further innovations as this portal continues to evolve and improve for businesses across our state.”
“The Department of Consumer Protection works with hundreds of industries and processes hundreds of thousands of credentials every year,” Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull said. “We do everything we can to make sure that process goes smoothly – and business.ct.gov
takes that a step further. I want to thank Governor Lamont for his leadership in this endeavor, and our sister agencies for their collaboration.”
“The Department of Revenue Services has welcomed the opportunity to contribute to business.ct.gov, which will serve as an important vehicle to enhance online services and provide a more seamless experience for taxpayers,” Department of Revenue Services Acting Commissioner John Biello said. “As a customer service tool, business.ct.gov
holds great promise for those seeking to navigate regulatory requirements and access guidance on how to plan, register, and operate a business in Connecticut. I applaud Governor Lamont and Chief Operating Officer Geballe for their vision, and for their support in fostering collaboration across agencies.”
Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said, “This is a great tool to help young businesses navigate the regulatory landscape and connect with the very state agencies that can help them thrive. I commend Governor Lamont and the administration for their ongoing work to develop our economy and invest in the people who make it run.”
“Business.ct.gov is a huge step forward for companies looking to launch or manage a business in the state,” Peter Denious, president and CEO of AdvanceCT, said, “I commend Governor Lamont and his team for tackling this herculean project and delivering an efficient, business-friendly solution for companies looking to interact with the state of Connecticut.”
The development of business.ct.gov was led by the Department of Administrative Services Digital Services team with the support for Deloitte Digital, along with the Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Consumer Protection, Department of Revenue Services, Department of Labor, and Advance CT.
WETHERSFIELD, CT – The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, with the approval of Governor Ned Lamont, has added to its list of extended deadlines for Connecticut residents with expiring credentials. Eligible DMV credentials that expire between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020 are automatically covered by this extension.
In addition to extending the expiration date of DMV credentials, late fees associated with eligible expired credentials will be waived during the time period of the extension for qualifying credentials.
Deadlines have been extended for the following DMV-related items:
All Licenses, Permits and Identification Cards
Lengthens the credential extension to 90 days for credentials that expire between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020.
All Registrations Including International Registration Plan (IRP) and Boat Registrations
For credentials expiring between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020, credentials will be extended by 90 days from the expiration date.
Emissions Testing and Retesting
For test due dates that fall between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020, the due date will be extended by 90 days from the emissions expiration date.
Permanent Disability Placard
Any permanent disability placard that expires at the same time as a credential that is subject to an extension, will be extended by 90 days.
Business Licenses
For credentials expiring between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020, credentials will be extended by 90 days from the expiration date.
Temporary Registrations
Temporary registrations obtained between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020 are extended by 90 days.
Temporary Licenses, IDs, Permits that Contain a Digital Image
Expiration dates will be extended by 90 days for all temporary (paper) licenses obtained between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020.
Flashing Light Permits
Expiration dates between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020 are extended by 90 days.
School Bus Proficiency Tests
Extends the validity of school bus proficiency tests that are due between August 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020 by 90 days.
For answers to questions, updates or more information about these extensions or other previously-issued credential extensions:
Call 860-263-5700 (within the Hartford area) or 1-800-842-8222 (outside the Hartford area)
The extensions are intended to help safeguard the general public against the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19 and to maintain social distance within offices. For up-to-date guidance on COVID-19 please visit ct.gov/coronavirus.
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WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 32 of their senate colleagues in a letter led by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue critical flexibilities that have allowed students to access much-needed meals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. If extended throughout the 2020-2021 school year, children would maintain access regardless of school opening status, and struggling school nutrition programs would benefit from additional financial relief.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools around the country to close their buildings and shift instruction to online and distance-learning models,” the senators wrote. “For many children, school breakfast and lunch may be the only healthy and regular meals they receive.”
The senators continued, “The economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in millions of parents losing their jobs, and millions more students will be dependent on school-provided meals. School meal program directors must begin procuring food, equipment, and supplies and placing orders now in preparation for the upcoming school year.”
To help ensure school meal program directors and staff have the certainty that they need to begin preparing for the upcoming school year, the Senators are urging the USDA to extend a variety of waivers that will help ensure low-income students can access school-provided meals throughout the upcoming school year.
Additionally, the senators are calling on the USDA to reimburse schools for the transportation costs for delivering meals to low-income students: “While many school meal programs are managing these costs for the time-being, they cannot continue absorbing them for the foreseeable future. We ask that the USDA make additional funds available to schools to assist with the cost of delivering meals to low-income students until regular school operations are restored.”
Former New Hampshire State Senator Nancy Stiles, whose advocacy on this issue helped prompt the letter, said,“As a former school nutrition director, and amid continued concerns about the children being ready to learn, I very much appreciate Senator Hassan’s very complete letter. She also recognizes the additional costs that it puts on the local programs in order to make sure our students are nutritionally fed. These students are our future and are experiencing these very difficult times.”
In addition to Senators Murphy, Blumenthal, Hassan and Collins the letter was also signed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Full text of the letter is available here and below.
Dear Secretary Perdue:
We write in support of the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) request that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) extend a number of school meal program waivers for the entire 2020-2021 school year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools around the country to close their buildings and shift instruction to online and distance-learning models. For many children, school breakfast and lunch may be the only healthy and regular meals they receive. We want to thank USDA for its flexibility granting waivers of school meal program requirements this past school year and this summer. The 2020-2021 school year will likely be marked by similar closures, with many children having to learn from home. The economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in millions of parents losing their jobs, and millions more students will be dependent on school-provided meals. School meal program directors must begin procuring food, equipment, and supplies and placing orders now in preparation for the upcoming school year.
We were pleased that USDA extended a number of waivers for school meal program regulatory requirements until the end of the 2020-2021 school year, including the meal pattern requirement, the parent/guardian pickup requirement, the congregate feeding requirement, and the mealtime requirement. However, to help ensure school meal program directors and staff have the certainty they need to begin preparing for the upcoming school year, we urge you to also extend the following waivers nationwide until the end of the 2020-2021 school year:
• Unexpected School Closures Waiver
• Afterschool Activity Waiver
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Parent Pick-Up Waiver
• Waiver of Child Nutrition Monitoring
• Waiver of Food Management Company Contract Duration Requirements
• Waiver of Local School Wellness Assessments
• Area Eligibility Waiver
• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Waivers
Additionally, it has come to our attention that under the current regulations, the transportation costs for delivering meals to low-income students are not reimbursed by the USDA. While many school meal programs are managing these costs for the time-being, they cannot continue absorbing them for the foreseeable future. We ask that the USDA make additional funds available to schools to assist with the cost of delivering meals to low-income students until regular school operations are restored.
During such an unprecedented crisis, we must ensure that schoolchildren have enough to eat. We thank USDA for all its work so far that helped keep children fed, and we ask that you continue doing everything you can to do the same for the upcoming school year.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Wednesday unveiled legislation that would prohibit federal funds for police in schools, diverting existing resources towards the use of counselors, social workers, and other services and supports to help marginalized students and improve educational outcomes. Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act
would also provide a standalone grant program for districts to replace police personnel with counselors, social workers and other health providers. U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation is supported by the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Center for Law and Social Policy, SPLC Action Fund, Human Rights Campaign, National Urban League, the Justice Collaborative, Girls Inc. Advancement Project, Open Society Policy Center, the Center for Popular Democracy, National Women’s Law Center, Center for Disability Rights, Drug Policy Alliance, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Disability Rights Network, the Daniel Initiative, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, the Criminalization of Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, the National Center for Youth Law, Education Law Center (PA), PolicyLink, the Boston Teachers Union, the Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), and GLSEN.
“Police shouldn’t be in schools. There are plenty of better ways to ensure that our schools are safe places to learn, and Congress needs to understand how police in schools ends up with the wrong kids getting arrested for minor disciplinary actions and resources being drained from more effective programs. And we know that Black and Latino kids are disproportionately affected, as they are referred and arrested at drastically higher rates than their white peers. If we are going to begin to tackle systemic racism in this country, we must start by addressing the racial inequities in our education system, and getting police out of classrooms is a necessary first step,” said Murphy. “In Connecticut, in the wake of a horrific school shooting, many schools hired police officers to enhance the peace of mind of parents. But now we have plenty of evidence to show that there are far better ways to ensure kids’ safety, and that these police officers are contributing to a civil rights crisis that we must address.”
“Every student should be able to learn in a setting free from fear,” said Pressley. “But for too many young people—particularly Black and brown students, immigrant students, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students and other historically marginalized students—the very presence of police officers in schools increases the likelihood that they will be criminalized and put on a path to confinement for everyday childhood behavior. Instead of criminalizing our students and funding an ever growing police presence in our public schools, it’s time to finally invest in the critical staff like counselors, nurses and social workers who actually make our schools safer. The Counseling Not Criminalization Act is bold legislation that will disrupt the school to confinement pathway by prohibiting federal funds from being used to over-police and criminalize our students and instead encourages schools to invest in the trauma informed personnel and health care staff necessary to equip all students to learn and thrive.”
“Counselors, nurses, social workers, and educators belong in schools. Police do not,” said Warren. “Our bill will bring us one step closer to ending the militarization of our public schools that disproportionately hurts Black and Brown students, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, and ensuring we give every child the resources they need to feel safe and thrive.”
“Schools should be places of learning, not law enforcement. As a mother of three beautiful Black children and a Minneapolis public schools graduate, I have seen firsthand how Black and brown children are disproportionately punished, reprimanded, suspended and expelled in our schools,” said Omar. “In Minneapolis, black students are 41% of the student population, but make up three quarters of all suspensions. At one middle school in my district, African American students were 338% more likely to be suspended than their white peers last year. If we’re going to tackle systemic racism, we need to start at childhood. That means getting police out of schools. I am proud to lead this bill with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Chris Murphy and Rep. Ayanna Pressley—and look forward to our partnership in getting this passed into law.”
Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act seeks to:
· Divert federal funding away from supporting the presence of police in schools and toward evidence-based services that address the needs of marginalized students and improve academic outcomes; and support local education agencies that want to terminate their contracts with local law enforcement agencies and invest public funding in personnel and services that create safe and inclusive schools for all students.
