Hartford, CT – Attorney General William Tong today issued the following statement regarding the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act individual mandate.
“The stakes, in this case, could not be higher. Our entire healthcare system hangs in the balance,” said Attorney General Tong. “We’re going to be fighting on behalf of cancer survivors, young adults, pregnant women, people with diabetes, and hundreds of thousands more in Connecticut whose healthcare is under attack. The Trump Administration is going to have to explain to the Court and the American people why it thinks cancer survivors and others with so-called pre-existing conditions should be denied coverage. Our side has the stronger argument, as a matter of law and principle.”
Connecticut joined a California-led coalition of 20 states and Washington D.C. in January in filing a petition to the Court seeking review of a Fifth Circuit decision in Texas v. U.S. That decision held the individual mandate of the ACA was unconstitutional and called into question whether the remaining provisions of the law could still stand, including those protecting and providing coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Attorney General Tong and the coalition petitioned the Court to take up the case and resolve it before the end of the Court’s current term in June.
In Connecticut alone, 250,000 residents have benefited from the expansion of Medicaid. Thousands of young adults under the age of 26 have health insurance through their parents’ plans. Nearly half a million residents with pre-existing conditions have health coverage as a result of ACA protections.
Hartford, CT) — Attorneys General from Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas announced a bipartisan, multistate investigation into JUUL Labs. The 39-state multistate coalition is investigating JUUL’s marketing and sales practices, including the targeting of youth, claims regarding nicotine content, and statements regarding risks, safety and effectiveness as a smoking cessation device.
“Connecticut’s investigation into JUUL is active and expanding. Our state, along with Florida, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas, is now leading a bipartisan, 39-state coalition investigating JUUL’s marketing and sales practices, including efforts by the company to market their nicotine delivery devices to youth. We are also looking at claims made by JUUL regarding nicotine content and statements they have made regarding the risks, safety, and effectiveness as a smoking cessation tool,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “I will not prejudge where this investigation will lead, but we will follow every fact and are prepared to take strong action in conjunction with states across the nation to protect public health.”
“I want to thank the Office of Attorney General William Tong for their commitment to public health and safety, especially when it comes to our children,” said Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull. “It’s important that when there are concerns about questionable marketing and sales practices, that we look into them as completely as possible, and I am pleased to see this inquiry expanding with Connecticut leading the way.”
“We have an epidemic of underage vaping, not just in Florida, but nationwide. As Florida’s Attorney General and a mother, I cannot sit on the sidelines while this public health epidemic grows, and our next generation becomes addicted to nicotine. That is why we are acting with a sense of urgency in Florida and stepping up to help lead the multistate investigation into JUUL’s role in the underaged vaping epidemic,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
“Preying on children and those looking for help to quit smoking is one of the most despicable examples of risking people’s lives for corporate profit,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. “I’m proud my office is taking a leadership role in this multistate investigation to get to the bottom of JUUL’s marketing and sales practices. Anyone found risking the health and safety of Nevadans, especially our children will answer for their deception.”
“JUUL’s aggressive advertising has significantly contributed to a public health crisis in Oregon and across the country. I intend to continue to use the powers of my office to investigate and take action against JUUL and any other companies that have a role in selling these addictive and dangerous products to youth,” said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
“I am pleased to be working alongside other states to determine whether any of JUUL’s statements or business practices mislead or otherwise harmed consumers,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Protecting Texans from deceptive business practices is a high priority for my office, and I am committed to holding companies accountable for the quality, effects, and marketing of their products.”
Connecticut announced last July an initial investigation into health claims made by JUUL Labs. A civil investigative demand issued as part of that probe sought to examine to what extent JUUL marketed itself has an effective smoking cessation device despite lack of required U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. The CID sought information regarding JUUL’s “Enterprise Markets Team” which, according to news reports, was tasked with forming new agreements with health plans, health providers, employers and the public sector. The CID sought information disseminated by the Enterprise Markets Team related to JUUL’s effectiveness as a cessation tool for adult smokers. Further, the CID sought information regarding promotional pricing offered to certain targeted consumer groups.
While traditional cigarette use has plummeted among youth, vaping is skyrocketing, undermining national progress towards reducing tobacco use. The National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control in 2019 found more than 5 million youth reported having used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days, up from 3.6 million just one year prior.
Assistant Attorneys General Amor Rosario, Jonathan Blake, Michael Wertheimer, Consumer Protection Department Head, and paralegal specialist Casey Ryback are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.
HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is partnering with several organizations to launch an innovative program that is designed to encourage graduates of Connecticut’s higher education institutions to build their careers and stay in the state upon receiving their diplomas.
Launching as a pilot program in Stamford this spring and expanding statewide by 2022, the Governor’s Innovation Fellowship will provide recent and upcoming college graduates the opportunity to start their careers with job placement at a growing, Connecticut-based company. Participants will also receive access to mentors and staff who will help them build their careers, as well as a $5,000 grant that will help them get settled as they embark on their post-college lives.
“Connecticut’s schools regularly rank among the best in the country, and the students who graduate from our colleges and universities are the very people making the innovative products and technologies that are changing the world. But too often they decide to locate in other states upon graduating, and we want to do something about that,” Governor Lamont said. “This program is focused on tapping the most talented and highest performing students and creating incentives for them to build their careers in Connecticut. Our state has great opportunities for young people and we need to make every effort to keep them here.”
The program will be funded and overseen by CTNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Connecticut Innovations that offers support to entrepreneurs. The initial pilot will launch through the management of StamfordNext, a nonprofit collaborative that funds projects, initiatives, and events that make Stamford a premier destination for individuals and businesses.
It is based on a similar program based in Indianapolis that launched in 2002 and is credited with helping to revitalize the city.
“Retaining top talent is essential for the state’s economic future,” Glendowlyn Thames, Executive Director of CTNext, said. “The Governor’s Innovation Fellowship will provide recent graduates with a unique opportunity to work at some of Connecticut’s most innovative companies while also supporting their continued professional growth and cultivating the next generation of talent for our state.”
“As we have been introducing this program to business leaders here in Stamford, what is most invigorating has been the enthusiasm with which they’ve taken up the charge,” Wesley Bemus, executive director of StamfordNext, said. “These companies are motivated to find and keep bright, driven young professionals and we’re making a direct connection to the deep pool of talent right in their own backyard.”
How the Governor’s Innovation Fellowship Works
Colleges and universities based in Connecticut will identify high-achieving students to present for participation in the fellowship. Candidates will be invited to apply for jobs that meet their professional aspirations, and partner companies will hire them through their regular hiring process.
For the pilot, the following Stamford companies have agreed to participate:
· Arccos Golf (a leading provider of big data, advanced analytics and machine learning insights for the global golf industry)
· Curacity (a data analytics company focused on the travel sector)
· Henkel (a global industrial and consumer company)
· ISG (a leading global technology research and advisory firm)
· Octagon (the world’s largest sports and entertainment agency)
· Sema4 (the fastest-growing health intelligence company in the country)
· Synchrony (a global leader in the fintech market)
· Trebel (an app for music lovers that lets them enjoy free downloads)
· Tru Optik (a leader in over-the-top measurement, data management, attribution and privacy compliance)
Several other companies have indicated interest and more are anticipated to be added to the list in the coming days. Based on the success of the pilot, the program will be expanded to include other areas of the state.
Police UPDATE: 2020-02-22@1:35am–#Bridgeport CT–On February 22, 2020 at approximately 00:41 am the Bridgeport Emergency Communications Center received a report from post A21 that she was involved in an MV crash at the Intersection of Park Avenue and Olive Street.
A Bridgeport Police Vehicle was traveling northbound on Park Avenue in route to assist another officer on a call. As the Officer was approaching the intersection of Olive Street a Black Honda which was traveling eastbound on Olive Street failed to properly stop at the stop sign. As it crossed the intersection it was struck by the Police car traveling northbound.
Bridgeport Police Officers, fireman, AMR and the Bridgeport Police Crash Investigation Unit responded to the scene.
The Officer, identified as Officer Ovelize Elena, was transported to St Vincent’s Hospital for non-life threatening minor injuries and released.
The operator of the other vehicle was identified as Luis Jymmy Perez DOB 9/27/2001. He was transported to St Vincent’s Hospital for Non-Life Threatening minor injuries and was released. The right front passenger was identified as Jordi Cruz DOB 5/19/2001. He was transported to St Vincent’s Hospital for Non-Life Threatening minor injuries and released. The left rear passenger was identified as Juan Guaman DOB 10/29/2001. He was transported to Bridgeport Hospital for Non-Life Threatening minor injuries and released. The right rear passenger was identified as John Apolonio DOB 3/18/2000. He was transported to Bridgeport Hospital for Non-Life Threatening serious injuries. All occupants were from Bridgeport.
Bridgeport Police Crash Re-constructionist Officer Cynthia Dolyak is leading the investigation. Anyone with additional Information is asked to contact the Bridgeport Police Department’s Traffic Division at 203-576-7640.
Hartford, CT – Attorney General William Tong today joined a new federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its failure to act – despite a court mandate — on the problem of air pollution from upwind states that is harming Connecticut air and preventing the state from achieving compliance with federal Clean Air Act standards.
Filed in U.S. District Court in New York, today’s lawsuit asks the court to declare EPA in violation of the Clean Air Act for not taking action on the upwind pollution problem affecting Connecticut and other states in the region, and to set dates for the agency to propose and adopt completed federal plans for doing so.
In addition to Connecticut and lead state New Jersey, the states of New York, Delaware and Massachusetts, along with the City of New York, have joined today’s lawsuit.
Ground-level ozone is a harmful air pollutant formed by the atmospheric reaction of certain ozone “precursors,” –most notably nitrogen oxide (NOx) — in the presence of sunlight. Breathing ozone can cause coughing, throat irritation, lung tissue damage, and can aggravate such conditions as asthma, bronchitis and heart disease.
“Connecticut has taken strong action within our borders to protect our air quality, but smog does not stop at the state line. EPA must do its job—as the U.S. Court of Appeals ordered—to control cross-state pollution. There is nothing more fundamental than the air we breathe, and we will continue to pursue this case on all legal fronts to protect public health,” said Attorney General Tong.
At issue in the case is upwind pollution migrating into Connecticut — as well as similarly-situated states in the northeast – from seven upwind states that is preventing the downwind states from attaining and/or maintaining the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The upwind states named in the suit are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
In October 2019, the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated an existing EPA remedy to the upwind pollution problem on grounds that it was inadequate and invalid, and held that EPA was essentially in breach of its duty to hold upwind polluter states accountable.
The court ordered EPA to develop and implement a remedy under the “Good Neighbor Provision” of the Clean Air Act. Despite that mandate, EPA has failed to take any action by releasing updated federal implementation plans as required.
The matter is of particular urgency, the suit filed today asserts, not only due to public health concerns but also because this summer is the last opportunity for our states to demonstrate compliance with the ozone standards before a July 2021 statutory attainment deadline.
According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, more than 90 percent of ozone levels in southwest Connecticut and more than 80 percent of ozone levels in some remaining parts of the state result from pollution that originates in areas located out of Connecticut’s jurisdiction and control. Readings at Connecticut air monitoring stations consistently show that that air entering Connecticut already exceeds ozone standards on days when quality here fails to meet federal standards, subjecting several million Connecticut residents to unhealthy levels of air pollution.
Assistant Attorney General Jill Lacedonia and Assistant Attorney General Matt Levine, Head of the Environment Department, are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.
HARTFORD, CT– On Thursday, February 20 at 10 AM at the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade Office in Hartford, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will be touring Puerto Rico on Friday and Saturday to assess damage and hear from officials regarding recovery efforts following hurricanes Maria and Irma and the series of earthquakes over recent months, in particular the impacts the natural disasters have had upon the children of Puerto Rico.
Blumenthal will thank Yale-New Haven Health Northeast Medical Group physicians and staff who organized a humanitarian trip to Puerto Rico to deliver medical supplies. Americares has collaborated with physicians to transport these essential supplies.
Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 14 states today, authoring an amicus brief defending the right of states to keep their roads safe by issuing driver’s licenses to residents regardless of federal immigration status.
The case involves a challenge to New York’s Green Light Law by Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns. New York’s law, passed last June, authorizes the issuance of driver’s licenses to state residents without regard to immigration status. The partisan challenge wrongly claims that federal immigration law preempts New York’s state authority to issue those licenses.
The brief, filed by states that similarly offer licenses regardless of immigration status, argues that issuing and regulating personal driving credentials is a traditional and effective exercise of states’ constitutionally-protected power to promote residents’ safety and health. States have issued driver’s licenses since 1903, and no state conditioned driving on immigration status until 1993.
Connecticut started granting “drive only licenses” in 2015, which allow drivers to use the roads but cannot be used for federal purposes like boarding an airplane. Since then, there have been dramatic decreases in hit-and-run driving and citations for driving without a license.
The multistate coalition filed an initial amicus brief in the case last August with the federal district court for the Western District of New York. That court dismissed the challenge. The case is now before the federal Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
“Drivers should pass a road test, get a license, and get insurance. That’s what keeps Connecticut residents safe on the roads. Immigration status has nothing to do with it. States like Connecticut and New York are clearly protected by the federal Constitution in making this important policy choice, which measurably improves public safety,” said Attorney General Tong. “This case has already been dismissed by the district court, and we will continue to defend public safety and smart policy through this appeal.”
By passing the Green Light Law last June, New York became the fifteenth state or territory to authorize driver’s licenses for immigrants. Right now, 123 million Americans – 37% of all people in the United States – live in a state or territory that issues licenses regardless of immigration status. The New York lawsuit, if successful, could open the door to an unprecedented federal interference with states’ traditional prerogative to grant driver’s licenses.
In addition to New York and Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Utah, Vermont, and Washington all credential driver’s without proof of immigration status.
As of August 2019, Connecticut had issued 54,045 “drive-only” licenses. In the years after the law’s implementation, hit-and-run accidents statewide fell by nine percent; there has been a 23.7 percent decrease statewide in the number of arrests and citations for driving without a license; and the Drive-Only license program brought in approximately $13.81 million for the state treasury.
Joining Attorney General Tong in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
Special Counsel for Civil Rights Joshua Perry is assisting the Attorney General with this matter.
HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has introduced legislation for the recently commenced 2020 session of the Connecticut General Assembly that continues his ongoing efforts to reduce government bureaucracy, particularly regarding the procurement process. The governor said that these changes will make the state more business friendly and eliminate archaic requirements and procedures that serve as obstacles to moving services online.
“Citizens expect state government services to be as easy to access and convenient as online shopping or banking, but unfortunately there are laws on our books that include certain requirements blocking the adoption of moving these services online. It’s time we revise those laws and bring them into the 21st century,” Governor Lamont said.
To encourage more government services to move online, the governor is proposing to:
· Give all agencies the discretion to use online payment methods instead of requiring citizens to pay by check or show in in person with cash;
· Remove barriers to digital communications between citizens and agencies by eliminating language that mandates specific forms of delivery, such as U.S. Mail or fax, or using manual printed forms rather than electronic delivery; and
· Direct the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to develop standards for digital identity proofing as an alternative to requiring notarization of certain legal documents.
The legislation also reduces the administrative hurdles businesses must jump through when conducting work with the state by eliminating six separate affidavits required for each contract that businesses are currently required to print, notarize, sign, and upload, and that state staff must audit and process. By incorporating the same terms into the master contract, over 90,000 forms can be eliminated annually.
In addition, it builds upon recent efforts to reduce bureaucracy in state contracting. The state has saved tens of millions of dollars by using reverse auctions for contracts for goods and supplies. This proposal extends the ability of DAS to use this modern procurement method for service contracts. Online reverse auctions are a cost-effective way in which the state can procure goods or services from multiple bidders using an online bidding platform.
Finally, in an attempt to settle an ongoing debate surrounding the definition of a “small business” to determine whether entities qualify for certain assistance programs, the governor is proposing to adopt a data-driven basis for defining small contractors based on the industry in which they operate by aligning the definition of a Connecticut-based “small business” with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s industry-specific standards. The proposal will simplify and expedite the small business certification process, making it easier and faster for businesses to receive certification.
“This legislation cuts red tape, wipes away antiquated requirements in state law, and paves the way for technology modernization,” Governor Lamont said.
To emphasize how these changes would benefit the state’s small businesses, Governor Lamont and DAS Commissioner Josh Geballe today visited Insalco Corporation, a company based in Wallingford that has 12 employees and has been providing the state with office furniture for 40 years.
“We have enormous opportunity to use technology to improve how we serve our citizens and businesses,” DAS Commissioner Geballe said. “These simple changes will have wide ranging, positive effects on how the state interacts with its citizens in a more modern, customer-focused approach.”
“I applaud Governor Lamont for pushing these changes that will make it much easier to do business with the state and give me and my team back time that can be better spent growing our business and creating jobs,” Scott Kowalski, President of Insalco, said. “As a small business we are constantly looking for areas we can innovate and it is good to see the state government making the same efforts.”
The governor’s legislation is House Bill 5012, An Act Concerning the Optimization of State Agency Operations and Services. It is currently being considered by in the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong announced Connecticut has joined a lawsuit seeking to compel the United States Postal Service (USPS) to comply with federal law and stop delivering millions of foreign cigarettes to Connecticut and other states. The lawsuit alleges that USPS knowingly accepted and transmitted packages through domestic mail that it had reasonable cause to believe contained cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, in violation of the non-mailability provision of the Prevent All Cigarettes Trafficking Act (PACT Act).
The lawsuit, first filed last October by California and New York City, was recently amended to include Connecticut, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
“Foreign contraband cigarettes are a public health hazard and cost Connecticut hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost tax revenue. The USPS is aware of these shipments and we are taking action to compel them to do their job and stop this illegal smuggling,” said Attorney General Tong.
California and NYC investigators performing a package audit at USPS’s facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2018 found over 100,000 cartons containing more than a million packs of untaxed cigarettes during a single nine-day period. The packages originated primarily from Vietnam, China, and Israel, with lesser amounts from Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine. During that nine-day period at that single facility, investigators found 474 cartons of cigarettes destined for Connecticut, amounting to an estimated excise tax loss of $20,619 to the state. On an annual basis, that would create an estimate tax loss of approximately $357,400 from that single JFK facility alone.
Smoking kills over 480,000 people nationwide each year, including 4,900 in Connecticut. Connecticut residents spend approximately $2.03 billion each year in healthcare costs related to smoking. Public health and economic costs of tobacco have compelled all levels of government to strictly regulate the sale and use of tobacco. One way states discourage smoking is by increasing the cost of smoking through imposition of cigarette taxes.
Connecticut’s excise tax on cigarettes is currently $4.35 per pack, or $43.50 per carton.
WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined bicameral legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.-13) to greatly enhance the ability of law enforcement to investigate and solve gun crimes, crackdown on gun trafficking and negligent gun dealers, and allow researchers—for the first time—to study gun violence and its impact on communities across the country. The Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act would require the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to collect, preserve and disclose gun records and gun tracing data.
The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).
“The Republican “hear no evil, see no evil” approach to gun violence data and research is just plain stupid,” said Sen. Blumenthal. “We know there’s a problem – communities wrecked by gun violence and more than one hundred deaths every day is proof of that – but we can’t fully develop evidence-based solutions when the data is hidden or even destroyed. Our bill is pretty basic: law enforcement agencies shouldn’t be forced to hide or destroy critical information about gun violence that could help them better keep our communities safe.”
Since 2003, Republicans have restricted the ability of the ATF and FBI to collect, preserve and make public a range of gun records and data by attaching so called “Tiahrt Amendments” to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) yearly funding bill. The Menendez-Lee legislation would repeal the following Tiahrt provisions:
Ending the prohibition on the ATF from releasing firearm trace data for use by cities, states, researchers, litigants and members of the public;
Ending the requirement for the FBI to destroy all approved gun purchaser records within 24 hours of approval;
Ending the provision that makes it extremely difficult for ATF to retrieve firearms from prohibited persons who are mistakenly sold guns or from gun owners who become ineligible to possess guns;
Ending the prohibition on ATF requiring gun dealers to submit their inventories to law enforcement; (Gun dealer inventories facilitate enforcement of the federal law requiring dealers to report the loss or theft of firearms and help law enforcement oversee the more than 50,000 firearms dealers nationwide. According to a 2008 analysis by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, more than 30,000 guns in the inventories of firearms dealers were unaccounted for in 2007.)
Ending the prohibition on public disclosure of data on multiple handgun sales, as well as gun sales information dealers are required to keep that may be required to be reported to the U.S. Attorney General for determining the disposition of one or more firearms in the course of a bona fide criminal investigation.
