As routinely covered at Regulatory Oversight, state attorneys general have assumed an ever-more prominent role in driving national regulatory policy through advocacy and enforcement activities.[1] Underlying many of these efforts is an aggressive focus on environmental justice by the state attorneys general that reaches further than federal efforts. Most recently in U.S. EPA
On November 18, a bipartisan group of attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Vermont (Attorneys General) jointly submitted a letter offering commentary on the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) to congressional leaders. In it, the Attorneys General stressed the importance of establishing a “cooperative federal-state partnership” that strikes the right balance to
Hidden “resort fees” will soon be a thing of the past for Marriott International, Inc. after a recent settlement between the company and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Hotels like Marriott routinely advertise nightly rates that do not include mandatory fees, such as resort fees. Those fees are then added later — usually on
On November 16, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein launched a probe into e-cigarette maker Puff Bar and others, citing concerns of youth-appealing flavors, youth marketing, and poor age verification. In a statement, Stein announced, “We are actively investigating Puff Bar and other companies at all stages of the distribution chain, from manufacturers to retailers
On November 2, Jason S. Miyares won the Virginia election to become Virginia’s first Latino attorney general. Miyares, a son of a Cuban refugee and a former criminal prosecutor, defeated two-term incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring. We have discussed Miyares’ campaign platform in detail here.
In 2015, Miyares was elected as a state delegate
We recently posted that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued warnings to a large number of companies in various industries about “unfair” or “deceptive” trade practices related to third-party endorsements. Some of the businesses that received those warnings included alcoholic beverage companies. FTC’s warnings raise the broader question of what is acceptable when it comes
Data breaches and ransomware attacks are on the rise. On October 7, Oregon Attorney General Rosenblum announced an increase in data breaches reported to his office. The first nine months of 2021 involved 131 reported breaches, exceeding the 2020 total of 110. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) also announced an increase in ransomware-related activities in
2021 NAAG Eastern Region Meeting
The Surveillance Economy: How Attorneys General Protect
Privacy, Safety, and Equality in the Information Age
October 7-8, 2021 | Burlington, VT
Conference Summary
The speakers at this conference discussed how regulators and law enforcement could help protect privacy and safety — while preventing discrimination — in an ever-increasing digital world.
On October 12, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case Cameron v. EMW Women’s Surgical Center, P.S.C., an appeal from the Sixth Circuit. Plaintiff abortion providers (collectively, “EMW”) initiated this case, seeking to challenge the constitutionality of a controversial Kentucky law, H.B. 454. The law prohibits the “dilation and evacuation” abortion
On October 18, consumer advocate groups and 19 state attorneys general wrote comment letters, urging banking regulators to denounce “rent-a-bank” arrangements between financial institutions and fintechs or other third-party providers.
The consumer advocates and attorneys general both push regulators to address and denounce financial institutions partnering with nonbanks to engage in high-cost lending otherwise prohibited