2019 Press Releases

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• 12/2/2019 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.

• 12/2/2019 STATE OFFICIALS URGE CONSUMERS TO BE CAUTIOUS WHILE GIVING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

  The Departments of Consumer Protection (DCP) and Banking (DOB) with Attorney General William Tong and the Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut are urging Connecticut families to give cautiously this holiday season.

• 11/26/2019 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.

• 11/26/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON RELEASE OF WAYZARO WALTON

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement today after Wayzaro Walton was released from federal detention.

• 11/25/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCE APPEAL OF SALT TAX DECISION

  Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont announced today that Connecticut has joined a multi-state effort to appeal a U.S. District Court decision that upheld the imposition of a new statutory cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions.

• 11/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ARGUES PUBLIC SERVANTS DESERVE PROMISED STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 state attorneys general today in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in support of public servants who have been denied promised federal student loan debt forgiveness.

• 11/14/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES PLAN TO UNDERMINE IMMIGRATION PROTECTIONS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general, led by California, fighting against a federal proposal that would undermine immigration protections for abused children.

• 11/14/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG FILES MOTION FOR CONTEMPT AGAINST WEST HAVEN ASBESTOS REMOVAL BUSINESS OWNER

  Attorney General William Tong today filed a motion for contempt against James Pero, the owner of a West Haven asbestos removal business who, for years, has maintained his property at 18 Helm Street as an illegal asbestos transfer station. Besides the trailers and containers full of asbestos, the site is strewn with other waste, including used tires and oil drums.

• 11/14/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES EPA TO PROTECT CALIFORNIA'S ADVANCED CLEAN CAR STANDARDS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its attempt to revoke California's waiver permitting the state's greenhouse gas (GHG) and zero emission vehicle (ZEV) standards. The action, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is part of the coalition’s ongoing fight to protect California’s Advanced Clean Car Standards. These standards are followed, in whole or in part, by 13 other states including Connecticut and are a key part of state efforts to protect public health and the environment.

• 11/13/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG CALLS ON THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CANCEL LOANS FOR FORMER ITT TECH STUDENTS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a multistate effort calling on the U.S. Department of Education to immediately forgive the loans of former ITT Tech students who attended the bankrupt for-profit school when it closed.

• 11/13/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES TRUMP PLAN TO GUT LEGAL IMMIGRATION AND DESTABILIZE ACA HEALTH EXCHANGES

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general and New York City in support of a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's Health Insurance Proclamation that would simultaneously slash legal immigration and destabilize health exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act.

• 11/12/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION WARN AGAINST NEW DEVELOPMENT IN EVERSOURCE ROBOCALL SCAM

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull today warned Eversource consumers that scammers may have gained access to customer account numbers and have been using this information in attempts to defraud consumers. Complaints to the Office of the Attorney General regarding robocall utility shut-off scams continue to increase and consumers are advised to be vigilant.

• 11/11/2019 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.

• 11/4/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR ROLLBACK OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR LIGHTBULBS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general and the City of New York, in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE) challenging its final rule rolling back energy efficiency standards for certain lightbulbs.

• 10/30/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMISSIONER SEAGULL WARN AGAINST MEXICAN TIMESHARE RESALE SCAM

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull warned consumers of a scam targeting owners of Mexican timeshares.