2020 Press Releases

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• 10/23/2020 Attorney General Tong Fights Trump Administration Push to Enable Health Care Discrimination

  Coalition Files Amicus Brief Against HHS Final Rule Allowing Health Care Providers to Refuse to Provide Health Care on Basis of “Religious or Moral Objections”

• 5/18/2020 Attorney General Tong Files Brief Defending Due Process Rights of Immigrant Detainees

  Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 18 attorneys general filing a friend of the court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit defending due process rights of immigrant detainees who have been unlawfully denied bond.

• 3/26/2020 Attorney General Tong and DCP Commissioner Seagull Release Guidance for Charitable Giving During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong and Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull released the following guidance for charitable giving during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 1/21/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Fight to Halt Immigration Arrests at State Courthouses

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general supporting Washington State's fight to halt ICE arrests of immigrants in and around state courthouses.

• 3/19/2020 Attorney General Tong Seeks Information from Amazon Following Price Gouging Complaint

  Attorney General William Tong today sent a letter to Amazon seeking information from the online retailer regarding efforts to detect and combat price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter follows a complaint from a Connecticut consumer who recently attempted to purchase two types of 3M face masks through Amazon. The consumer was charged nearly $400 in shipment fees for two small boxes of face masks with a retail value of under $100. The letter seeks information regarding the specific reported transaction, as well as procedures and practices being deployed by Amazon to prevent price gouging and protect consumers. “Consumers, especially under current conditions, should not be charged unreasonable sums for such health-related products. With the size of its market share, Amazon plays a crucial role in deterring price gouging, and assisting law enforcement in bringing predatory sellers to account,” the letter states. To date, the Office of the Attorney General has received 110 complaints regarding price hikes on basic supplies like hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and toilet paper since Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies on March 10. In addition to today’s letter to Amazon, the Office of the Attorney General has sent letters as part of its aggressive investigations and law enforcement efforts to multiple Connecticut retailers both large and small in response to consumer price gouging complaints. As states across the country continue with efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak, many states like Connecticut have declared a state of emergency. These declarations have triggered price gouging statutes which are designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous retailers seeking to profit from this public emergency. Anyone who suspects price gouging should file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General online at https://www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint/. To read a full copy of the Office of the Attorney General’s letter to Amazon, click here.

• 9/16/2020 Attorney General Tong Statement Regarding Casey V. Lamont Decision

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement regarding the decision in Casey v. Lamont solidly affirming the Governor’s authority during public health and civil preparedness emergencies to take affirmative steps to protect public health and safe lives.

• 4/13/2020 After Website Publishes 3D Printed Gun Blueprints, Attorney General Tong Calls on State Department to Use its Civil and Criminal Authority to Protect Public

  After Defense Distributed published 3D-printed gun blueprints in violation of federal law, Attorney General William Tong today joined attorneys general from across the nation urging the U.S. Department of State to use its civil and criminal enforcement powers to enforce the law and protect the public.

• 1/10/2020 Attorney General Tong, Governor Lamont Announce Breakthrough Sheff v. O'Neill Settlement

  Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont today announced a breakthrough settlement in the Sheff v. O'Neill case, placing the state on a pathway to end 30 years of litigation over how best to reduce racial isolation of Hartford students. The landmark settlement will bring more opportunities to Connecticut students to attend diverse schools, and greatly expands opportunities for Hartford students.

• 3/25/2020 AG Tong Calls on Amazon and Whole Foods to Increase Paid Leave to Employees During Covid-19 Emergency

  Attorney General William Tong today called on Amazon and Whole Foods to increase paid sick and family leave provided to their employees during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

• 11/25/2020 A Thanksgiving Message from Attorney General William Tong

• 4/13/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Supreme Court to Reconsider Public Charge Rule Due to COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of three states and New York City in filing a motion to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit implementation of the Public Charge Rule in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

• 8/10/2020 AG Tong Joins Coalition Challenging Trump Administration’s Unlawful Effort to Bar Immigrants and Foreign Workers

  Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 23 attorneys generals in fighting against the Trump Administration’s continued efforts to curtail legal immigration and temporary work visa programs. In an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in Gomez., et al. v. Trump [INSERT HYPERLINK] the coalition calls for an injunction against the enforcement of two executive orders that would suspend large swathes of the nation’s legal immigration system and several of its most important non-immigrant work visa programs. The coalition argues that the participation of immigrants and other foreign-born employees in the workforce is critical to economic development, and that the order will prolong the separation of families.

• 2/21/2020 Scam Alert: Officials Warn Families About New Developments in Utility Shut-off Scams

  Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, Attorney General William Tong, Public Utilities Regulatory Chairman Marissa Gillett, AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan, Connecticut Water Company President Maureen Westbrook and Regional Water Authority’s Manager of Corporate Communications Dan Doyle today urged Connecticut families to recognize the signs that they’re being targeted by scam artists threatening to turn off their utilities.

• 8/24/2020 AG Tong Calls On Eversource to Forgo 2021 Rate Hike

  In video testimony submitted to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority today, Attorney General William Tong called on Eversource to forgo its planned 2021 rate hike request and commit to real cost saving measures for consumers. The comments were submitted as part of PURA’s hearing and investigation into the “unjustifiable and unsustainable” delivery charge hike that contributed to major increases in electricity bills in the midst of a global pandemic and unusually hot summer. In addition to this summer’s delivery charge hike, Eversource plans to ask PURA for a rate hike in mid-2021.

• 5/4/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Senate to Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act

  Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general, led by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, urging the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which expired more than a year ago. As isolation and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic increases the risk to domestic violence victims, the Senate must to act immediately, the attorneys general argue.