ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTISTATE COALITION DEFENDING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ABOUT DANGEROUS ONLINE CONTENT

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong joined a multistate coalition opposing a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana prohibiting dozens of federal officials and agencies from communicating with social media companies about harmful online content, including financial scams, misinformation meant to undermine elections, and harassment. The coalition of 21 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit urging the court to reverse the lower court decision. The coalition noted that the district court’s order sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the ability of federal, state, and local governments to keep Americans safe and secure online. “Pseudoscience conspiracy theories, election disinformation, and other dangerous viral social media content…

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CONNECTICUT CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ANNOUNCES $6.5 MILLION TO STRENGTHEN GRID RESILIENCE

HARTFORD–Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation announced that the state will receive $6.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Resilience grant program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will be used to help Connecticut meet its zero carbon electric sector goal, improve system reliability and resilience in a range of weather and storm conditions, and attract, train, and retain a skilled and local workforce. “This $6.5 million dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help Connecticut make much-need improvements to our electric grid. Just this summer, we’ve seen historic flooding and record-breaking temperatures, and climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events that put a big strain on the electric grid. We’re proud…

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Press Release – LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCY ALERTS

Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general and New York City in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand language access for critical government alerts sent to cell phones, known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). In a comment letter, the coalition acknowledges the important steps FCC has taken to expand access to WEAs but notes that this proposal would require wireless companies to use machine translation rather than human translation for WEAs and would only include translations for 13 languages. Following multiple severe weather emergencies across the country, Attorney General Tong and the coalition urge FCC to adopt its alternative proposal to use human translators, which are far more reliable, instead of machine translation, and…

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ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINSCOALITION TO EXPAND LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR SEVEREWEATHER EMERGENCY ALERTS

Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general and New York City in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand language access for critical government alerts sent to cell phones, known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). In a comment letter, the coalition acknowledges the important steps FCC has taken to expand access to WEAs but notes that this proposal would require wireless companies to use machine translation rather than human translation for WEAs and would only include translations for 13 languages. Following multiple severe weather emergencies across the country, Attorney General Tong and the coalition urge FCC to adopt its alternative proposal to use human translators, which are far more reliable, instead of machine translation,…

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Connecticut Begins Phasing OutGasoline Engines

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES CONNECTICUT ADOPTING CLEAN AIR CAR AND TRUCK EMISSION STANDARDS TO REDUCE AIR POLLUTION, PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT Connecticut Joining Eight States – Including MA, NJ, NY, and RI – To Slash Tailpipe Emissions From Cars, SUVs, and Trucks Beginning in 2027 (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that the State of Connecticut is proposing regulations to make cars and trucks up to 90% cleaner and to require vehicle manufacturers to deliver more zero-emission vehicles to Connecticut drivers while also increasing consumer protections. The public comment period remains open until August 23, 2023. The light-duty vehicle standards being released implement legislation adopted in 2003, requiring…

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LEGISLATION TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM MEDICAL DEBT

WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to strengthen consumer protections and improve transparency for medical debt practices. The Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act would require health care entities to communicate with consumers about any medical debt that is owed and reform collection practices. It would also direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a public database that collects information from health care entities about their debt collection practices. “No one should be forced into bankruptcy simply because they got sick. It’s unconscionable that there are hospitals willing to sue patients, seize their tax…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ACTIVATES CONNECTICUT’S EXTREME HOT WEATHER PROTOCOL

Cooling Centers Can Be Located by Calling 2-1-1 or Visiting 211ct.org (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that due to a weather forecast indicating that temperatures over the next several days are expected to be very hot and humid, he is directing Connecticut’s extremely hot weather protocol to be activated effective at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, and remaining in effect through 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 30, 2023. The current forecast indicates that the heat index during this period will range at times between 95 to 105 degrees and have lingering impacts during the overnight hours, particularly in urban areas throughout Connecticut. The purpose of this protocol is to ensure that the most vulnerable populations…

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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in launching a partnership between USDA and bipartisan attorneys general in 31 states and the District of Columbia to enhance competition and protect consumers in food and agricultural markets

Attorney General William Tong joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in launching a partnership between USDA and bipartisan attorneys general in 31 states and the District of Columbia to enhance competition and protect consumers in food and agricultural markets, including in grocery, meat and poultry processing, and other markets. Through a framework established in consultation with the state attorneys general, this new partnership will assist state attorneys general in tackling anticompetitive market structures in agriculture and related industries that are raising prices and limiting choices for consumers and producers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the partnership at the White House Competition Council meeting, which marked the second anniversary of President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition. “The Biden-Harris Administration…

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$3.6 MILLION FOR BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

HARTFORD–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.-04) announced that Bridgeport Public Schools will receive a $3.62 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools program to lower energy costs, create healthier and safer learning environments, and promote workforce development. This grant is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “Bridgeport has one of Connecticut’s highest rates of asthma in children, and this $3.6 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help lower harmful greenhouse gas emissions in the classroom. Not only will it make schools safer, healthier, and more energy efficient, it will also create good-paying union jobs and fund new apprenticeship opportunities,” said Murphy. “Connecticut children deserve to breathe clean air. This significant federal funding…

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