Attorney General
Here's a look at documents from state attorneys general
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Tenn. A.G. Skrmetti Alerts 23andMe Customers of Their Right to Delete Their Genetic Data
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 29 -- Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued the following news:
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TN Attorney General Alerts 23andMe Customers of Their Right to Delete Their Genetic Data
NASHVILLE--Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is alerting customers of genetic testing company 23andMe of their rights to delete their genetic testing results from the company's database and take other important steps to protect their privacy given the company's bankruptcy filing on Sunday.
While the company has stated that it will continue its current practices for storing, managing,
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 29 -- Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued the following news:
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TN Attorney General Alerts 23andMe Customers of Their Right to Delete Their Genetic Data
NASHVILLE--Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is alerting customers of genetic testing company 23andMe of their rights to delete their genetic testing results from the company's database and take other important steps to protect their privacy given the company's bankruptcy filing on Sunday.
While the company has stated that it will continue its current practices for storing, managing,and protecting customer data, 23andMe intends to sell substantially all its assets as part of the bankruptcy process. Those assets include personal data and DNA samples provided by 23andMe customers, and it is unclear how a purchaser will treat such sensitive information and genetic material.
Due to this uncertainty, General Skrmetti is notifying 23andMe customers of their rights to download their personal data from their account, delete their account, and instruct the company to destroy their biological sample and not use it for research purposes.
"Our genetic information is some of our most personal data, giving insight about not just us but our families," said Attorney General Skrmetti. "People trusted 23andMe with their DNA to learn more about who they are, and now the company appears poised to sell that incredibly sensitive data to unknown buyers. Any Tennessee consumer who wants to delete their data and ensure their sample is destroyed should follow the step-by-step instructions provided on our website."
Tennessee's Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA), which went into effect in July 2023, requires companies to protect consumers' private information and to provide them with the ability to access their data, delete their data and account, and destroy their biological sample. 23andMe's website offers a process for consumers to modify their preferences to opt out of the use of their genetic data for research.
23andMe customers can find information on how to download a copy of their genetic reports, delete their genetic data from 23andMe, destroy their test sample, and opt out of research here.
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Original text here: https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2025/3/28/pr25-20.html
Okla. A.G. Drummond: Opioid Abatement Board Approves Plans to Award $29 Million in Grants
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 29 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on March 28, 2025:
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Opioid Abatement Board approves plans to award $29 million in grants
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28, 2025) -- The Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board will award its second round of grants to help combat the state's opioid epidemic, Attorney General Gentner Drummond has announced.
The board voted this week to issue up to $29 million in grant awards to Oklahoma counties, municipalities, public school districts, technology school districts and public trusts later this
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 29 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on March 28, 2025:
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Opioid Abatement Board approves plans to award $29 million in grants
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28, 2025) -- The Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board will award its second round of grants to help combat the state's opioid epidemic, Attorney General Gentner Drummond has announced.
The board voted this week to issue up to $29 million in grant awards to Oklahoma counties, municipalities, public school districts, technology school districts and public trusts later thisyear. Applications will be accepted from May 12 to June 11 through the board's webpage.
"No one is immune to the threats posed by fentanyl and other opioids. Addiction does not discriminate," Drummond said. "It's critical we put funding to work in local communities throughout the state to fight this epidemic."
Last year, the board awarded more than $12 million in grants from opioid lawsuit settlement funds. Grants help fund treatment and recovery programs, opioid abuse education, mental health assistance and strategies to decrease the supply of narcotics across the state.
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Original text here: https://oklahoma.gov/oag/news/newsroom/2025/march/opioid-abatement-board-approves-plans-to-award-29-million-in-grants.html
Okla. A.G. Drummond Comments on Ouster of State Forestry Leader
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 29 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on March 28, 2025:
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Drummond comments on ouster of state forestry leader
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28, 2025) - Attorney General Gentner Drummond made the following remarks today in the wake of Gov. Stitt's forced ouster of Oklahoma Forestry Services Director Mark Goeller.
"It should be inconceivable to think that the courage, skill and herculean work of firefighters across the state would be rewarded with the sudden and inexplicable ouster of Director Goeller," Drummond said. "Honestly,
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 29 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on March 28, 2025:
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Drummond comments on ouster of state forestry leader
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28, 2025) - Attorney General Gentner Drummond made the following remarks today in the wake of Gov. Stitt's forced ouster of Oklahoma Forestry Services Director Mark Goeller.
"It should be inconceivable to think that the courage, skill and herculean work of firefighters across the state would be rewarded with the sudden and inexplicable ouster of Director Goeller," Drummond said. "Honestly,the Governor's action is baffling. While the wildfires that swept through our state this month exacted a heavy toll, the death and devastation would have been far, far worse without the strong coordinated effort of firefighters and Oklahoma Forestry Services.
"Director Goeller is a seasoned professional who is highly regarded in his field. He - and all those who battled the fires - have earned the gratitude and respect of Oklahomans. It is outrageous that the Governor's response to their bravery would be to push out the director mere weeks after that deadly firestorm."
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Original text here: https://oklahoma.gov/oag/news/newsroom/2025/march/drummond-comments-on-ouster-of-state-forestry-leader.html
La. A.G. Murrill Joins Bipartisan Coalition Backing Legislation to Curb Contraband Cell Phones in Prisons
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 29 -- Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued the following news:
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Attorney General Murrill joins bipartisan coalition backing legislation to curb contraband cell phones in prisons
Attorney General Murrill joined a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general calling on Congress to pass H.R. 2350 and S. 1137, federal legislation allowing states to deploy cell phone jamming systems in prisons. Introduced by Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, the bill aims to disrupt inmates' ability to orchestrate crimes from behind bars
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BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 29 -- Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued the following news:
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Attorney General Murrill joins bipartisan coalition backing legislation to curb contraband cell phones in prisons
Attorney General Murrill joined a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general calling on Congress to pass H.R. 2350 and S. 1137, federal legislation allowing states to deploy cell phone jamming systems in prisons. Introduced by Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, the bill aims to disrupt inmates' ability to orchestrate crimes from behind barsusing smuggled cell phones.
"The States should have authority to use this technology if they choose. This is not a partisan issue - it is a matter of public safety that affects every State and community," said Attorney General Murrill.
The coalition's letter to Congress highlights how inmates exploit contraband phones to:
* Direct drug trafficking operations;
* Orchestrate violence inside and outside prison walls;
* Run sophisticated fraud schemes preying on vulnerable citizens;
* Intimidate witnesses and terrorize victims' families; and
* Plot escape attempts endangering law enforcement and the public.
Federal law currently bans states from using cell phone jamming technology, leaving correctional facilities defenseless against an escalating threat. Carefully designed to avoid disrupting emergency signals like 9-1-1, H.R. [NUMBER] and S. [NUMBER] would grant states the authority to deploy targeted jamming systems within prisons.
"This is not a partisan issue--it is a matter of public safety," the letter stresses--noting the bipartisan urgency of the issue. A 2020 survey of 20 state corrections departments uncovered 25,840 contraband cell phones in a single year, a stark reminder of the scale of the crisis.
Led by Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti and the attorneys general of Georgia, North Carolina, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AG Liz Murrill joined the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia stand united in calling on Congress to act decisively and pass this critical legislation in 2025.
You can view the letter here.
Files - download 2025-3-phone-jamming.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Article/258
Kan. A.G. Kobach, AG Coalition Score Victory for Corporate Accountability
TOPEKA, Kansas, March 29 -- Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued the following news release:
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Kobach, AG coalition score victory for corporate accountability
TOPEKA - (March 28, 2025) - Attorney General Kris Kobach and a coalition of 16 state attorneys general today announced the conclusion of an investigation into Wells Fargo following the company's decision to abandon certain Environmental Social Governance (ESG) policies.
"This announcement marks an important success for America's Republican attorneys general. Americans expect their assets to be managed wisely and in their financial
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TOPEKA, Kansas, March 29 -- Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued the following news release:
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Kobach, AG coalition score victory for corporate accountability
TOPEKA - (March 28, 2025) - Attorney General Kris Kobach and a coalition of 16 state attorneys general today announced the conclusion of an investigation into Wells Fargo following the company's decision to abandon certain Environmental Social Governance (ESG) policies.
"This announcement marks an important success for America's Republican attorneys general. Americans expect their assets to be managed wisely and in their financialbest interest-not to be used as part of an ideologically driven environmental campaign," Kobach said.
The attorneys general coalition has been investigating whether Wells Fargo and five other American banks--Bank of America Corporation; Citigroup Inc.; The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.; JPMorgan Chase & Co.; and Morgan Stanley--violated antitrust or consumer protection laws by implementing net-zero emissions policies and restricting financing. By joining initiatives like the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, which required member banks to align their portfolios to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and set specific targets for "carbon-intensive sectors" by 2030, these banks potentially compromised their fiduciary obligations to customers and investors and simultaneously usurped the policy-making authority of America's elected representatives.
Recently, Wells Fargo announced that it was ending its membership in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. Wells Fargo further announced that it was "discontinuing our sector-specific 2030 interim financed emissions targets and our goal to achieve net zero by 2050 for financed emissions." While other banks have also recently ended their Net-Zero Banking Alliance memberships, only Wells Fargo has publicly ended the ESG goals mandated by the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. The Office of the Tennessee Attorney General will continue to lead the coalition's investigation into the other five banks.
In addition to Kansas, the coalition includes attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Original text here: https://www.ag.ks.gov/Home/Components/News/News/164/1292
Idaho A.G. Labrador Letter - Welcome to K-9 Badger
BOISE, Idaho, March 29 -- Idaho Attorney General Raul R. Labrador issued the following letter on March 28, 2025:
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Labrador Letter - Welcome to K-9 Badger
Dear Friends,
My personal philosophy is that the government, in general, should do a lot less. But whatever tasks remain, it should do very well. That's certainly the case for our office's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, where our team investigates and prosecutes those accused of using the internet to exploit, extort and abuse children, including crimes of enticement and child pornography.
Over the last two years, our ICAC
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BOISE, Idaho, March 29 -- Idaho Attorney General Raul R. Labrador issued the following letter on March 28, 2025:
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Labrador Letter - Welcome to K-9 Badger
Dear Friends,
My personal philosophy is that the government, in general, should do a lot less. But whatever tasks remain, it should do very well. That's certainly the case for our office's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, where our team investigates and prosecutes those accused of using the internet to exploit, extort and abuse children, including crimes of enticement and child pornography.
Over the last two years, our ICACUnit has exceeded every expectation and metric for performance that we've set. Idaho's ICAC continues to raise the bar and even serves as a nationwide model for other states to follow. It delivers real results for the people of Idaho when it comes to protecting our children and keeping predators off the streets and behind bars.
In support of our ongoing efforts to keep kids safe, I am pleased to introduce the newest team member of ICAC: K-9 Badger. Badger, a two-year-old English Labrador, is specifically trained to detect hidden electronic storage devices, like SD cards, flash drives, concealed cameras, hard drives, cell phones, and other technology used to store child sexual abuse material, or CSAM. K-9s like Badger are invaluable on search warrants when suspects conceal devices containing child pornography.
Some K-9s sniff for drugs or bombs and the chemical signatures unique to those items, picked up by the incredibly sensitive canine noses. The science is no different with Badger. He is trained to detect a very specific chemical, triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), sprayed on all electronic circuit boards during the manufacturing process to dissipate heat. Badger is one of only 195 K-9s worldwide trained to detect TPPO, even in challenging environments, including underwater. Badger is a potent weapon for our ICAC investigators.
In addition to detecting electronic storage devices. Badger is also dual certified as a therapy dog and will assist with relatives and victims during search warrants and throughout the legal process. Badger will also accompany his handler during educational presentations throughout Idaho.
Badger joins a dedicated team of ICAC professionals in my office, and a growing ICAC network of affiliated law enforcement agencies across Idaho, sharing resources and intelligence to investigate and prosecute these cases.
I'm happy to have another Labrador on the team!
Best regards,
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Original text here: https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/labrador-letter-welcome-to-k-9-badger/
D.C. A.G. Schwalb Secures Nearly $200,000 From Construction Company for Violating District Labor Laws
WASHINGTON, March 29 -- District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb issued the following news release on March 28, 2025:
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Attorney General Schwalb Secures Nearly $200,000 from Construction Company for Violating District Labor Laws
OAG Alleged that Diverse Masonry Misclassified Dozens of Workers as Independent Contractors to Avoid Paying Full Benefits
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Diverse Masonry Corporation (Diverse Masonry) will pay $191,750 to resolve allegations that the company failed to provide 59 of its workers with benefits, including paid sick
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WASHINGTON, March 29 -- District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb issued the following news release on March 28, 2025:
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Attorney General Schwalb Secures Nearly $200,000 from Construction Company for Violating District Labor Laws
OAG Alleged that Diverse Masonry Misclassified Dozens of Workers as Independent Contractors to Avoid Paying Full Benefits
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Diverse Masonry Corporation (Diverse Masonry) will pay $191,750 to resolve allegations that the company failed to provide 59 of its workers with benefits, including paid sickleave, as required under District law, by systematically misclassifying them as independent contractors instead of employees.
OAG's 2019 economic analysis of misclassification in the construction industry found that companies that illegally misclassify workers as independent contractors do so to reduce their labor costs by anywhere from 16.7 to 40 percent. These ill-gotten savings give employers who cheat the system a competitive edge over law-abiding companies and wrongfully suppress labor costs throughout the entire construction industry, where contracts are often awarded through competitive bidding.
"Diverse Masonry was not only exploiting workers to illegally boost its profit margins, but it was also seizing an unfair competitive advantage over law-abiding companies," said Attorney General Schwalb. "The District's development and growth depends in large part on the hard work of the construction trades, whose workers are particularly vulnerable when benefits are withheld in illegal misclassification schemes. As the District's independent Attorney General, I will continue to have workers' backs and ensure that all businesses compete on a level playing field."
Diverse Masonry is a Virginia-based construction company that provides masonry and bricklaying services across the DMV. Under District law, construction workers like those employed by Diverse Masonry are presumed to be employees, not independent contractors. Under the terms of the agreement, Diverse Masonry must:
* Pay $59,000 to impacted workers.
* Pay the District $132,750 in civil penalties.
* Correct its business practices to ensure compliance with District workers' rights laws by properly classifying their workers and providing them with paid sick leave and other benefits they are legally entitled to.
* Submit to the District certified payroll reports ensuring compliance and correct worker classification for two years and require any subcontractors it hires to do the same.
* Notify OAG within 30 days of any potential subcontractor noncompliance with wage-and-hour or payroll tax laws.
* Create an electronic record keeping system and confidential reporting system for workers and subcontractors to report actual or suspected wage-and-hour violations.
* Post at every District worksite a notice that informs workers of their employment rights under District law and how to contact OAG to report suspected violations.
A copy of the settlement is available here.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Christian Whitmer, former Assistant Attorney General Zack Hill, Investigator Kenithia Alston, Paralegal Diego Pereira, and Graham Lake, Section Chief of the Workers' Rights and Antifraud Section.
What is Worker Misclassification?
Under DC law, businesses must pay employees a minimum wage of $17.50 per hour, provide overtime pay, allow workers to accrue paid sick leave, and contribute toward their federal and state taxes. Businesses do not have the same responsibilities to independent contractors, who must pay all their own taxes, are not protected by most labor laws, and do not have access to workers' compensation or unemployment insurance.
Businesses must meet specific legal requirements to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees. However, some companies misclassify workers as independent contractors to reduce costs, evade taxes, and strip workers of labor protections. DC's Workplace Fraud Act requires construction companies to classify workers as employees in most cases. Those who violate this law can face significant monetary penalties.
OAG's Efforts to Protect Workers and Level the Playing Field for Businesses
OAG's Workers' Rights and Antifraud Section is dedicated to fighting wage theft and protecting District workers. Since January 2023, OAG has secured more than $19 million for workers and the District. In total, since gaining wage theft enforcement authority, OAG has secured over $35 million by bringing investigations and lawsuits against employers who violate District law. OAG's wage theft enforcement efforts have focused on industries with high populations of vulnerable workers, such as construction, restaurants and hospitality, healthcare, and the gig economy.
How to Report Wage and Hour Violations
Workers who believe that their rights have been violated, or that they have experienced wage theft or other wage and hour violations, can contact OAG by calling (202) 442-9828 or emailing workers@dc.gov or trabajadores@dc.gov.
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Original text here: https://oag.dc.gov/release/attorney-general-schwalb-secures-nearly-200000
