ON THE TRAIL

ENDORSEMENT ALERT
This week NARAL Pro-Choice America announced its endorsement of Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro in his re-election effort. NARAL President Ilyse Hogue said, “Josh Shapiro has been a steadfast champion for Pennsylvanian women and families and we are proud to endorse him.” Read the full press release here!

WHAT’S UP IN UTAH
A recent special report for The Salt Lake Tribune revealed Utah’s Republican AG Sean Reyes’ close ties to surveillance and data-collection company, Banjo, that is raising a lot of questions and posing some serious concerns for Utah voters. According to the report, Reyes, who is up for re-election this November, “struck up a cozy relationship” with a company building a “massive real time surveillance system” that “listens to 911 calls throughout the state. It monitors traffic cameras. The location of police cars. Your social media. And more.” Even Utah’s House Majority Leader, from Reyes’ own party, called the technology “Orwellian” and “North Korea-esque.” Read the full note DAGA sent out calling attention to this issue here!

MULTI-STATE MOMENTS!

PROTECTING THE PEOPLE
As the country continues to grapple with the spread of COVID-19, many communities are figuring out how to address the need for testing, paid sick leave, and other aspects of our healthcare system. Democratic AGs are on the front lines of the response, and continue to provide guidance in their roles as chief legal officer in their states:

• Dem AGs are working with local communities to combat discrimination being felt by Asian American communities and businesses.
• Dem AGs are holding scammers accountable and sounding the alarm to consumers to report price gouging and other harmful practices.
• Dem AGs are in court fighting to save the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which is currently keeping costs down and providing critical coverage for necessary testing and treatment.
• Dem AGs are urging the Trump administration to delay the public-charge rule, which establishes the criteria for who can get green cards based on whether they use or are expected to use government benefits, such as food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing.

Remember to wash your hands, and read more here about the great work Dem AGs are doing to protect the people of their state!

PROTECTING THE PLANET
This week, a coalition of 20 Democratic AGs asked the Trump administration to withdraw a rule that would make sweeping changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires that an environmental review accompany any major infrastructure project such as building highways or pipelines. The Dem AGs’ comment on the rule notes “these changes grant extraordinary discretion to federal agencies and project proponents while limiting consideration of environmental and public health impacts from federal actions.” The Dem AGs argue the Trump proposal is “unlawful, unreasonable, and unjustified.” Read more here!

AG SPOTLIGHT!

CONNECTICUT
Connecticut AG William Tong is fighting back against the spark in anti-Asian American discrimination. AG Tong met with Asian-American business owners in his state this week to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their operations. The meeting was also meant to ensure residents that these businesses are safe and need support. Some business owners have seen drastic drops in their revenue since January of this year, prompting community concern and frustration among the impacted business owners.

OREGON
This weekend, as we marked International Women’s Day, DAGA Co-chair Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum penned an op-ed for Ms. Magazine to emphasize why the Equal Rights Amendment is worth fighting for. AG Rosenblum writes, “Ratifying the ERA is a national imperative. Equality is always worth the fight…the time is certainly long overdue for true equality for current and future generations of women and girls in America.” Read the full op-ed here!

TWEET OF THE WEEK

President Obama marked the upcoming 10th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this week with a special collaboration with the organization Protect Our Care. In a short video posted on Twitter, President Obama reminded us why it’s so important to fight for the ACA. Thankfully, Democratic AGs are leading that fight in court!)

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Count Michigan AG Dana Nessel in! This week, AG Nessel joined a big 2020 Census launch event to encourage Michiganders to fill out the census!