Here is what happened last week for DAGA and our Democratic Attorneys General:

THANK A DEM AG TODAY
Timothy Egan shared with the New York Times this week the important work that western states (and Democratic AGs) are doing to protect our Democracy. In connection to the fight over the future of the Affordable Care Act, Egan writes “If the law stands, and the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions keep their legal protections, you can thank California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, for leading an aggressive coalition [of Democratic AGs] to defend Obama’s greatest legacy.” Read the full piece here.

“If the law stands, and the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions keep their legal protections, you can thank California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, for leading an aggressive coalition to defend Obama’s greatest legacy”

GLAMOUR(OUS) OREGON AG ELLEN ROSENBLUM
In a Glamour Magazine article out this week, DAGA Co-Chair Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum spoke about the 21 Democratic AG coalition she is leading to protect Title X family planning funding, funding that ensure access to reproductive and preventative services for people with low incomes, from the Trump administration. “Democratic AGs are going to continue to fight this to the end,” AG Rosenblum says. “We cannot have doctors muzzled from being allowed to provide options to their patients, and we cannot have contraceptive ‘deserts,’ which will lead to more unintended pregnancies and less overall preventive health care.” Check out the full article here! (Reminder: Democratic AGs have secured THREE preliminary injunctions blocking Trump’s Title X “Gag Rule” from going into effect).

RED AND BLUE ARE BOTH SEEING GREEN?
On Wednesday, 38 state Attorneys General sent a bipartisan letter to the United States Congressional leaders urging them to support legislation that would allow legal marijuana-related businesses to access the banking system (known as the SAFE Banking Act). “This is simple: Not incorporating an $8.3 billion industry into our banking system is hurting our public safety and economy,” California AG Xavier Becerra said. “This necessary modification would increase transparency in the flourishing legal marijuana industry while deterring the spreading criminal activity that has developed in the absence of such supervision,” added DAGA Co-Chair District of Columbia AG Karl Racine. Learn more from the NPR here and the letter sent to Congress here!

ELECTION SPOTLIGHT: GOP CONFUSION IN KENTUCKY: If you’re gonna play in the primaries, you gotta have at least one candidate for the band. Unfortunately, it looks like the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) missed that lesson. Find out more here!

A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y
This week Georgia’s governor signed House Bill 481, one of the most restrictive anti-choice measures in the country. DAGA issued the following statement from Co-Chair Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum: “Let’s be clear: an attack on reproductive rights anywhere is a threat to reproductive health everywhere. That means we must work together to elect leaders up and down the ballot, including Democratic state Attorneys General, who will fight to protect reproductive rights and put women and families first in 2019, 2020, and beyond.” Full statement here!

NEW YORK (TOP FIVE) MINUTE
As the state Attorney General from President Trump’s home state, New York AG Tish James has received national attention for the action she has taken to uphold the law and protect the people of New York. In a recent Salon article, five (5) different ways were highlighted:

• The order to dissolve the Trump Foundation remains
• James’ office has sued the IRS, U.S. Treasury Dept. over donor disclosure guidelines
• James’ office is seeking the Trump Organization’s bank records
• James opposes efforts to add a citizenship question to 2020 U.S. Census
• James is investigating one of Trump’s strongest allies: the NRA