CWAG ANNUAL MEETING SUN VALLEY, IDAHO
We look forward to seeing you next week in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho for the 2016 CWAG Annual Meeting and are fortunate to have 24 Attorneys General registered along with a total of 31 states and jurisdictions represented. Attached please find the current agenda and primary attendee list for your information.
Registration & Social Activities
The CWAG Registration and Social Activities Desks, located in the Limelight Ballroom Promenade of the Sun Valley Inn, will be open on the days and times below:
Saturday, July 16: 3:00p - 6:00p
Sunday, July 17: 8:00a - 6:00p (will move to the Trail Creek at 6:00p)
Monday, July 18: 8:00a - 4:30p
Tuesday, July 19: 8:00a - 5:00p
Wednesday, July 20: 8:00a - Noon
Social event signups will be on a first come, first served basis. In an effort to control our costs, attendees who wish to sign up for rafting will be asked to complete a credit card authorization form prior to signing up. This would only be used in the event that a guest does not show up for the activity and we are then charged by the outfitter for the no show. We require a 24 hour cancellation to try and fill your spot.
Convene Meeting App
As a registered attendee of the 2016 CWAG Annual Meeting, you have been added to Convene by Thomson Reuters, which is the official mobile app for this conference. Convene delivers up-to-date and convenient access to content on your smartphone or tablet. Use Convene to personalize your agenda, read about sessions, navigate using maps, interact with attendees, download presentations and more. Just download the app, log in with your email address and the temporary password is cwag16.
Resort Airport Shuttle
If you'll be using the resorts airport shuttle, Bell Service requires guests to be in the Lodge or Inn lobby 15 minutes prior to shuttle departure (schedule attached) so they can load and depart on time. If you are staying in accommodations outside the Lodge or Inn, you should call Bell Service 30 minutes prior to the shuttle departure to get picked up and brought to the Lodge.
Guests must check with Bell Service at least one day prior to departure for any changes in the shuttle departure times and to provide their cell phone numbers in case they need to be contacted. Everyone needs to sign up in advance for an arrival/departure shuttle. Bell Service can be reached at Ext. 2122 from your rooms and they are located in the Lodge lobby. It's very important that you sign up in advance so Bell Service staff has an accurate number of guests that need to be picked up and taken to the airport. Guests can call the Reservations lines at 800-786-8259 available everyday 8am - 9pm or email at reservations@sunvalley.com to provide their flight details.
Dress Code
The dress for all CWAG meetings and events in Sun Valley is casual/resort wear or business casual and the predicted weather over the meeting dates are highs of 84 and lows of 50!
PUBLIC CORRUPTION
CWAG Attorney General Hector Balderas of New Mexico filed a criminal complaint against former state Sen. Phil Griego alleging that he used his position as a legislator to make money in a real estate deal, never disclosed it and defrauded a couple of business associates. Griego was charged in a complaint with nine crimes, including bribery, fraud, perjury, tampering with public records, and violating ethical principles of public service and financial disclosure requirements. Griego resigned abruptly during the legislative session in March 2015 rather than face possible disciplinary action over the 2014 real estate deal involving the sale of a historic state-owned building to a private buyer. A statement from James Hallinan, a spokesman for General Balderas, said the complaint alleges Griego "used his role as a legislator to receive personal compensation, which he then failed to disclose in filings required of legislators."
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
In cooperation with local and national law enforcement agencies, CWAG Attorney General Sean Reyes of Utah announced a multi-month investigation that resulted in the arrests of a number of individuals on human trafficking and child sex exploitation charges. The arrests are related to cases where victims of human trafficking were trafficked inside Utah. Some cases involved minors and some crossed state lines. Several of the Utah child sexual exploitation arrests are related to a nationwide operation known as Operation Broken Heart III, which involved the 61 ICAC Task Forces across the nation. As part of Operation Broken Heart III, 1,368 arrests were made nationwide; 71 of those arrests came from Utah. Additionally, as an educational component of the operation, 2,300 community presentations were made nationwide, 194 of which were given in Utah.
60 Percent of Women Migrating Through Mexico Are Raped Somewhere Along The Way
Central Americans migrating through Mexico face a harrowing gauntlet from cartels including mistreatment and trafficking for profit. Learn more from the video posted at: http://fusion.net/video/323921/women-migranting-mexico/
FOR PROFIT EDUCATION SETTLEMENT
CWAG Attorney General Kamala D. Harris of California announced that the Bureau of Children's Justice and False Claims Unit of the California Department of Justice has reached a settlement agreement with K12 Inc., a for-profit online charter school operator, and the 14 affiliated non-profit schools known as the California Virtual Academies ("CAVA Schools") that it manages, over alleged violations of California's false claims, false advertising and unfair competition laws. As part of the settlement, K12 will provide approximately $160 million in debt relief to the non-profit schools it manages. "All children deserve, and are entitled under the law, to an equal education," said General Harris. "K12 and its schools misled parents and the State of California by claiming taxpayer dollars for questionable student attendance, misstating student success and parent satisfaction, and loading nonprofit charities with debt. As my office continues an industry-wide examination of for-profit academic institutions, this settlement ensures K12 and its schools are held accountable and make much-needed improvements."
NEVADA SUES INSURANCE COMPANY
CWAG Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt of Nevada announced the filing of a bad faith lawsuit against The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of AIG. AG Laxalt's suit-filed on behalf of Nevada-claims that AIG's subsidiary unlawfully put its interests above those of the State by admitting that coverage potentially existed, but denying it anyway through one-sided, and incorrect, interpretations of policy exceptions. "People know that some insurance companies do everything they can to avoid paying valid claims," said General Laxalt. "Even so, I find it incredible that a company owned by AIG-a recipient of billions of dollars in taxpayer bailout funds-would attempt to side-step its obligations to the State. After years of receiving millions of dollars in policy premiums, AIG refuses to uphold its end of the bargain. Today, my Office brings this bad faith lawsuit not only on behalf of the State of Nevada, but also for every Nevadan who has ever been stiffed by an insurance company."
FANTASY SPORTS BETTING
CWAG Associate Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia declared that state law does not prohibit paid-entry fantasy sports, but stopped short of saying that all contests would be legal in the state. The attorney general also said that paid-entry fantasy sports, generally speaking, are "not decided predominantly by chance." General Morrisey was responding to a request for a legal opinion regarding DFS from Senate President William Cole. The opinion stated: "We conclude that West Virginia does not prohibit the offering of or participation in fantasy sports games, as they are defined in Senate Bill 529. We read state law to prohibit only betting upon games decided at least predominantly by chance."
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
A Vermont non-profit corporation formed in 2012 to provide public education about single-payer healthcare and its political committee have acknowledged violations arising out of their campaign activities in the 2012 and 2014 election cycles, according to CWAG Associate Attorney General Bill Sorrell of Vermont. Vermont Leads, Inc. and an independent expenditure-only PAC that it created, Vermont Leads PAC, will pay civil penalties totaling $3,000. In addition, Vermont Leads Inc. will pay a penalty of $2,000 for accepting one contribution in excess of $4,000 from a single source in March 2014 and subsequently making direct contributions to candidates running for Vermont office. "As we get deeper into the 2016 election cycle, this settlement should serve as a reminder to entities that accept contributions or make expenditures supporting or opposing a candidate that such conduct can trigger application of Vermont's campaign finance laws," said General Sorrell. "All entities that qualify as PACs should take care to abide by our campaign finance laws." Vermont's campaign finance laws and the Secretary of State's guidance document can be found on the Secretary of State's website.
CYBER SECURITY
In the wake of a malware data breach that affected more than 1,000 Wendy's fast food restaurants nationwide, consumers should take action to avoid identity theft, CWAG Associate Attorney General Roy Cooper of North Carolina said. "If your personal information could have been compromised as a result of this data breach, don't delay in taking steps to protect your accounts and lock down your credit," General Cooper said. "Be wary of scammers who may try to take advantage of the breach." So far, General Cooper's office has been notified that the data breach has compromised information from Wendy's franchises in the following locations: Cashiers, Cherokee, Clinton, Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Lumberton, Murphy, Siler City and Warsaw. Consumers are encouraged to continue checking the Wendy's website for updates on other locations potentially affected by the breach.
