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2017 CWAG Annual Meeting Registration Now Open
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San Francisco, CA
July 30- August 2, 2017
The Conference of Western Attorneys General along with CWAG Chair and Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin invite you to the 2017 CWAG Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, July 30-August 2, 2017. Join your colleagues as CWAG explores the most pertinent legal issues during the days and spend the evenings enjoying the urban charm of the city at our social events.
A new and updated agenda is available!
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Hotel room cutoff date is July 7, 2017
A friendly reminder, the last possible day to reserve room reservations within the CWAG room block is July 7, 2017. If the room block sells out prior to that time, reservations will only be accepted on a space available basis. The reservation number for the Westin St. Francis is 1.888.627.8546. Ask for the CWAG room block to receive our discounted rates.
If you have attended an annual meeting in the past few years your contact information has been saved in the registration system. Please review your contact information during the registration process to make sure it is current.
To register go to "Sign In" and enter the email address and password you or your assistant previously provided. If you can't recall your password, click on the "Forgot Password" link and your password will be sent to the email that is saved in the system.
If you have not previously registered for the annual meeting go to "New Registration", enter your email and create a personal password to be used for future registrations.
Early Bird Registration:
Early bird registration ended on June 2nd. All registrations received after this date will be charged the regular registration fee.
Onsite Registration:
Pre-registering for primary attendees and guests who would like to attend any of the substantive or social opportunities is required. CWAG must make commitments to the hotel and activity vendors based on pre-registered guests prior to our arrival. The registration fees cover the cost of activities and meals at the conference which have been pre-arranged. Given the necessity of pre planning, we will not be accepting any onsite registrations.
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CWAG Associate Attorney General Karl Racine of the District of Columbia
and MedStar Family Choice will be hosted a Men's Health Day and Fatherhood Conference. The event is designed to provide fathers in the District with the tools they need to improve their physical and mental health, strengthen relationships with their families, and improve their prospects for meaningful employment. "A father's most important job is to be a consistent, reliable, and supportive part of his child's life," Attorney General Racine said. "But we also know that too many fathers face barriers that get in the way of their doing everything they can for their children. This conference and health fair will provide fathers and other interested adults opportunities to take the initiative to build their job and life skills so they can break through those barriers and provide their children with the support they need to grow into mature and independent adults."
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CWAG Attorney General Lawrence Wasden of Idaho
announced the appointment of Darrell Early as Division Chief of the Office of the Attorney General's Natural Resources Division. The appointment is effective immediately and follows the retirement of longtime Division Chief Clive Strong. Early joined the office in 1999 as a Deputy Attorney General in the Natural Resources Division. Since then, he's represented the state's Department of Environmental Quality on cases involving issues such as hazardous waste and mining. He's played a key role in helping lead the state's legal proceedings involving Idaho National Laboratory. "Darrell possesses an excellent legal mind and is very well-versed in the matters of natural resource law," Attorney General Wasden said. "His expertise and experience make him the perfect choice to lead this important division in our state."
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The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Army, and Army Corps of Engineers (the agencies) are proposing a rule to rescind the Clean Water Rule and re-codify the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015 defining "waters of the United States" or WOTUS. This action would, when finalized, provide certainty in the interim, pending a second rulemaking in which the agencies will engage in a substantive re-evaluation of the definition of "waters of the United States." The proposed rule would be implemented in accordance with Supreme Court decisions, agency guidance, and longstanding practice. "We are taking significant action to return power to the states and provide regulatory certainty to our nation's farmers and businesses," said Administrator Scott Pruitt. "This is the first step in the two-step process to redefine 'waters of the U.S.' and we are committed to moving through this re-evaluation to quickly provide regulatory certainty, in a way that is thoughtful, transparent and collaborative with other agencies and the public."
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CWAG Associate Attorney General Tom Miller of Iowa
and a group of a dozen internationally-recognized experts on public health policy and tobacco and nicotine science are requesting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new commissioner to reconsider how the FDA's "deeming" rule, finalized in 2016, which regulates all tobacco products, addresses lower risk nicotine products such as e-cigarettes. "We support FDA jurisdiction for these products," Attorney General Miller and the group of experts write in a letter to Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, "but at this time we do not believe that the current regulatory framework for the low-risk nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco is appropriate or will deliver the substantial public health benefits we hope and expect FDA's oversight will bring."
CWAG Attorney General Sean Reyes of Utah
and Brian Besser, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Utah, held a press conference at the state Capitol to announce the creation of a task force that will tackle what has been penned as an "opi-demic." Utah currently toggles between seventh and eighth in the nation for the most opioid-related overdose deaths, Besser said. Six people fatally overdose in Utah every week due to opioids, Attorney General Reyes added. More people die in Utah from overdosing than those killed in car crashes or from gunshot wounds. "This task force, we believe, is the next step. The next natural evolution in the collaborative process," Attorney General Reyes said.
CWAG Attorney General Hector Balderas of New Mexico
announced that Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces around the country, including the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General ICAC Task Force, launched a two month operation in April called Operation Broken Heart IV. The operation was a coordinated effort by law enforcement representing more than 3,000 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with the purpose of arresting as many child predators as possible and providing as much cyber safety education and outreach as possible to children, parents and educators throughout New Mexico. "The Office of the Attorney General and our 86 law enforcement ICAC task force members around New Mexico have no higher priority than protecting our state's most innocent and vulnerable citizens - our children," said Attorney General Balderas. "I want to thank law enforcement agencies from San Juan to Lea Counties, from Albuquerque to Alamogordo, from Santa Fe to Silver City, for their participation in this successful operation to protect our children from dangerous predators."
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CWAG Associate Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas
urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny a petition by the broadband industry to strip states of their authority to investigate and settle claims over false and misleading advertising about broadband Internet speed. The broadband industry's petition asks the FCC to block state and local authorities from routine enforcement of state consumer protection laws and declare that the FCC regulate all advertising about broadband performance. But the petition "represents nothing more than the industry's effort to shield itself from state law enforcement," Attorney General Paxton wrote in a letter to the FCC that was signed by a bipartisan group of 35 state attorneys general. "As the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, a federal agency may pre-empt state law only when and if it's acting within the scope of its congressionally delegated authority," Attorney General Paxton said. "Hundreds of millions of Americans rely on broadband Internet services every day, yet they don't always get what they pay for. The states' consumer protection powers must be left intact to protect customers from providers who make false claims about broadband speed."
CWAG Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt of Nevada
announced that Ernesto Gerardo Fernandez-Carranza and Alicia Herrera were indicted by a Grand Jury on multiple felony charges for operating an immigration fraud scam out of Las Vegas. The charges include: three counts of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more, three counts of possession or sale of document or personal identifying information to establish false status or identity, and one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation. According to the indictment, Fernandez-Carranza and Herrera falsely promised to provide their clients with lawful United States visas. They are accused of collecting thousands of dollars from their clients and providing them with fraudulent immigration documents. "Our immigrant community should be protected from exploitation by unscrupulous fraudsters," said Attorney General Laxalt. "My office will continue to safeguard the integrity of the legal immigration system and prosecute those seeking to undermine it".
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CWAG Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman of Colorado
announced the indictment of the largest illegal marijuana trafficking ring since marijuana was legalized in Colorado. Dozens of co-conspirators are alleged to have overseen a massive illegal interstate marijuana distribution and cultivation network stretching from Colorado to Texas, and laundering millions of dollars. For nearly four years, the members of the alleged drug trafficking organization held themselves out as medical marijuana patient caregivers, property managers servicing marijuana growers and small business owners while they trafficked thousands of pounds of marijuana out of state. Certain members of the conspiracy are alleged to have engaged in securities fraud, swindling close friends, business associates of friends, wealthy business persons and former National Football League players by making the victims believe their investments were destined for state licensed marijuana grow facilities. "This case is a prime example that the black market for marijuana has not gone away since recreational marijuana was legalized in our state, and in fact continues to flourish," said Attorney General Coffman. "These trafficking rings are not just operating in the shadows, they are invading our neighborhoods and are often conducting their illegal activity in plain sight under the guise of being a legitimate business. My office remains committed to fighting against illegal traffickers in our state and we will continue to work with our partners at the local, state and federal level to ensure that our communities are safe."
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Chris Coppin | Legal Director
Conference of Western Attorneys General
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