‘Arkansas consumers must not face exorbitant utilities bills’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge submitted a letter to the Arkansas Public Service Commission urging it to investigate the cost of power and natural gas incurred by the State’s electric and natural gas utilities during the recent severe winter storms. As the representative of Arkansas consumers, Rutledge is anticipating customer bills will skyrocket in the coming weeks because utility companies paid high prices to third parties in order to meet energy needs during the severe weather.

“Arkansas consumers must not face exorbitant utilities bills when the service provider resorted to purchasing energy at excessive prices in spot markets,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Not only do I want to ensure Arkansans do not face skyrocketing bills at no fault of their own, I want to ensure our friends and family are protected and safe if winter weather strikes again.”

On Tuesday, Rutledge announced an investigation was opened into Liberty Utilities to review its preparation and actions which resulted in a catastrophic failure of water to customers in Pine Bluff. Prior to this announcement, Rutledge worked with the Pine Bluff Mayor, leadership at Jefferson Memorial, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Saracen Casino and Simmons Bank to immediately address the emergency.

‘My office has opened an investigation into the preparation and actions by Liberty Utilities’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued a statement today following the Arkansas Public Service Commission’s announcement of an investigation into Liberty Utilities for its response to the winter weather damage to the community water supply of Pine Bluff.

“My office has opened an investigation into the preparation and actions by Liberty Utilities which ultimately resulted in a catastrophic failure to protect its customers in Pine Bluff, and to determine whether the company should have done more to protect Jefferson Regional Medical Center, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, residents and essential businesses,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I applaud the Public Service Commission’s decision to also open an investigation into the failure by Liberty Utilities to restore water service to Pine Bluff residents in a reasonable and timely manner.”

‘This is a politically motivated stunt designed to avoid a Supreme Court decision upholding a program that encourages personal responsibility’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a response to the Biden administration’s motion asking the Supreme Court to cancel oral arguments in Arkansas’s and New Hampshire’s cases concerning Medicaid work requirements while the Biden administration considers ending those requirements. The Biden administration’s request would vacate the lower court’s opinion in this case and leave the future of work requirements unclear.

“Today’s political decision by President Biden’s administration is an attempt by the federal government to end our work requirement that was intended to specifically fit the needs of the Natural State,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This is a politically motivated stunt designed to avoid a Supreme Court decision upholding a program that encourages personal responsibility while still providing healthcare coverage for those seeking gainful employment.”

Arkansas Works is a pilot Medicaid expansion program designed to encourage able-bodied Arkansans, without dependents, to transition into the workforce and build a stronger, more resilient connection with their communities.

The case is Arkansas v. Gresham, No. 20-38.

Rutledge introduces ‘Gender Integrity Reinforcement Legislation for Sports Act’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today proposed legislation to ensure equity in women’s sports in the State. The draft legislation is titled “The GIRLS Act” (Gender Integrity Reinforcement Legislation for Sports Act) and seeks to protect access to athletic opportunities for girls and women in K-12 and post-secondary institutions. If passed, it would ensure fair competition by limiting girls’ sports to girls and women’s sports to women in as evidenced by an original birth certificate.

“As a mom of a two-and-a-half year old girl, and having grown up playing a number of sports, I know first-hand the benefit that sports has on developing self-discipline, confidence, teamwork and leadership,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This proposed legislation would make sure that young women in Arkansas can compete on a level playing field—no matter what sport they choose.”

During his first days in office, President Biden signed Executive Order 13988, entitled Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. By signing this executive action, the Biden Administration signaled that it intends to require schools to allow biological boys who self-identify as girls onto girls’ sports teams.

By creating protected space for girls and women’s sports, the legislation proposed by Rutledge’s office provides opportunities for girls and women to demonstrate their skill, strength and athletic abilities while also providing them with opportunities to obtain recognition, accolades, college scholarships and the many other long-term benefits that flow from athletic achievement.

The proposed bill allows anyone who, as a result of a violation of the legislation, is deprived of athletic opportunities or suffers any other harm to seek a court order stopping the violation along with damages and attorney’s fees in a lawsuit against any Arkansas school that violates the legislation.

The lead sponsors of the bill are Senator Missy Irvin of Mountain View and Representative DeAnn Vaught of Horatio.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined a multistate coalition of attorneys general urging President Biden, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Johnson to reverse the Biden Administration’s last-minute cancellation of Operation Talon. Operation Talon is a nationwide ICE operation that focuses on removing illegally present convicted sex offenders from the United States.

“We must protect Arkansans and Americans by continuing with Operation Talon and taking illegal sex offenders off our streets,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Our letter urges President Biden to reverse his cancellation of Operation Talon which played a critical role in combating human trafficking and protecting innocent lives in America.”

The letter argues that canceling Operation Talon could embolden sexual predators who seek to enter the United States illegally and exacerbate issues of sexual assault and trafficking in the immigrant community.

The letter states, “According to data collected by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, during the period from October 2014 to May 2018, ICE arrested 19,752 illegal aliens with criminal convictions for whom the most serious prior conviction was a conviction for a sex-related offense.”

Protesting the cancellation of Operation Talon, the letter says, “The cancellation of this program effectively broadcasts to the world that the United States is now a sanctuary jurisdiction for sexual predators. This message creates a perverse incentive for foreign sexual predators to seek to enter the United States illegally and assault more victims, both in the process of unlawful migration and after they arrive. It will also broadcast the message to other criminal aliens who have committed less heinous offenses that any kind of robust enforcement against them is extremely unlikely.”

The letter also details how human trafficking and sexual assault are endemic issues in the immigrant and migrant communities, especially at the border. The letter, citing the Polaris Project, continues, “the overwhelming majority of victims of sex and/or labor trafficking in the United States were foreign nationals, not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. For cases in which citizenship status was known, 77.5 percent of trafficking victims (4,601 out of 5,939) were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.”

In addition to Arkansas, state attorneys general from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia also signed on to the letter.

Greenhagen Exteriors Ordered to pay $172,348 to Consumers and State

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the judgment against Chance and Samone Greenhagen and their company Greenhagen Exteriors, LLC of Little Rock for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (ADTPA). The Order states that Greenhagen is to pay $72,348 in consumer restitution, $100,000 in civil penalties, and the State’s costs and fees. Additionally, Greenhagen is enjoined from conducting any residential home improvement business until the restitution, civil penalties, fees, and costs are paid in full.

“This judgment should serve as a warning to businesses looking to circumvent business practices to make a quick buck,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I strongly advise Arkansans to contact my office any time a contractor fails to complete a project without getting a refund for work not completed.”

Last May, Rutledge filed the lawsuit against Greenhagen on behalf of five consumers who paid almost $90,000 in advance for roofing and home improvement work. Consumers also filed complaints with the Arkansas Contractor’s Licensing Board, which revoked Greenhagen’s contractor’s licenses and issued a cease and desist order.

If you are a consumer who has been impacted by the actions of Greenhagen or any other contractor, Rutledge encourages you to contact the Attorney General’s Office at (800) 482-8982.