LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today joined a bipartisan coalition of 56 attorneys general in calling for Congress to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

“Fentanyl is an increasingly common, cheap and lethal drug,” Attorney General Rutledge said. “Its pain-relieving effects are greatly overshadowed by the overwhelming number of overdoses and addictions it has caused. Keeping its classification as Schedule I means that law enforcement and courts can bring criminal actions against those who manufacture, distribute or handle fentanyl-related substances.”

In the letter, the attorneys general urge Congress to pass S. 2701, the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan bill.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary scheduling order in February 2018 to make any fentanyl-related substances a Schedule I Drug. This scheduling order is set to expire on Feb. 6, 2020. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act codifies DEA precedent to schedule fentanyl-related substances.

The FIGHT Fentanyl Act will ensure law enforcement agencies and courts retain the tools needed to keep those who traffic in this deadly substance off the streets.

In the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 72,000 drug-related deaths in the United States in 2017. Of those deaths, roughly 40% involved fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound.

Attorneys general from every state, territory and the District of Columbia signed the letter.

With the support of every Attorney General including Arkansas’s, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has chosen to endorse the legislation as one of its official policy positions.

LITTLE ROCK— Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced joining an 18-state alliance urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that unnecessarily blocked construction on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and impedes the nation’s economic growth.

“This pipeline is a vital source of energy and economic development for the entire country,” Attorney General Rutledge said. “It is critical the law is interpreted accurately as to not set a dangerous precedent that can slow future progress.”

The coalition’s amicus brief filed Monday argues the appeals court was inaccurate in ruling the U.S. Forest Service lacked authority to grant the Atlantic Coast Pipeline rights-of-way through forestland beneath federal trails.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will transport natural gas through five West Virginia counties en route to Virginia and North Carolina. The halting of pipeline construction has cost jobs and lost revenue from income and property taxes.

If left intact, the attorneys general argue the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling would transform 1,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail into a near-impenetrable barrier to energy development – all due to a one-tenth mile crossing deep beneath the surface on a 600-mile pipeline.

If applied nationwide, the coalition argues the lower court decision would seal off more than 11,000 miles of federal trails from development and potentially disrupt the national power grid because of the chilling effect it could have on infrastructure investment.

Along with Arkansas, the West Virginia-led brief received support from Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Read a copy of the coalition’s brief here.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today issued a statement in response to the death of Fayetteville Police Officer Stephen Carr, who died in the line of duty Saturday night.

“I was heartbroken to learn of the loss of Officer Carr,” Attorney General Rutledge said. “Our men and women in blue hold the line every day not knowing if they will safely return home. I send my deepest condolences to Officer Carr’s family and the entire Fayetteville Police Department. The loss of an officer is devastating for all Arkansans. Please keep our law enforcement family in your prayers.”

Investigation and arrest made by AG’s Special Investigations Department

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the charge and arrest of a Hot Springs Village man who faces 30 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a class C Felony.

Daniel Kimball, 55, was arrested Tuesday following a search warrant by the Attorney General’s Special Investigation Department (SID) and assisted by the Hot Springs Village Police. Agents seized a laptop, desktop computer, thumb drive, cell phone and tablet.

Kimball remains in the Garland County jail on a $50,000 bond. His court date is set for Dec. 23, 2019.

SID has certified law enforcement officers with jurisdiction throughout Arkansas. The agents are committed to protecting Arkansas’s children by investigating and arresting individuals who sexually exploit children online.

To report suspected child exploitation, contact the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at (800) 482-8982 or visit ArkansasAG.gov.

Says, ‘Small town pharmacies are experiencing financial hardship at the hands of the PBMs’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge applauds the U.S. Solicitor General for recommending the U.S. Supreme Court hear Arkansas’s case concerning the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), in which Rutledge seeks to ensure communities do not lose access to frontline healthcare.

“I am pleased the U.S. Solicitor General recommends this case be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Attorney General Rutledge said. “Small town pharmacies are experiencing financial hardship at the hands of the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) requiring they operate at a loss or go out of business. I will always protect Arkansans and small businesses from unfair practices and ensure there is prescription drug pricing transparency.”

In 2015, the Arkansas General Assembly enacted Act 900 granting authority to regulate previously unregulated PBMs who verify benefits and manage financial transaction among pharmacies, healthcare payors and patients. Previous to this action, PBMs were found to provide negative reimbursement- reimbursement of pharmacies at less than a pharmacy’s cost to acquire a drug.

Rutledge’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court comes after a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision affirming an order by U.S. District Judge Brian Miller that ruled Act 900 was preempted by ERISA.

Wednesday, the U.S. Solicitor General agreed with Arkansas’s argument that the 8th Circuit should not have struck down PBM regulations and that the issues should be heard by the Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court will next conference to determine whether to formally hear the case in accordance with the U.S. Solicitor General’s recommendation.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced her support in keeping federal executions on schedule. Rutledge joined a multistate amicus brief backing the U.S. Department of Justice, which asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the currently scheduled federal executions to move forward, beginning with white supremacist Daniel Lewis Lee accused of killing an Arkansas family in January 1996.

“Even in the most egregious cases, capital punishment helps bring closure to victims’ families,” Attorney General Rutledge said. “It is time to let these families rest knowing justice has been served in their loved ones’ cases. The federal court should not stand in the way of their relief.”

President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr announced in July 2019 that the federal government would resume capital punishment after a nearly two-decade lapse. Five convicted murderers are to be put to death. Rutledge expressed her support of this decision in this Op-Ed coauthored by Senator Tom Cotton.

In addition to Arkansas, the amicus brief was joined by Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.