Says, ‘These critical funds improve the overall health of Arkansas residents’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has secured the 2018 share of proceeds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with tobacco companies. Twenty years ago, 46 states and numerous other jurisdictions entered into a historic, multibillion dollar agreement to settle consumer-protection lawsuits for the costs that they had incurred for treating the negative health effects of smoking.

“I am proud to enforce the tobacco statutes and secure Arkansas’s disbursement from the MSA agreement,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “These critical funds improve the overall health of Arkansas residents by funding smoking cessation programs and health care research. A large portion of this money will also go to help fund the Arkansas Medicaid program, which is vital for some of our State’s families and children.”

This year’s disbursement of $57,047,679.82 brings the total amount received since 2001 to fund various public health programs in Arkansas to $1,004,303,330.82.

The MSA imposed health-related and advertising restrictions on tobacco companies. Additionally, the agreement requires the settling manufacturers to make annual payments to the settling states.

The Attorney General is tasked with enforcing the tobacco statutes that were enacted pursuant to the MSA. This enforcement includes operation of a certification process for tobacco manufacturers, ongoing quarterly and annual reporting, maintaining an Approved-For-Sale Directory, conducting audits, collection of escrow amounts and investigation or even litigation should violations of the tobacco statutes occur.

In 2000, Arkansas voters created the Tobacco Settlement Act, which governs how the funds received under the settlement are used. Payments are placed into the Tobacco Settlement Program Fund for later distribution to the programs supported by the settlement payments, including the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, an agricultural and medical research consortium; the Medicaid Expansion Program, which provides Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and increases hospital benefits for Medicaid beneficiaries; the Prevention and Cessation Program, which aims to reduce tobacco use; and the Targeted State Needs Program, which includes support for public health programs for minorities, older Arkansans and residents of rural areas and the Delta.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced mobile office locations for May.

Attorney General Rutledge created this initiative during her first year in office to make the office accessible to everyone, particularly to those who live outside the capital city. Office hours were held in all 75 counties in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and assisted nearly 1,000 Arkansans last year.

Rutledge believes in face-to-face conversations to truly hear from Arkansans. The Attorney General Mobile Offices assist constituents with consumer related issues by filing consumer complaints against scam artists as well as answering questions about the office and the other services it offers to constituents.

This year, the Cooperative Extension Service will be on hand at each mobile office to also provide information on the services they provide statewide.

Rutledge continues her partnership with local law enforcement across Arkansas to offer prescription drug take back boxes at each mobile office. Law enforcement will be at all mobile offices to handle a secure box and properly dispose of the prescriptions collected. Rutledge encourages Arkansans to bring their old, unused or expired prescription medications to an upcoming mobile office.

For more information about services provided by the Attorney General’s office, visit ArkansasAG.gov or call (501) 682-2007. Rutledge can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/AGLeslieRutledge and on Twitter at twitter.com/AGRutledge.

The upcoming mobile office schedule is below:

Benton County

Wednesday, May 2

10 – 11:30 a.m.

Attorney General’s Office – Northwest Arkansas District Office

Puppy Creek Place

213 W. Monroe, Suite O

Lowell, AR 72745

Washington County

Thursday, May 3

10 – 11:30 a.m.

Washington County Cooperative Extension Service

2536 N. McConnell Ave.

Fayetteville, AR 72704

Lee County

Tuesday, May 8

10 – 11:30 a.m.

Lee County Courthouse

15 E. Chestnut Street

Marianna, AR 72360

Poinsett County

Thursday, May 10

10:30 a.m. – noon

Poinsett County Cooperative Extension Service

302 N. Main Street

Harrisburg, AR 72432

Columbia County

Tuesday, May 15

10:30 a.m. – noon

Columbia County Cooperative Extension Service

206 W. Calhoun Street

Magnolia, AR 71753

Boone County

Thursday, May 17

10:30 a.m. – noon

Boone County Cooperative Extension Service

1800 Extension Lane

Harrison, AR 72601

Lafayette County

Tuesday, May 22

10:30 a.m. – noon

Lafayette County Cooperative Extension Service

7 Agri-Plex Drive

Lewisville, AR 71845

Yell County

Thursday, May 24

10:30 a.m. – noon

Yell County Cooperative Extension Service

1002 E. 8th Street, Suite 2

Danville, AR 72833

Montgomery County

Thursday, May 31

10 – 11:30 a.m.

Central Arkansas Development Council Mount Ida Senior Activity Center

158 Senior Drive

Mount Ida, AR 71957

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced the arrest of a Lawrence County man for crimes involving children.

Terry Matheny, 58, of Ravenden was arrested by the Attorney General’s office Cyber Crimes Unit on 30 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a Class C felony. He is currently being held on bond at the Lawrence County Detention Facility.

Special agents in the Attorney General’s office seized multiple electronic devices from the home. An attorney from the Attorney General’s office will be appointed as special deputy prosecutor for this case.

More than 6,000 students in 57 schools have participated

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced that more than 6,000 students across Arkansas have participated in the first-in-the-nation Prescription for Life program.

“Students across the state are learning about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and misuse thanks to Prescription for Life,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I am proud to fully fund this lifesaving program and thrilled that we have already reached more than 6,000 students. The program is opening a dialogue about the epidemic that is impacting people across our State, especially high school students. I look forward to more students and schools signing up for this important educational tool.”

The Attorney General’s office covers the cost of Prescription for Life, a first-of-its-kind digital platform offered to all high school students in Arkansas. Since the program’s launch in September, it has been introduced in 57 schools across 50 counties with an additional 24 schools committed to launching the program this fall.

Prescription for Life is just one step in Rutledge’s multi-faceted approach to ending the opioid crisis. Rutledge is also suing the opioid manufacturers who created the crisis in Arkansas for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Arkansas Medicaid Fraud False Claims Act. Each year, Rutledge partners with a number of agencies in hosting the Arkansas Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit, a free training and educational opportunity for law enforcement officers, medical professionals, pharmacists and educators. And in addition to the bi-annual Prescription Drug Take Back Day, scheduled for April 28 this year, Rutledge began partnering in 2016 with local law enforcement across the State to provide prescription drug take back boxes at every mobile office, held annually in all 75 counties. So far this year, more than 40 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected and disposed of safely – keeping them out of the hands of children and those with addictions.

State to receive nearly $20,000

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas will receive thousands of dollars from Emergency Medical Services Corporation, EmCare, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates as part of a settlement following an action brought by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.

The settlement reached between the United States, sixteen states including Arkansas and the company resolves allegations that EmCare conspired with Health Management Associates (HMA) hospitals to submit claims to the Medicaid program for medically unnecessary inpatient procedures and allegations that EmCare received illegal payments from HMA in exchange for emergency room doctors recommending that Medicaid patients be unnecessarily admitted to facilities.

“The State of Arkansas will not tolerate irresponsible actions by companies that hurt Arkansans,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Consumers should be able to trust that doctors and medical facilities put patients’ best interests first. Unnecessary procedures and hospital stays not only cause financial hardships for patients, but also take advantage of the Medicaid program – a very important safety net for many Arkansans.”

Arkansas will receive $19,891.98 from the $28.8 million settlement, which resolves allegations that EmCare violated federal and state False Claims Acts. EmCare is a corporation that contracts to provide qualified physicians and related medical professionals to staff emergency departments and provide inpatient hospitalist services to hospitals throughout the United States.

A team from the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Unites participated in the settlement negotiations on behalf of the states and included attorneys general from Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced that she has filed an amended notice of appeal with the Arkansas Supreme Court challenging Judge Wendell Griffen’s decisions on medical marijuana cultivation permits. Today’s notice of appeal asks the Court to not only review Judge Griffen’s rulings that declared the process of scoring and awarding the permits unlawful, but to also examine an order issued earlier this week saying his decision can’t be appealed.

“Today I filed an amended notice of appeal with the Arkansas Supreme Court on behalf of the State,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This case will have serious and lasting consequences for Arkansans and I firmly believe that Judge Griffen’s decision must be reviewed, a belief clearly shared by the three companies who have already filed notices of appeal.”