News ReleasesFilter
Rutledge Adopts Digital You as New Internet Safety Program
Thu, Jan 14, 2016SEARCY – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced that her office is adopting a new Internet safety program. Digital You is a comprehensive, interactive educational program created by AT&T and Common Sense Media to offer tools, tips, apps, guidance and community education events for people of all ages and levels of online experience to learn more about how to have a safe and secure online experience. Digital You was officially launched nationally in August 2015.
Rutledge made the announcement at a press conference at the Lightle Senior Center in Searcy along with AT&T’s External Affairs Manager Rhonda Cline.
“In addition to teaching young people about Internet safety, it is a priority of mine to educate parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all adults about how to be smart online,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “By teaming up with Common Sense Media and AT&T to utilize their technology expertise and research, educators from my office will be able to present age-appropriate Internet safety trainings not only to children but enhance our statewide outreach to teenagers, parents and senior citizens to enable them to use technology in a safe and responsible manner. Regardless of age, skills or where Arkansans live, everyone is susceptible to scams and online threats.”
"AT&T deeply appreciates the opportunity to work with Attorney General Rutledge on this fantastic public education initiative,” said AT&T Director of External & Legislative Affairs Rhonda Cline. “AT&T launched Digital You so that people of all ages and levels of digital savvy have the resources and guidance they need to have a safe, secure and productive online experience. With educational materials for older adults, parents, teens, and individuals with disabilities, we are pleased Digital you is helping arm her office with information that will help Arkansans of all ages navigate the day to day issues that are a part of our digital experience.”
The Attorney General’s community educators are now offering Digital You presentations across the State to three audiences – seniors, parents and teens. The goal of the program is to help Arkansans with privacy, safety and security as they connect online.
Seniors and older adults who are digital newcomers will be given tips and tricks to learn how to use mobile devices, navigate the Internet, recognize scams, keep private information secure, back up data and more so that they can be empowered online. Parents will be given information about managing device usage, staying safe online, handling issues like cyberbullying and online reputation and protecting devices. Teenagers will be taught how to safely and responsibly navigate their digital lives.
Following the announcement, a community educator with the Attorney General’s office gave a presentation to seniors at the center.
Rutledge also launched her official Snapchat account today, making her the first constitutional officer in the State to use the platform. To follow Rutledge, open the Snapchat application and search “agrutledge.”
For more information about Digital You, upcoming presentations or to request a presentation in your community, please call (501) 682-2007 or visit ArkansasAG.gov.
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Attorney General, Press Association Publish 17th Edition of Arkansas Freedom of Information Handbook
Wed, Jan 13, 2016LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and the Arkansas Press Association today announced that the 17th edition of the Freedom of Information Handbook is now available online and in print.
“The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act is one of the most comprehensive in the country,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “It is considered one of the strongest and best models for open government, and I am pleased to join with the Arkansas Press Association to ensure that government officials, journalists and citizens across the State are informed about and correctly adhering to the law.”
“It is an important joint endeavor, and we print some 25,000 copies of the handbook after each legislative session to help inform public office holders as to their responsibilities under Arkansas’ strong open government laws,” said Tres Williams, communications director and chief lobbyist for the Arkansas Press Association. “We also make the publication widely available to stress to all the importance of the Freedom of Information Act in preserving transparency and ensuring citizen involvement in the institutions they fund.”
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act was enacted by the General Assembly in 1967 after a strong push from a coalition of citizens and journalists and with the support of then-Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller. The bill passed the House and Senate without a dissenting vote. Gov. Rockefeller later reflected that passage of the FOIA was one of the most significant achievements of his time in office.
Print copies of the handbook are available upon request from the Attorney General’s office by calling (501) 682-2007, and electronic copies of the handbook are available at ArkansasAG.gov and at ArkansasPress.org.
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Rutledge Expands Reach of Office, Protects Consumers During First Year
Wed, Jan 13, 2016LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge marked her first full year in office today and said that in 2015 her office resolved 8,000 formal consumer complaints to directly benefit the consumer. From $0.60 on a billing dispute for cable television all the way up to $186,000 on a billing disagreement for pharmaceuticals, the office has worked complaints from all 75 counties and obtained over $43 million in settlement funds, utility cases and informal complaint mediation.
As a result of individual complaints, nearly 75 investigations have been opened by the office and 15 matters have been resolved, including ExxonMobil, Educational Management Corp., Chase, Amgen, Cancer Fund of America, Standard & Poor’s, CMCS Credit Services, USA Publishing, Electronic Multi-Media Marketing Group, Tri-State Pawn, Equifax, Transunion, Experian, Sprint and Verizon. The resolution of these matters impacted more than 583,000 Arkansans.
“I am proud of the hard work of my office to educate Arkansans about scam artists, to mediate dozens of complaints and to push back against an overreaching federal government,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I have personally traveled over 21,000 miles this past year to meet with Arkansans about the services of the Attorney General’s office because I want citizens to know that we are here to do the fighting for them. My dedicated staff has worked consumer complaints in-person in all 75 counties for the first time in the history of the office, bringing a positive result to individuals in each county. In addition to complaint mediation, many investigations are ongoing and dozens of others have been opened over this last year in response to deceptive business practices. While much has been accomplished during my first year, I know we have more to do on behalf of hardworking Arkansans.”
Rutledge has expanded the reach of the office by bringing the office to each county. Under the mobile office program, which began in April, staff met with consumers in person to assist in filing consumer complaints and to answer questions. In total, 88 mobile offices were held in 2015.
Rutledge herself has also traveled to all 75 counties, meeting with business, government and civic leaders listening to their concerns and discussing local issues. Rutledge has hosted 85 roundtables across the State with more than 700 participants and has traveled more than 21,000 miles in her first year in office.
To keep the public informed about common and emerging scams, Rutledge has issued a consumer alert to Arkansans once a week, providing helpful tips to avoid becoming a victim. These alerts have been picked up by countless media outlets and shared repeatedly on social media platforms. Rutledge encourages all Arkansans to sign up to receive these alerts in their email and to share them with friends and family.
The office has updated its charities database with 492 new registrations, bringing the total number of charities registered to approximately 10,000.
Rutledge launched the first-ever Military and Veterans Initiative at the Attorney General’s office. This initiative has assisted active-duty military service members, reservists, veterans and their families with consumer-related issues, Veterans Treatment Courts and the Hiring Heroes Program. Rutledge has held roundtables in various regions across the State to hear directly from military and veteran stakeholders. The office has worked collaboratively with the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) in developing the ADVA Verified program, which helps educate donors about veterans’ charities to ensure their expectations are met. The Attorney General’s office also committed to contributing $170,000 to assist ADVA with opening District Veteran Service Offices across the State to help provide much-needed resources and services to Arkansas’s more than 250,000 veterans.
Rutledge has demanded action at the federal level to protect consumers, including urging U.S. House and Senate leadership to preserve the State’s enforcement authority for data breach laws and the Federal Communications Commission to maintain the current safeguards and filters used to protect consumers from spam and phishing text messages. Rutledge continues to push the major phone carriers to provide call-blocking technology to consumers.
Fulfilling a promise to Arkansans, Rutledge has gotten Arkansas off the sidelines and pushed back against an overreaching federal government. Arkansas has sued the Environmental Protection Agency numerous times in an effort to prevent unlawful regulations from harming Arkansas’s economy, small business owners and families. Rutledge’s lawsuit challenging the Waters of the U.S. rule resulted in an injunction nationwide. Other litigation has included challenging the so-called Clean Power Plan, the Ozone rule, regional haze and the State Implementation Plans governing excess emissions during startup, shutdown or malfunction.
Continuing to educate consumers remains a top priority for Rutledge, and in 2015, three summits and over 500 community presentations with more than 30,500 attendees were conducted on various topics, such as Internet safety, cyberbullying, identity theft, prescription drug abuse prevention and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. The Attorney General’s office has also had a presence at 29 conferences to provide educational materials throughout the year. More than 34,500 printed materials, including consumer and Internet safety education publications, Child ID kits and bracelets, and Identity Theft Passports have been distributed to Arkansans.
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Rutledge Develops Nursing Home Checklist
Tue, Jan 12, 2016LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today began providing a new resource to Arkansans having to choose an appropriate nursing home or long-term residential care facility for a loved one. Rutledge has made available a Nursing Home Checklist at ArkansasAG.gov to help families by providing them with questions they should consider when selecting a facility.
“Both of my grandmothers lived to be 94 and both lived in residential care facilities,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I understand the process can be difficult and overwhelming to make sure that a proper facility is chosen so that loved ones receive the best care. Just as my grandmothers received top-notch care, I want to make sure others receive the same, excellent care. This checklist will help family members consider the important questions when deciding which facility is best for their loved one.”
The checklist has been developed by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which is protecting Medicaid by fighting fraud and stopping patient abuse, neglect and exploitation in Arkansas’s long-term care facilities.
A copy of the checklist is available at ArkansasAG.gov or may be requested by contacting the Attorney General's office at 501-682-7760 or oag@ArkansasAG.gov.
For nursing home star ratings, visit Medicare.gov.
Medicaid fraud occurs when Medicaid providers use the Medicaid program to obtain money to which they are not entitled. To report Medicaid fraud or abuse or neglect in nursing homes, call the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Hotline at (866) 810-0016.