Mission:
The National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School is a legal research, education, and policy center that examines the implications of the jurisprudence of state attorneys general. Working closely with attorneys general, academics, and other members of the legal community, the Program is active in the development and dissemination of legal information used by state prosecutors in carrying out their civil and criminal responsibilities.
Each year, attorneys general visit Columbia Law School to share their ideas and vision for high quality, state-based law enforcement and thereby contribute greatly to the Law School's commitment to serving the public interest.
As state attorneys general face new challenges presented by health care reform, the Health Project at the National State Attorneys General Program has been compiled resources and material to aid offices meet those challenge.
Below is a link to the resource page that includes a document outlining key areas in health reform that will affect attorney general offices. It will be updated regularly.
Video Footage Now Available to Public of All Sessions from the 2013 Charities Regulation and Oversight Project Policy Conference: “The Future of State Charities Regulation”
Director Tierney Visits Seven AG Offices in April and May, 2013
During the months of April and May, Program Director James Tierney visited attorneys general and their staffs in a variety of settings. In addition to personally visiting offices in Iowa, Illinois, California, and Washington, he also spoke at the
University of Iowa College of Law and he attended the
NAAG’s Southern Region Meeting on
March 21-22 in Nashville, Tennessee. On
May 21, he presented at the
National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute (NAGTRI) Career Course in Portland, Oregon that was attended by the Attorney General of Oregon. On
April 9 he presented at the NAAG Chief Deputies Conference in Charleston, SC and on
June 19 he is scheduled to present at the NAAG Summer Meeting that will be held in Boston, Massachusetts.
These visits were a continuation of the Program’s on-site visits. These visits by Director Tierney enhance the Program's ability to create meaningful resources in order to assist attorneys general in the performance of their important duties.
Connecticut AG George Jepsen and Labor Leader Andy Stern Discuss "The Changing Nature of the Employment Relationship" at Labor Project Event (Nov. 20)
On November 20, the Labor Project of the National State Attorneys General Program hosted a special public event, The Changing Nature of the Employment Relationship, featuring George Jepsen, Attorney General of Connecticut, and Andrew L. Stern, Ronald O. Perelman Senior Fellow at the Richman Paul Center for Business, Law and Public Policy. Mr. Stern and Attorney General Jepsen discussed the breakdown of the traditional employer-employee relationship and the role that state regulators, employers and workers can play in resisting or influencing these changes to ensure that: workers receive the wages and benefits to which they are entitled by law, businesses compete on a level playing field, and states can establish and sustain healthy workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance programs and collect tax revenue properly arising out of the employment relationship. This topic lies at the heart of the social and economic fabric of the country, affecting the state of trust, sustainability and competitiveness at every level.
Read coverage of the event
here.
Program Director Tierney and Senior Counsel Lott Give Presentation on Health Care and Consumer Protection to NAAG (October 2012)
On October 29, Program Director Jim Tierney and Senior Counsel Cindy Lott were on a panel at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Fall Consumer Protection Seminar with Sharon Clark, Insurance Commissioner of Kentucky, to discuss the role of attorneys general under the affordable care act. The discussion focused on the increased need for interdivision and interagency coordination within states to meet the impending challenges. Below is a list of resources and a memo highlighting specific issues attorneys general should be aware of within consumer protection and how they will interact with areas such as antitrust and charities.
Job of State Attorneys General
(September 2012)
Program Director James E. Tierney was quoted in two recent newspaper articles on the job of state attorneys general. In the Richmond Times Dispatch, Director Tierney notes that the job of state attorneys general is independent of the other branches of state government. ” That's why attorneys general are independent. “That’s why they're separate; that's why they're elected," Tierney then goes on to say. "They make sure the rest of the executive branch obeys the law." In the Seattle Times article Director Tierney comments on why he thinks the independent and nonpartisan office of the state AG is changing due to national political influence in local AG races. “Washington shows up for every significant fight," says Director Tierney.
Read Articles Here
The Attorney General/Federal Mortgage Settlement and its Implications for Housing Finance (February 23, 2012)
James Tierney, Director of the National State Attorney General Program, Professor Robert Jackson, Associate Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, and James Millstein, CEO of Millstein & Co, LLC (Formerly Chief Restructuring Officer at the Department of the Treasury) discuss the recent mortgage-finance settlement and its implications for housing-finance policy going forward.
Attorneys General of Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New Hampshire Discuss Human Trafficking on Podcast. (November 10, 2011)
Attorneys General Pam Bondi of Florida, Martha Coakley of Massachusetts, Mike Delaney of New Hampshire, Paula Dow of New Jersey, George Jepsen of Connecticut, Eric Schneiderman of New York, and Bill Sorrell of Vermont were among a diverse group of state and federal officials and members of the advocacy and academic communities who convened at Columbia Law School on October 21 for the Eastern Region Meeting on Human Trafficking, sponsored by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).
The National State Attorneys General Program hosted a forum on human trafficking featuring Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, director of the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Attorneys General of seven states (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont) attended the Oct. 21 event along with senior staff from another dozen offices of attorneys general.
Arkansas Attorney General Visits Program, Records Podcast on Payday Lending (September 27, 2011)
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel visited the National State Attorneys General Program on September 23 for meetings with Director James Tierney, program staff, and Columbia Law students. In a discussion with Tierney for the AG Program Podcast, the former police officer from Jonesboro, Arkansas detailed his educational and professional experiences prior to his election as state attorney general. "Your state attorney general's office is absolutely extraordinary in the variety of work that is available," McDaniel said, discussing potential career opportunities for current students. "The notion that good lawyers are only found in high-paying corporate gigs is simply not accurate."
AG Program Podcasts (mp3)
United States Department of Labor, State Labor Regulators and Other Stakeholders Meet at Columbia Law School to Discuss Best Practices and Information Sharing to Prevent Unlawful Labor Practices (September 19, 2011)
On August 17-18, the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School convened an informal meeting of state and federal regulators, academics and advocates to discuss improving law enforcement at both the state and federal levels regarding payroll fraud and misclassification.
The key goal of the meeting was to enhance cooperation between the federal government, states, worker advocates, and employers. The meeting was convened a month prior to the United States Department of Labor’s signing of memorandums of understanding with the IRS and with a number of state regulators to provide for information-sharing with the goal of leveling the playing field between employers who follow the law and those who do not.
National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School
605 West 113 Street, #1 New York, NY 10025
(p) 212-851-1061 (f) 212-851-1064
