Southwest Regional Consumer Protection Meeting
Santa Fe, New Mexico
May 4-5, 2010
A closed meeting for consumer protection officials sponsored by the State Center was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. More than 40 attendees from the Consumer Protection Divisions of New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and the Southwest Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission were in attendance. New Mexico Attorney General Gary King opened the conference. Session topics included complaint handling, prioritization in tough economic times, investigative strategies and tools, current enforcement issues and collaboration with other agencies.
Northwest Regional Consumer Protection Meeting
Seattle, Washington
July 30, 2009
More than 30 representatives of the Consumer Protection Divisions of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and California and the Northwest Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission attended the Northwest Regional Conference. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna led a roundtable discussion on how to meet expectations and effectively prioritize consumer protection work in difficult economic times. Other topics included federal laws that authorize state consumer protection enforcement, debt collection and foreclosure case studies, regional collaboration among state attorneys general offices and the FTC, ROBO CALL/ADAD enforcement, charity enforcement, and complaint handling. The Mintz Group provided a training session on investigative techniques using various data bases available on the Internet. Tam Ormiston of the National State Attorneys General Program participated both in planning the conference and as a discussion leader.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Consumer Protection Meeting
Baltimore, Maryland
April 2, 2009
The State Center sponsored a conference for of the Consumer Protection Divisions of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The over 40 attendees included assistant attorneys general and investigators from each state and D.C., as well as representatives from the FTC, BBB, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National State Attorney Generals Program. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. The Mintz Group provided a training session on enhanced investigative techniques using various databases available on the Internet. Discussions were led by state AAGs, focusing on specific complaints or issues likely to be common to other states. The emphasis was on sharing insights and on facilitating interstate cooperation in the future as a way to leverage resources and improve efficiency. Presentations were also made by the FTC, the BB and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
New England Regional Consumer Protection Meeting
Concord, New Hampshire
July 1, 2008
The State Center sponsored a conference for members of the Consumer Protection Divisions of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. 30 state attorneys, investigators and other professionals attended. Topics included approaches to office organization, opportunities for enhanced regional cooperation, practical steps to deal with the impact of rising fuel prices, taking better advantage of legal research materials, and advanced investigative techniques. Faculty members included individuals from the Vermont Attorney General's Office, Columbia Law School's National State Attorneys General Program, the National Consumer Law Center, and the Mintz Group.