Organized retail crime or ORC is one of the few bipartisan issues that lawmakers at both the federal and state levels agree has no upside for consumers or retailers, and regulators are stepping up. Artificial intelligence or AI, on the other hand, has the potential to do a great deal of good, provided it can be harnessed and regulated appropriately. Listen to Episode 10 of State AG Pulse to hear Lori Kalani, Siran Faulders and Maria Colsey Heard talk about the actions being taken by state AGs in these emerging areas and how businesses can respond.

In Season 3 of State AG Pulse which will launch in Fall 2023, we’ll be bringing you a new approach to state AG news. Each week we’ll choose one story from our curated summary of the week’s state AG news to explore in greater detail, tease out the key themes and provide new insights into the role of State AGs. In this special sneak preview, Chris Allen and Emily Yu dig into a story from last week’s state AG news about a cryptocurrency scheme that set off flares in state AG world.

Whether she is preparing to enforce Iowa’s new privacy laws, or working through solutions with businesses in the state, newly-elected Iowa AG Brenna Bird’s philosophy is underpinned by a common sense approach. In conversation with fellow Midwesterner Meghan Stoppel and former Virginia AG Jerry Kilgore, she talks about helping crime victims, recalibrating the office to best serve Iowans, and juggling her busy schedule with the demands of a young family.

State AGs have a wide range of tools they can use to hold companies accountable. Milton Marquis, Jerry Kilgore and Ann-Marie Luciano explore AGs’ power to prevent anticompetitive business conduct ranging from no-poach agreements and illegal non-competes to collusion and price-fixing.

Attorney General Keith Ellison has counseled Minnesota through a period of dramatic social and economic change in the wake of the pandemic, including the nationwide social justice protests in connection with the shooting of George Floyd by a police officer in May 2020. In conversation with Lori Kalani and Chris Allen, he talks about the demands on his office, his new hires and how he is collaborating with other states in multistate actions and adding resources to better serve the people and businesses of Minnesota.

Even when state AGs are not specifically authorized in a particular area, they can still be highly influential on their federal counterparts when it comes to regulation, enforcement, rulemaking and interpretation of statutes. Our team digs into state/federal collaboration: the who, what, why and how.

New Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers describes himself as a very strong conservative who believes in openness in relationships and is committed to ensuring that people feel that they are being heard. In conversation with Lori and Meghan, he expands on the philosophy that underpins his dealings with AG office staff, businesses and state AG colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

State AGs can be powerful players when it comes to state policymaking and are increasingly weighing in on proposed federal policy and rulemakings. In New York, AG James has been deferential to state and local policymakers while often collaborating with other state AGs on issues NY state voters and legislators care about. In this episode we compare and contrast the New York model with the ways AGs engage in policymaking in other states.

Following his recent reelection, Lori Kalani and Ann-Marie Luciano talk with Attorney General Kwame Raoul about some of the challenges his office faced in his first term and how he led the office though them. From COVID, to a major cyberattack, to national assaults on voting rights, General Raoul explains how those challenges have impacted his priorities going into his second term, and made his office stronger.

In this episode we draw back the curtain on attorney general settlements, including an AG’s statutory authority and motives, and the factors that determine the size and composition of a settlement, and provide insights to help businesses negotiate for the best possible outcome.