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AG Todd Rokita at RHETORIC Annual Speech and Debate

*Liberty in Action *

As Indiana’s Attorney General, fighting for your liberty is my top priority. Below are some highlights of our work!

◊ Reviewing Rokita

◊ Fighting Federal Overreach

◊ Protecting Hoosiers' Health

◊ Upholding Our Pro-Life Law

◊ Safeguarding Hoosier Consumers

How can we help you? Contact our Office [ [link removed] ] for additional information, resources and more. 






REVIEWING ROKITA





"So psyched that the State of Indiana is finally paying attention to the harmful effects of PFAS, well, at least the Attorney General's office is." - Sarah

"I would like to thank you for fighting for clean water and against PFAS. I have been reading articles, changing my purchasing habits, and signing petition after petition to our US senators and congressmen.  I thought up to this point, PFAS had not been found in IN waterways.  Your email came as a disappointing surprise.  Thank you for taking up this very important issue." -  Valarie 

"AG Rokita, thank you so much for fighting for Hoosier values. God Bless you in your efforts." - Alex

"Just wanted to say great job of exposing the disgusting discrimination from Bank of America targeting conservatives and those who have every right to practice their religion. We greatly appreciate what you and your staff are doing to protect your citzens and our country from this kind of of discrimination that has been and still is taking place in a free country."






AROUND INDIANA

"with Attorney General Todd Rokita"





PFAS
April 10: AG Todd Rokita announces PFAS Lawsuit against 22 companies 

AG Todd Rokita journeyed to Shelby County to announce a lawsuit against 22 companies that continued manufacturing substances known as "forever chemicals" despite possessing overwhelming evidence the substances posed serious health risks. (See more in the news section)



tpr
April 11: AG Todd Rokita and State Sen. Andy Zay announce advisory opinion on TPRs

AG Todd Rokita and State Senator Andy Zay announced an advisory opinion in Fort Wayne clarifying that Terminated Pregnancy Reports should be available to the public. Our office oversees medical licensing complaints and has long relied on these reports to investigate any complaints about medical providers. If IDOH refuses to disclose them, it's impossible to ensure providers are complying with the law. (See more in the news section)



rhetoric
April 13: AG Todd Rokita visits and judges RHETORIC Annual Speech and Debate

The Rhetoric Annual Speech and Debate Tournament was held at Mt. Gilead Church in Mooresville.  AG Todd Rokita judged a round of speech students.  While the Rhetoric Club is made up of Christian homeschooled students ages 13 - 18 from around the Mooresville area, the tournament also had students from surrounding states involved as well.



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April 14: AG Todd Rokita meets with fellow Hoosiers during Lake County event

AG Todd Rokita recently traveled up north to meet with Hoosiers during the Lake County Lincoln Day Dinner. He had the opportunity to speak about the recent accomplishments of our office and how we're are fighting to protect our liberties.

 

 

 



fire
April 20: AG Todd Rokita tours North Vernon Fire Department

AG Todd Rokita had the opportunity to tour the North Vernon Fire Department and also to try-on the full fire suit. He said the experience was a reminder how blessed we are to have these brave servicemembers dedicating their lives to protecting our communities. Fire Chief Cole also took the time to discuss many important issues like the dangers of PFAS.

 

 

 



police
April 20: AG Todd Rokita speaks at State Rep. Bartlett's Community Day

AG Todd Rokita spoke at State Representative John Bartlett's community day about our Child ID Kit Program and other important work. It's our office's top priority to keep children safe. Rokita said it was great to see everyone and have the opportunity to thank local law enforcement for protecting Hoosiers.

 

 



hillForest
April 20: AG Todd Rokita attends Dearborn County event; afterward tours Hillforest House Museum

AG Todd Rokita joined Hoosiers for breakfast in Dearborn and spoke about issues our office is tackling. Afterward, he toured the Hillforest House Museum. It's the only remaining work of Isaiah Rogers the architect. The Gaff family built the house and also owned a brewery and many other businesses. They were a foundational family for the community. Learn more about the history of the Hillforest House Museum here: [link removed] 







NEWS ABOUT THE OFFICE





*Attorney General Todd Rokita co-leading fight against DOJ efforts to hijack election process from states *

Attorney General Todd Rokita is co-leading 16 states in fighting federal interference with election laws after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed to deploy armies of lawyers into the states to combat “legislative measures that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote.” 

“The Biden administration is weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice against the states,” Attorney General Rokita said. “These actions pose a direct threat to democracy, election integrity and the rule of law. We will stand up and defend our rightful authority within the framework of American federalism.” 

Speaking in March, Garland said he had “double[d] the number of lawyers in the civil rights division” and “launched the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force” to deal with states allegedly maintaining “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot.” 

Attorney General Rokita and West Virgina Attorney General Patrick Morrisey co-led a 16-state letter to Garland warning that the states would “vigorously defend our election laws” and “not allow intimidation and fearmongering to supersede the will of the people.” 

The very premise of Garland’s threats — the idea that states are depriving or hindering U.S. citizens from freely and easily casting votes — is false and ludicrous, the letter notes. 

One of the measures at which Garland and others have taken aim is voter ID laws — which they claim disenfranchise eligible voters. 

“On the contrary,” the letter states, “voter ID laws prevent voter fraud by stopping those who attempt to impersonate others at the polls. In 2005, Indiana led the charge to preserve election integrity by implementing the first-in-the-nation voter ID law, which requires in-person voters to present a valid government-issued photo ID to vote — (and) the United States Supreme Court held that voter ID laws were constitutional and did not impose a burden on the electorate.” 

Amid reports of fraud in various parts of the nation, many Americans distrust the results of the 2020 general election. Some polls indicate more than 30 percent of the electorate believe the election was stolen. 

“With voter confidence at an all-time low,” Attorney General Rokita said, “the U.S. Department of Justice should champion voter security measures instead of attacking states that implement them. And the DOJ should respect, as well, the constitutional provisions giving states the role of regulating elections.” 

The full letter is attached. 


* FINAL Garland Election Letter.pdf [ [link removed] ]

*Attorney General Todd Rokita launches massive lawsuit against manufacturers of ‘forever chemicals’*

*"Companies sought to conceal overwhelming evidence of severe health risks, lawsuit alleges"*

Attorney General Todd Rokita recently announced a lawsuit against 22 companies that continued manufacturing substances known as “forever chemicals” despite these same companies possessing overwhelming evidence the substances posed serious health risks. 

“We’re taking action today to hold these companies accountable for their clear violation of laws designed to protect human health,” Attorney General Todd Rokita said. “For decades, they sought to hide research showing that their products were extremely dangerous to people everywhere, including Hoosiers. And they did it so they could make million-dollar profits at the cost of our health and well-being.” 

The companies manufactured a category of water-resistant substances known as PFAS — an acronym for “per- and polyfluoralkyl substances.” PFAS are used in the making of non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and clothing, and firefighting foam. 

These chemicals do not degrade easily in the environment — hence their classification as “forever chemicals.” Once PFAS are used, these toxic and hazardous substances remain in the environment and contaminate air, drinking water, groundwater and soil. They are difficult and costly to remove. 

The level of PFAS in animals and humans can also increase as they are consumed up the food chain — a process known as biomagnification. 

Testimony from former employees and other evidence have shown that over several decades companies actively sought to hide internal research highlighting their products’ harm to consumers. 

In recent years, public-health scientists have linked PFAS exposure to cancer, infertility, and childhood developmental issues. National blood sampling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found PFAS in the blood of nearly every person tested since 1999. 

“Addressing the PFAS emergency that Defendants have caused requires substantial effort and expense to investigate, treat, and remediate the contamination,” Indiana’s lawsuit states. “The Defendants who created and profited from the creation of this problem must pay to address the PFAS contamination throughout the State.” 

The lawsuit is being filed in Shelby County, where a 2022 site Investigation at the Shelbyville Army Aviation Support Facility found that PFAS contamination was likely caused by defendants’ aqueous film-forming foam (“AFFF”) — a product used for firefighting training and emergency response. 

Elsewhere in the state, Grissom Air Reserve Base and Fort Benjamin Harrison are likewise contaminated as a result of AFFF, with elevated levels of PFAS detected in soil, sediment, surface water, and/or groundwater near fire training areas, fire stations and hangars. 

Sampling conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management between March 2021 and December 2023 revealed levels of PFAS above EPA Health Advisory Levels in public drinking water in the following counties: Bartholomew, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Crawford, Decatur, Elkhart, Floyd, Gibson, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lake, Laporte, Madison, Marion, Perry, Posey, Scott, St. Joseph, Sullivan, Vigo and Warrick. 

The companies have violated state and federal environmental regulations, the lawsuit contends, in addition to other laws such as the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act and the Indiana Product Liability Act. 

Watch Attorney General Rokita's live press event announcing the lawsuit here [ [link removed] ].

The lawsuit is attached. 


* Final Indiana PFAS Complaint.pdf [ [link removed] ]

*Attorney General Todd Rokita and State Senator Andy Zay announce advisory opinion clarifying Terminated Pregnancy Reports are public records*

Attorney General Todd Rokita has issued an official advisory opinion clarifying that Terminated Pregnancy Reports (TPRs) are public records open to inspection — though the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) can and should redact any information that could reasonably identify a pregnant woman.  

Indiana State Senator Andy Zay requested the advisory opinion from the Attorney General’s Office after IDOH refused to disclose the public records necessary to improve maternal life and ensure providers are complying with Indiana’s pro-life laws.

“My colleagues and I in the General Assembly passed the first in the nation pro-life law after Roe v. Wade was overturned,” Senator Zay said. “Now, the actions of unelected bureaucrats have made that law unenforceable.”  

Lack of public access to these reports impedes the ability of the Attorney General to perform its statutory duties of investigating complaints against medical providers — thereby undermining the public interest.  

“As the entity charged with overseeing medical licensing complaints, our office has long relied on these reports to investigate medical provider complaints,” Attorney General Rokita said. “If IDOH refuses to disclose them, it is impossible to ensure that providers are complying with the law.” 

The decision by IDOH to seek, and rely on, a faulty opinion from the Public Access Counselor declaring TPRs confidential medical records appears to represent an abrupt change in policy and practice by the state agency. 

Attorney General Rokita expressed appreciation to Sen. Zay for his persistence in making sure the record was set straight. 

“As someone who has participated in legislative deliberations about these reports,” Sen. Zay said, “I can confirm that it was never the Indiana General Assembly’s intent to make them secret and render them useless.” 

Information contained in the reports can provide such insights as the age of the fetus at the time of abortion, whether the pregnant woman sought the abortion as a result of abuse or trafficking, and the age of the pregnant woman (which may help indicate possible child sexual abuse). Broader quarterly reports with aggregated data lack such details. 

The advisory opinion makes clear that, in Indiana, maintaining open and transparent government is a cornerstone of public policy. 

“The TPRs can be redacted,” the advisory opinion states, “to balance the privacy concern regarding the pregnant woman who received an abortion, the public’s right to inspection of public records, and the need of enforcement agencies to review these documents to monitor compliance with laws or investigate complaints and allegations that such laws were violated.” 

Watch Attorney General Rokita's live press event announcing the opinion here [ [link removed] ].

The full advisory opinion is attached.


* TPR Official Opinion.pdf [ [link removed] ]

*Attorney General Todd Rokita leads multistate inquiry into financial company’s ties to Chinese Communist Party*

*"Webull Financial LLC may have exposed customers’ personal data to CCP"*

Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading a multistate inquiry into whether a Chinese-owned financial company — Webull Financial LLC — may have exposed clients’ personal information to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

“Hoosiers and the rest of the American public deserve to know more about Webull’s ownership and connections to the CCP,” Attorney General Rokita said. “As Indiana’s Attorney General, I have pledged since Day One to hold China accountable, and we are making good on that commitment.” 

On behalf of Hoosiers, Attorney General Rokita previously brought a complaint against Chinese-owned social media company TikTok for allegedly violating data privacy laws and deceiving app users into believing their information is protected when that data is subject to Chinese law and may be intercepted by the CCP.  

On March 13, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. unless it separates from its Chinese owner, ByteDance.  The Act is now working its way through the Senate. 

“Webull’s data protection practices and representations also warrant serious scrutiny,” Attorney General Rokita said. “In fact, Webull appears to collect more personally identifiable information and sensitive financial data from U.S. customers than TikTok.” 

The company is a U.S.-registered broker-dealer that allows customers to trade U.S. stocks, options, and certain cryptocurrencies. Webull is owned by Hunan Fumi Information Technology Co., a Chinese company, and it appears to conduct substantial operations for its U.S. business using personnel and resources located directly in the People’s Republic of China. 

In a letter to Webull’s CEO, Attorney General Rokita and the other attorneys general request answers from the company to 11 questions in order to shed more light on its data protection practices on behalf of customers. 

The full letter is attached. 


* Letter to Webull Final.pdf [ [link removed] ]

*Attorney General Todd Rokita marches in support of consumers, raising awareness of harmful household products recalled in March*  

Attorney General Todd Rokita is alerting Hoosiers of important consumer protection concerns for products recalled in March. The office encourages consumers to take advantage of opportunities available for those who purchase recalled items that could be harmful to their families.  

“The biggest concern of any parent is the safety and wellbeing of their children,” Attorney General Rokita said. “You might think you’re getting a good deal but if you invest in a flawed product, it could lead to a devastating disaster. If you have difficulty finding a solution for your recalled product, call my office immediately.” 

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the following consumer products were recalled in March: 


* Forias Pack and Play Mattresses Recalled Due to Suffocation Hazard for Infants; Violations of the Federal Safety Regulation for Crib Mattresses; Sold Exclusively on Amazon.com by Forias Direct [ [link removed] ]
* BJ's Wholesale Club Recalls Berkley Jensen Citronella 72-inch Tiki Torches Due to Burn Hazard [ [link removed] ]
* Pure Brands of California Recalls Purefog Juice Liquid Due to Risk of Mold Exposure; Sold Exclusively on Amazon.com [ [link removed] ]
* BRS and BULin Liquid Fuel Bottles Recalled Due to Risk of Burn and Poisoning; Violation of the Children’s Burn Prevention Safety Act; Sold Exclusively on Amazon.com by Tentock [ [link removed] ]
* Nestlé USA Recalls Metallic Mugs Sold with Starbucks-Branded Gift Sets Due to Burn and Laceration Hazards [ [link removed] ]
* Crown Boiler Recalls Home Heating Boilers Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard [ [link removed] ]
* S. Boiler Company Recalls Gas-Fired Hot Water Residential Boilers Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard [ [link removed] ]
* Best Buy Recalls Insignia® Air Fryers and Air Fryer Ovens Due to Fire, Burn and Laceration Hazards [ [link removed] ]
* Anker EverFrost Lithium-Ion Battery Powered Coolers Recalled Due to Battery Fire Hazard; Manufactured by Anker Innovations [ [link removed] ]

If you believe you recently purchased a recalled product, stop using it, and check its recall notice (linked above for all products). Then follow the notice’s instructions, including where to return the product, how to get the product fixed, how to dispose of the product, how to receive a refund for the product, or what steps must be taken to receive a replacement product. 

To view recalls issued prior to March visit the Consumer Protection Safety Commission website [ [link removed] ].  






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