Attorney General
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N.J. A.G. Platkin Sues to Block Trump Administration's Unlawful H-1B Fees
TRENTON, New Jersey, Dec. 13 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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AG Platkin Sues to Block Trump Administration's Unlawful H-1B Fees
New Jersey's Hospitals and Schools Would be Harmed by Illegal $100,000 Fee for New H-1B Visa Petitions
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Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today joined a coalition of 20 states in suing the Trump Administration over its unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that require
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TRENTON, New Jersey, Dec. 13 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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AG Platkin Sues to Block Trump Administration's Unlawful H-1B Fees
New Jersey's Hospitals and Schools Would be Harmed by Illegal $100,000 Fee for New H-1B Visa Petitions
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Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today joined a coalition of 20 states in suing the Trump Administration over its unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that requirespecialized skills, including as physicians, researchers, nurses, teachers, and other vital workers, to alleviate nationwide labor shortages.
"The Trump Administration's illegal imposition of an exorbitant $100,000 fee on those seeking H-1B visas would cause significant pain for New Jerseyans, hurting our best-in-the-nation education system, reducing access to critical health care, and setting back cutting-edge medical and scientific research," said Attorney General Platkin. "Because of this senseless and unlawful policy, our residents would see longer wait times in emergency rooms, lengthy delays for medical appointments, and more crowded classrooms. There is no rational or legal basis for this unlawful change, and we look forward to blocking this unlawful policy in court."
On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation ordering an unprecedented $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions, undermining the very purpose of the H-1B visa by making it harder to address severe labor shortages in critical fields such as education and health care and ultimately worsening the staffing crisis. As implemented by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a series of written documents, the policy affects any application filed after September 21, 2025.
The complaint filed today alleges that the $100,000 fee is a clear violation of the law because the massive fee is outside of the bounds of what is authorized by Congress and contrary to Congress's intent in establishing the H-1B program, bypasses required rulemaking procedures, and exceeds the authority granted to the executive branch under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
The H-1B visa program allows employers to petition for high-skilled foreign workers to temporarily fill positions in specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree. In petitioning for an H-1B worker, the employer must submit an application, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, that employment of the H-1B worker will not negatively affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. Congress limits the number of H-1B visas available each year for most private employers, with the current cap set at 65,000, with an exemption of 20,000 for individuals with a master's degree or higher.
Since its inception, the H-1B visa program has been continually tailored by Congress to carry out its purpose of meeting employers' labor needs, while protecting the interests of American workers to ensure that they are not wrongfully displaced. Congress has repeatedly enhanced enforcement, increased penalties, and legislated on fees for H-1B petitions to prevent misuse of the program. Congress has also adapted the program to ensure that it is especially beneficial to many government and non-profit organizations in fulfilling their public service missions, exempting them from the 65,000-person cap.
Fees associated with H-1B visas have long been established by DHS following the APA's notice-and-comment process pursuant to congressional authority, which limits fees to the amount necessary to sustain the agency's work. Typically, an employer filing an initial H-1B petition would expect to pay between $960 and $7,595 in regulatory and statutory fees--a far cry from the new $100,000 fee imposed by the Trump Administration.
The Trump Administration's $100,000 fee far exceeds the actual cost of processing H-1B petitions. By imposing this fee, the Administration is exceeding the fee-setting authority granted by Congress, which requires that fees be set based on the agency's costs. Additionally, the Trump Administration issued the fee without going through the notice-and-comment process required by the APA and without considering the full range of impacts of this fee--especially on the provision of critical services by government and non-profit entities.
Nationwide, immigrants on H-1B visas play a critical role in addressing labor shortages. That is especially true in New Jersey. The Garden State had the fourth-highest number of approvals for H-1B petitions for initial employment in the country in FY25 (7,729).
In New Jersey, H-1B visas have played an important role in addressing teacher shortages in K-12 schools and shortages of primary care doctors and nurses. For example, New Jersey has faced a years-long K-12 teacher shortage, resulting in increased class sizes and overburdened teachers. New Jersey has relied on H-1B visas to help address this shortage, with 20 K-12 school systems securing an H-1B approval in 2025 alone.
H-1B visas also play a critical role in addressing shortages of primary care doctors and nurses. New Jersey has nine medical residency programs that sponsor H-1B visas. And nearly one-third of New Jersey's health care workers are immigrants, and many of them are H-1B workers.
Today's lawsuit was led by California and Massachusetts. In addition to New Jersey, other states joining the lawsuit are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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Orignial text here: https://www.njoag.gov/ag-platkin-sues-to-block-trump-administrations-unlawful-h-1b-fees/
Mo. A.G. Hanaway Expands Investigation Into Kratom Manufacturer And Retailers
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Dec. 13 -- Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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Attorney General Hanaway Expands Investigation Into Kratom Manufacturer And Retailers
Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her Office is expanding its statewide investigation, issuing six additional Civil Investigative Demands (CID) to kratom retailers operating in Missouri, following troubling reports that consumers may be exposed to unapproved, unsafe, and deceptively marketed opioid-like drugs.
"Our Office will not back down
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JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Dec. 13 -- Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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Attorney General Hanaway Expands Investigation Into Kratom Manufacturer And Retailers
Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her Office is expanding its statewide investigation, issuing six additional Civil Investigative Demands (CID) to kratom retailers operating in Missouri, following troubling reports that consumers may be exposed to unapproved, unsafe, and deceptively marketed opioid-like drugs.
"Our Office will not back downagainst businesses that choose to profit by selling powerful psychoactive compounds outside the law," said Attorney General Hanaway. "Missourians have the right to know exactly what is in the products they consume, and they deserve honesty, not companies willing to put their health in jeopardy. We won't let Missouri consumers become test subjects for dangerous and misleading opioid-like drugs."
The Attorney General's Office is expanding its CIDs to retail smoke shops believed to be manufacturing, selling, or distributing kratom products that may violate Missouri law. These six CIDs are being served on:
* Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC, a kratom manufacturer that is doing business as EDP Kratom;
* Kratom Bunny Vape and More, a kratom and retail smoke shop in O'Fallon;
* Sunshine Ventures Inc., a kratom and retail smoke shop in western Missouri;
* SmokeTokz, a company operating the smoke shop "Smoke and Vape Tokz" in Kansas City, Missouri;
* Get Plugged, a kratom and smoke shop in St. Louis, Missouri; and
* Flare Smoke N Vape, a kratom and smoke shop in Ballwin.
These companies collectively represent major points of sale in Missouri's kratom market, including retailers that reach thousands of consumers and companies known to sell or manufacture products containing mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, powerful psychoactive compounds that act on the brain in ways similar to opioids.
Kratom is derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa plant and is often marketed as a "natural supplement." However, kratom products vary widely in potency and purity, and many contain levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine far exceeding what occurs naturally in the plant. Reported side effects included death, including deaths in the state of Missouri, dependency, seizures, heart complications, liver toxicity, and other serious medical harms. No kratom product is approved by the FDA for any medical use.
The CIDs require each company to disclose, among other things detailed information about how their products are manufactured, labeled, and marketed; all ingredients used; any representations regarding safety, health effects, or "safe" dosage levels; communications with consumers about adverse effects; and any materials showing whether the company sold unapproved new drugs in violation of federal or state law. The Attorney General is also seeking information to determine whether these businesses failed to disclose the presence of psychoactive substances such as 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Missourians who believe they were misled or harmed by kratom products are encouraged to file a complaint at ago.mo.gov.
The full civil investigative demand for Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=8a43f9810a&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25ey8hyAgw$).
The full civil investigative demand for Kratom Bunny Vape and More can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=eba5583c59&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25dWcF8sRw$).
The full civil investigative demand for Sunshine Ventures Inc. can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=0819469317&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25fEB1ORYg$).
The full civil investigative demand for SmokeTokz can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=6b2defb7ea&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25dv5apbMw$).
The full civil investigative demand for Get Plugged can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=50aad76be1&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25ertYIQkQ$).
The full civil investigative demand for Flare Smoke N Vape can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=3464d7c351&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25fkqfTM3g$).
The initial statewide investigation into five other smoke shops can be read here (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&id=2323819f92&e=d9200056fe__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!DMTXe2A3tlBRCHlNy5gFMHVt9_vu_aCtw15hrjzU81nUSFz6cmZDHi5_AFpiPBVHcLlazEtBsQAosK9A25dtScVGoA$).
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Original text here: https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-hanaway-expands-investigation-into-kratom-manufacturer-and-retailers/
Md. A.G. Brown Sues Over Trump Administration's Unlawful New $100K Fee for H-1B Visas
BALTIMORE, Maryland, Dec. 13 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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Attorney General Brown Sues Over Trump Administration's Unlawful New $100K Fee for H-1B Visas
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 19 states in suing the Trump administration over its unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that require specialized skills, including as teachers, physicians, researchers, nurses, and other
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BALTIMORE, Maryland, Dec. 13 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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Attorney General Brown Sues Over Trump Administration's Unlawful New $100K Fee for H-1B Visas
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 19 states in suing the Trump administration over its unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that require specialized skills, including as teachers, physicians, researchers, nurses, and othervital workers, to alleviate nationwide labor shortages. The new fee would create a costly barrier for employers, especially public sector, and government employers, trying to fill these positions.
In the lawsuit, Attorney General Brown and the coalition allege that the policy, which has been implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a clear violation of the law because it imposes a massive fee outside of the bounds of what is authorized by Congress and contrary to Congress's intent in establishing the H-1B program, bypasses required rulemaking procedures, and exceeds the authority granted to the executive branch under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
"With over 1,600 teacher vacancies statewide and a shortage of researchers in our public universities, Maryland's schools and universities depend on H-1B workers to educate our children and advance medical and scientific breakthroughs. Our institutions can't afford this outrageous new fee, but Maryland families will pay the price through overcrowded classrooms, stalled research, and lost opportunities," said Attorney General Brown. "We're filing this lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from making Marylanders bear the cost of this unlawful policy."
The H-1B visa program allows employers to petition for high-skilled foreign workers to temporarily fill positions in specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree. In petitioning for an H-1B worker, the employer must submit an application, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, that employment of the H-1B worker will not negatively affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. Congress limits the number of H-1B visas available each year for most private employers, with the current cap set at 65,000, with an exemption of 20,000 for individuals with a master's degree or higher. Since its inception, the H-1B visa program has been continually tailored by Congress to carry out its purpose of meeting employers' labor needs, while protecting the interests of American workers to ensure that they are not wrongfully displaced. Congress has repeatedly enhanced enforcement, increased penalties, and legislated on fees for H-1B petitions to prevent misuse of the program. Congress has also adapted the program to ensure that it is especially beneficial to many government and non-profit organizations in fulfilling their public service missions, exempting them from the 65,000-person cap.
On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation ordering an unprecedented $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions, undermining the very purpose of the H-1B visa by making it harder to address severe labor shortages in critical fields such as education and healthcare and ultimately worsening the staffing crisis. As implemented by DHS through a series of written documents, the policy affects any application filed after September 21, 2025, and grants the Secretary of Homeland Security broad discretion to determine which petitions are subject to the fee or for an exemption, raising concerns that the enforcement could be applied selectively against employers disfavored by the Trump administration.
The $100,000 visa fee is devastating for all states, including Maryland, and threatens the quality of education, healthcare, and other core services available to our residents. For example, the United States faced a nationwide teacher shortage and in the 2024-2025 school year, in which 74% of school districts in the U.S. reported having trouble filling open positions, particularly in special education, physical sciences, ESL or bilingual education, and foreign languages. Educators are the third-largest occupation for H-1B visa holders, with nearly 30,000 educators on the visas, and nearly a thousand colleges and universities employ hundreds of H-1B personnel to support their research and education missions. Because K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are generally government or non-profit entities, they are incapable of absorbing an additional $100,000 for each H-1B hire.
Maryland faced more than 1,600 teacher vacancies at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Even as statewide teacher vacancies have improved this school year, it remains challenging to recruit and retain teachers. For example, Baltimore City Public Schools currently sponsors 80 H-1B visa holders, including 78 teachers filling positions in hard-to-staff areas like math, science, and special education. The school system has already begun recruiting approximately 58 new educators for the 2026-2027 school year through the H-1B program but cannot afford the new fee, which means that classrooms would go unstaffed and students would lose access to qualified teachers if the new fee remains in place.
The policy also jeopardizes Maryland's public universities, where the University System of Maryland currently sponsors more than 530 H-1B faculty, staff, and researchers in engineering, computer science, biomedical research, and other STEM fields. Losing access to workers in these fields would force universities to abandon active research projects, reduce course offerings, and weaken Maryland's innovation economy and STEM workforce development.
Hospitals and other healthcare centers also rely on the H-1B visa program to hire physicians, surgeons and nurses, often in low-income and working-class neighborhoods. Across the country, nearly 17,000 H-1B visas went to workers in medicine and health occupations in the 2024 fiscal year, and half of those were physicians and surgeons. Without foreign-trained physicians, the United States is projecting a shortfall of 86,000 physicians by 2036. There will not be enough doctors to care for older adults, many of whom suffer increased rates of chronic disease and have other complex medical needs.
In today's lawsuit, Attorney General Brown and the coalition allege that the Trump administration's H-1B visa fee violates the APA and the U.S. Constitution. Fees associated with H-1B visas have long been established by DHS following the APA's notice-and-comment process pursuant to congressional authority, which limits fees to the amount necessary to sustain the agency's work. Typically, an employer filing an initial H-1B petition would expect to pay between $960 to $7,595 in regulatory and statutory fees. The Trump administration's $100,000 fee far exceeds the actual cost of processing H-1B petitions. By imposing this fee, the administration is exceeding the fee-setting authority granted by Congress, which requires that fees be set based on the agency's costs, rather than arbitrarily. Additionally, the Trump administration issued the fee without going through the notice-and-comment process required by the APA and without considering the full range of impacts, especially on critical services provided by government and nonprofit entities.
In filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Brown is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the complaint will be made available on our website.
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Original text here: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/Attorney-General-Brown-Sues-Over-Trump-Administration%e2%80%99s-Unlawful-New-$100K-Fee-for-H-1B-Visas-.aspx
Md. A.G. Brown Co-Leads Coalition Opposing CFPB'S Proposed Changes That Weaken Protections Against Discrimination in Credit Markets
BALTIMORE, Maryland, Dec. 13 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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Attorney General Brown Co-Leads Coalition Opposing CFPB'S Proposed Changes that Weaken Protections Against Discrimination in Credit Markets
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today co-led a coalition of attorneys general in submitting a comment letter (https://oag.maryland.gov/News/Documents/pdfs/121225_Letter.pdf) to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) strongly opposing the CFPB's proposed changes to regulations implementing the Equal Credit Opportunity
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BALTIMORE, Maryland, Dec. 13 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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Attorney General Brown Co-Leads Coalition Opposing CFPB'S Proposed Changes that Weaken Protections Against Discrimination in Credit Markets
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today co-led a coalition of attorneys general in submitting a comment letter (https://oag.maryland.gov/News/Documents/pdfs/121225_Letter.pdf) to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) strongly opposing the CFPB's proposed changes to regulations implementing the Equal Credit OpportunityAct (ECOA). According to the coalition, the proposed changes violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and weaken the ECOA's protections against discriminatory and unfair treatment in credit markets.
Attorney General Brown and the coalition explain the CFPB issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to rescind ECOA regulations that include disparate impacts of discrimination. The proposed rule would also amend regulations related to discouraging consumers from applying for credit.
Amendments to the ECOA in 1976 established a clear national policy preventing any credit applicant from being denied credit based on characteristics unrelated to the applicant's creditworthiness. Consistent with Congress' intent, these protections have included disparate impact liability to remedy the discriminatory effects of a creditor's policies or practices, even when discrimination may be unintentional.
In their letter, Attorney General Brown and the attorneys general state that existing regulations uphold the ECOA's goal of ensuring all people have equal access to credit without discrimination of on basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or marital status. Instead of decreasing discrimination in credit markets, Attorney General Brown and the attorneys general warn the CFPB its proposed changes will increase discrimination and potentially harm countless Americans who will not be able to obtain credit on fair, unbiased terms.
Attorney General Brown and the attorneys general explain these proposed changes violate the APA because:
* The ECOA already takes into consideration the disparate impacts of discrimination.
* The proposed rule falsely assumes consumers will still enjoy broad protections against discrimination even if disparate impact is not a factor.
* Disparate impact liability is a lawful way to enforce anti-discrimination statutes.
* Proposed changes to the discouragement regulations are contrary to law.
* Proposed revisions will harm credit applicants and enforcement efforts.
* Imposing harms based on assertion and speculation without proof is arbitrary and unreasonable.
Joining Attorney General Brown in sending the letter are attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
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Original text here: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/Attorney-General-Brown-Co-Leads-Coalition-Opposing-CFPB%e2%80%99S-Proposed-Changes-that-Weaken-Protections-Against-Discrimination-i.aspx
HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SECURES INDICTMENT AGAINST WOMAN ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING MONEY FROM BANK CUSTOMERS
HONOLULU, Hawaii, Dec. 13 -- The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General issued the following news release:
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DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SECURES INDICTMENT AGAINST WOMAN ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING MONEY FROM BANK CUSTOMERS
A Hawaii County Grand Jury indicted Alohi Kaupu-Grace, 24, for using her position as bank teller to embezzle more than $40,000 from the financial accounts of bank customers, including two elderly customers. The indictment was issued December 1, 2025, and her arraignment is scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m.
Kaupu-Grace is charged with three counts of Computer Fraud
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HONOLULU, Hawaii, Dec. 13 -- The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General issued the following news release:
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DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SECURES INDICTMENT AGAINST WOMAN ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING MONEY FROM BANK CUSTOMERS
A Hawaii County Grand Jury indicted Alohi Kaupu-Grace, 24, for using her position as bank teller to embezzle more than $40,000 from the financial accounts of bank customers, including two elderly customers. The indictment was issued December 1, 2025, and her arraignment is scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m.
Kaupu-Grace is charged with three counts of Computer Fraudin the First Degree, three counts of Theft in the First Degree, one count of Computer Fraud in the Second Degree, and one count of Theft in the Second Degree.
Computer Fraud in the First Degree is a class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Theft in the First Degree and Computer Fraud in the Second Degree are class B felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Theft in the Second Degree is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
"As alleged, Kaupu-Grace stole money from residents who were simply trying to conduct financial transactions at their bank. This indictment reflects the department's continued commitment to protecting Hawaii residents and maintaining the integrity of our financial institutions," said Attorney General Anne Lopez. "I am proud of the diligent efforts of our special agents and prosecutors, who work every day to go after those who abuse positions of trust. We remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard the public from corruption and financial exploitation."
The investigation was conducted by the Department of the Attorney General's Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD). SIPD is the state of Hawaii's primary law enforcement unit responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption, fraud and economic crimes.
The case, State v. Alohi Kaupu-Grace, 3CPC-25-0000956 is being prosecuted by SIPD Deputy Attorney General Thomas Michener.
Kaupu-Grace is currently pending trial in two other cases involving thefts in Hawai'i County under Case Nos. 3CPC-25-0000352 and 3CPC-25-0000429.
Criminal charges are only allegations; Kaupu-Grace is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The public can report corruption, fraud, and economic crime using the Submit a Tip to SIPD website, located at https://ag.hawaii.gov/sipd/tips/. If there is an emergency or immediate threat to life, please call 911.
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Original text here: https://ag.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/News-Release-2025-101.pdf
Del. A.G. Jennings Sues Trump to Block Exorbitant H-1B Visa Fees
DOVER, Delaware, Dec. 13 -- Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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AG Jennings sues Trump to block exorbitant H-1B visa fees
Attorney General Kathy Jennings today joined a coalition of 19 states suing the Trump Administration over an unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. The H-1B visa program, created by bipartisan Congressional majorities and signed into law by George H.W. Bush, alleviates nationwide labor shortages by allowing employers to hire highly skilled immigrants into highly specialized jobs --
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DOVER, Delaware, Dec. 13 -- Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2025:
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AG Jennings sues Trump to block exorbitant H-1B visa fees
Attorney General Kathy Jennings today joined a coalition of 19 states suing the Trump Administration over an unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. The H-1B visa program, created by bipartisan Congressional majorities and signed into law by George H.W. Bush, alleviates nationwide labor shortages by allowing employers to hire highly skilled immigrants into highly specialized jobs --including teachers, physicians, nurses, and researchers.
The new fee, implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would create a costly barrier for employers, especially public sector and government employers, trying to fill these positions. Jennings and the coalition argue that the massive fee illegally exceeds Congressional authorization and intent, ignores mandatory rulemaking procedures, and exceeds the authority granted to the executive branch under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
"This is an unserious idea that threatens a deeply serious crisis," said AG Jennings. "Policies like these are why the Trump Administration has lost the public's confidence on immigration policy. Their blind crusade to demonize any and every immigrant is undermining America's economy, deepening the affordability crisis, and now further jeopardizing health care access. It's wrong, and it's illegal."
The H-1B visa program allows employers to petition for high-skilled foreign workers to temporarily fill positions in specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree. Since its inception, the H-1B visa program has been continually finetuned to address critical national labor shortages without displacing American workers. In petitioning for an H-1B worker, employers must submit an application, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, that employment of the H-1B worker will not negatively affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. Congress limits the aggregate number of H-1B visas available each year for most private employers; the current cap is set at 65,000, with an exemption of 20,000 for individuals with a master's degree or higher.
Congressional authority limits fees to the amount necessary to sustain the agency's work. On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation arbitrarily ordering an unprecedented $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions-- as much as a 10,000% increase over previous H-1B petition fees, which typically fell between roughly $1,000 and $7,600 in regulatory and statutory fees. The massive increase undermines the very purpose of the visa by making it harder to address severe labor shortages in critical fields such as education and healthcare and ultimately worsening the staffing crisis. The decree also grants the Secretary of Homeland Security broad discretion to decide which petitions are charged the fee or exempted, raising further concerns that Trump Administration could use the policy to selectively reward or punish employers based on political favor.
The $100,000 visa fee would imperil Delaware's economy by exacerbating labor shortages in core services like health care and education. For example, the United States faces a nationwide teacher shortage and in the 2024-2025 school year, 74% of school districts in the U.S. reported having trouble filling open positions, particularly in special education, physical sciences, ESL or bilingual education, and foreign languages. Educators are the third-largest occupation for H-1B visa holders, with nearly 30,000 educators on the visas, and nearly a thousand colleges and universities employ hundreds of H-1B personnel to support their research and education missions. Because K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are generally government or non-profit entities, they are incapable of absorbing an additional $100,000 for each H-1B hire.
Hospitals and other health care facilities also rely on the H-1B visa program to hire physicians, surgeons and nurses, often in low-income and working-class neighborhoods. Nearly 17,000 H-1B visas went to workers in medicine and health occupations in FY 2024, half of whom were physicians and surgeons. Without H-1B physicians, the United States faces a projected shortfall of 86,000 physicians by 2036 and will be unable to meet health care demand for older adults.
AG Jennings joins the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin in filing the lawsuit.
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Original text here: https://news.delaware.gov/2025/12/12/ag-jennings-sues-trump-to-block-exorbitant-h-1b-visa-fees/
Ariz. A.G. Mayes Wins Significant Court Victory Preventing Trump From Unlawfully Cutting Billions in FEMA Disaster Preparedness Funding
PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 13 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Mayes Wins Significant Court Victory Preventing Trump from Unlawfully Cutting Billions in FEMA Disaster Preparedness Funding
Attorney General Kris Mayes and a coalition of 20 states have won their lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, designed to protect communities from natural disasters before they strike.
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PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 13 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Mayes Wins Significant Court Victory Preventing Trump from Unlawfully Cutting Billions in FEMA Disaster Preparedness Funding
Attorney General Kris Mayes and a coalition of 20 states have won their lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, designed to protect communities from natural disasters before they strike.
"We're winning case after case as we protect Arizonans from harm and rising prices that the Trump administration continues to illegally pursue," said Attorney General Mayes. "Arizonans will notice this victory the next time a wildfire or flood hits -- thanks to the work of those in my office, our state will be prepared."
For the past 30 years, the BRIC program has provided communities across the nation with resources to proactively fortify their infrastructure against natural disasters. By focusing on mitigation, the program protects lives, communities, and property -- supporting state, tribal, and local governments to prevent the harms of disasters, rather than just recovering from them.
Arizona had been selected for BRIC grants for 25 projects, totaling $9.8 million dollars. Roughly $1.2 million of these funds were directed to the State for salaries and other management costs. The remaining BRIC funding would support critical disaster mitigation projects, including the following examples:
* A $4.6 million infrastructure project in the city of Buckeye, Arizona. The city regularly experiences floods that threaten the safety of its businesses and families. The BRIC funding would have been used to divert floodwater away from the historic downtown by connecting the drainage system to existing irrigation canals and constructing a retention basin to collect the floodwater.
* The town of Camp Verde, Arizona was similarly selected for a roughly $860,000 flood mitigation project to secure a major roadway against flooding. Emergency vehicles rely on this roadway to provide services to the area's 5,000 residents. Flooding causes significant delay in the provision of services, as well as the residents' access to the town.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed a law mandating that FEMA must protect communities through four interrelated functions - mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. The BRIC program is the core of FEMA's mitigation efforts. BRIC projects are required to be cost-effective, and a recent study concluded that every dollar FEMA spends on mitigation saves an average of six dollars in post-disaster costs
The BRIC program supports often difficult-to-fund projects, such as constructing evacuation shelters and flood walls, safeguarding utility grids against wildfires, protecting wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, and fortifying bridges, roadways, and culverts.
This court decision affirms the coalition's position that FEMA's decision to abruptly terminate the BRIC program is in direct violation of Congress's decision to fund it, and that the Executive Branch has no lawful authority to unilaterally refuse to spend funds appropriated by Congress. The judge also concluded that FEMA's actions violate Separation of Powers, the Appropriations and Spending Clauses, and the Administrative Procedures Act.
The decision prevents FEMA from terminating the BRIC program and requires the restoration of these critical funds to the communities relying on them.
Joining Attorney General Mayes in filing this lawsuit, which was co-led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A copy of the summary judgement is available here (https://azag.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cc1fad182b6d6f8b1e352e206&id=62660ddbe2&e=9153ff6c96).
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Original text here: https://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mayes-wins-significant-court-victory-preventing-trump-unlawfully
