OLYMPIA -- Four of Attorney General Rob McKenna’s public safety and consumer protection bills will receive hearings this week.

PROTECTING VULNERABLE ADULTS

Attorney General McKenna announces $1.8 million in grants and direct consumer payments

SEATTLE – There’s no place like home. For families struggling to make their mortgage payments, as well hundreds who already lost their homes, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna offered hope today: more than $1.8 million for local foreclosure prevention programs and cash for directly impacted consumers.

SEATTLE – One is seven U.S. homeowners is behind on his or her mortgage. Attorney General Rob McKenna will announce additional efforts to help prevent foreclosures in Washington and cash for hundreds of consumers who have already lost their homes. Joining him at a press conference Thursday in Seattle will be representatives from local nonprofit and legal programs working to assist homeowners.

WHAT: Foreclosure Prevention News Conference

WHEN: 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

Consumer protection bills alive, too; property rights bills die without a hearing

OLYMPIA — Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna’s law enforcement bills have survived the first major hurdle of the 2010 legislative process.

OLYMPIA — A King County Superior Court judge today ruled the state does not provide ample funding for basic education then directed the Legislature to establish the cost of providing all Washington children with a basic education and establish how it will fully fund such education with stable and dependable state sources.

Office releases its Top 20 list of complaint categories

SEATTLE – Washington consumers filed more complaints about collection agencies with the Attorney General’s Office in 2009 than any other industry. Gripes about collection agencies have been rising in recent years but it took a single complaint to ultimately move the industry into pole position and bump telecommunications, which previously held the top spot for at least a decade.

OLYMPIA — Families who have lost their homes due to an inability to pay their property taxes are being targeted by individuals who want to take the little money they have left after the foreclosure sale. Legislation proposed by the Attorney General’s Office aims to protect these families from scammers and help them keep as much of their money as possible.

Retailers must remove products from their shelves after Feb. 19

OLYMPIA – General Tobacco products can no longer be sold in Washington or 17 other states. The Washington Attorney General’s Office said the company has not made the required payments under the Master Settlement Agreement.

State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group report says the foreclosure crisis is worsening, despite efforts

OLYMPIA – A group of state attorneys general and banking regulators predict a devastating acceleration of foreclosures unless policy makers step up efforts to assist homeowners.

OLYMPIA — Every year in the United States, millions of vulnerable adults—seniors and those with disabilities—are physically and sexually assaulted, neglected, and financially exploited. In Washington state, government agencies receive tens of thousands of reports of abuse and exploitation every year.

This week, two Legislative committees will hear bipartisan bills to provide new protections for vulnerable adults. Both bills are requested by state Attorney General Rob McKenna, based on the recommendations of participants in his 2007 Vulnerable Adults Summit.