On April 28, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 24 other state attorneys general and New York City in sending letters to major credit card companies and payment processors urging them to block transactions facilitating illegal vaping product sales. The coalition highlighted that most vapor products lack required FDA authorization and many online sellers violate the federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, including failing to implement youth access safeguards. The coalition requested a meeting to discuss prohibiting noncompliant merchants from using payment networks, building on existing state enforcement actions against illegal vape sellers.
In-house legal teams at payment processors should review merchant agreements to include requirements for FDA authorization of e-cigarette products, compliance with PACT Act obligations including age verification and registration, and prohibitions on selling illegal vapes. Vape merchants should review payment processor agreements to ensure compliance with federal and state laws to avoid termination. All parties should verify that contracts include rights to audit merchant compliance and terminate for cause related to illegal sales, with specific clauses addressing youth access and prohibited product sales.
Entity
Bipartisan Coalition of 25 State Attorneys General and City of New York
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2026-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-joins-bipartisan-effort-to-curb-sales-of-illegal-vaping-products
vaping letters.pdf?rev=6f1af1595fd14ccb894e1c9ed4bf5991&hash
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2026/vaping-letters.pdf?rev=6f1af1595fd14ccb894e1c9ed4bf5991&hash=22468F22CABA98B48C3BE34C12783967
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
"Attorney General Tong Joins Bipartisan Effort to Curb Sales of Illegal Vaping Products"
"04/28/2026"
"Office of the Attorney General William Tong"
"joined a bipartisan coalition of 24 other attorneys general and the City of New York"
"bipartisan coalition of 24 other attorneys general and the City of New York"
"Federal law requires that all e-cigarette products receive authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be legally marketed or sold in the United States."
$10.0M
A March 2023 breach exposed personal and protected health information belonging to more than 13.3 million people after hackers accessed the companies’ systems, including unencrypted files, and security alerts were not properly configured. The companies agreed to pay at least $300,000 in penalties, with up to $9.7 million more due if they fail to comply, and to implement extensive security, incident-response, and data-handling reforms.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and a 23-state coalition obtained a court ruling declaring unlawful federal immigration-enforcement conditions placed on Congressionally authorized public safety grants. The court permanently enjoined the federal government from implementing or enforcing those conditions; the release does not describe a privacy violation or monetary penalty.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong co-led a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. This was a legislative advocacy effort, not a new enforcement action; the release discusses prior investigations into platforms’ effects on children and a separate Meta settlement.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general and two governors in opposing proposed changes to the 2030 Census. The coalition argued the proposal would exclude people from the count, remove demographic questions, and replace the usual-residence standard; this was a comment-letter action, not a penalty or enforcement order.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined attorneys general from 17 states in an amicus brief urging the New York Court of Appeals to preserve state authority to pursue fraud cases. The underlying civil case alleges that Donald Trump and his co-defendants inflated asset values to obtain better loan and insurance terms; this press release announces advocacy, not a new enforcement order or penalty.
$220.0M
Connecticut and a coalition of 36 attorneys general reached a $220 million settlement with General Motors over the collection and sale of consumers’ driving behavior and location data to data brokers and insurers without adequate disclosure or consent. The settlement requires affirmative express consent before collecting or disclosing driving and location data, limits data collection, and imposes privacy program assessments and dealership oversight and training.