Attorney General details enforcement wins, asks legislature to restore litigation fund and new appropriations

Attorney General Gethin Drummond told members of a legislative budget committee his office has expanded enforcement and requested several new and restored appropriations, including the restoration of $10 million to the state——s federal overreach and extraordinary litigation fund.

Drummond said the office has distributed grants to all 77 county sheriffs and to local governments and schools to combat the opioid epidemic, has deployed a new human trafficking database, and has opened a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) enforcement unit that will file litigation. "Today we'll be filing our first case against CVS Caremark for unfair reimbursements," Drummond said.

The request matters because the attorney general framed the funding as necessary to sustain litigation and investigations the office has expanded since 2023. Drummond told the committee that prior carryover funds from a previous administration have been fully spent and that not restoring the $10 million would amount to a "significant cut" to litigation capacity.

Key details presented to the committee included a range of enforcement and program initiatives: a newly created PBM enforcement unit that received more than 3,100 complaints in 2024; a human trafficking database implemented with vendor HTI Labs (including intake tool PAVE and law-enforcement tool LEADS); an organized crime task force that charged about 55 individuals in 2024 on roughly 200 counts; and an organized retail crime task force working with retailers and law enforcement.

Drummond also asked the legislature to fund several specific increases and pass-through allocations. He requested that the legislature restore the $10,000,000 previously used to fight what his office called "federal overreach," sought a $5,400,000 increase for criminal investigations and prosecution units (including organized crime, organized retail crime and human trafficking), and asked for $6,600,000 in new operational (non-pass-through) funds. He described pass-through requests totaling roughly $56,600,000 and separately asked that the opioid abatement board again receive $20,000,000 for grants.

On facilities, Drummond said the office will ask the Legacy Capital Fund for $50,000,000 and an annual appropriation of $2,500,000 over 20 years to build an addition to the Attorney General complex, citing current rental costs and bond payments as offsetting factors. He also said a small federal grant of "less than $150,000 per year for three years" will support a cold-case unit focusing on missing and murdered Indigenous women and other violent cold cases.

Committee members asked about retail marijuana enforcement, the distribution side of illegal sales, and how the AG's investigations coordinate with local jurisdictions. Senator Brooks pressed whether retail enforcement would increase; Drummond said the office had "pivoted" toward retail enforcement in late 2024 and conducts secret-shopping and prosecutions where warranted. Drummond emphasized that many new responsibilities and units have been added and that the office currently has more active litigation and investigations than in prior years.

The attorney general framed the funding as necessary to continue litigation against federal policies, expand consumer- and elder-protection suits (including cases filed against social media companies), and maintain criminal investigations and prosecution capacity. No formal committee vote or legislative action occurred during the presentation; Drummond concluded by asking the committee to consider the requests and invited questions.