Seattle - April 24, 2003 - H&R Block, one of the nation's largest tax preparation firms, has agreed to provide $22 refunds to consumers who unknowingly paid for the company's "Peace of Mind" guarantee as part of the cost of having their 2000 tax returns prepared.

An investigation by Attorneys General from 41states showed the company automatically added the charge to consumers' tax preparation bills without first asking consumers if they wanted the guarantee.

SEATTLE - The checks are in the mail today for 10,419 Washington consumers who were overcharged for home loans by Household International.

This settlement provides the largest direct consumer restitution ever in a state or federal case. Consumers nationwide will receive up to $484 million in restitution for predatory lending practices, including about $21 million for Washington victims.

Olympia - Washington consumers eligible for restitution under the state's $21.15 million settlement with Household International have until Oct.14, 2003 to file a claim, according to Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

More than 12,000 Washington borrowers who secured loans from Household retail branches between Jan.1, 1999 and Sept. 30, 2002 are eligible for restitution and received claim information in August. To date, approximately 7,000 consumers have joined the settlement.

OLYMPIA - About 12,000 Washington consumers will soon get information about their eligibility for restitution under the state's $21.15 million settlement with Household International, a top lender in the sub-prime mortgage market.

The settlement administrator will mail information August 15 to eligible consumers who obtained real estate secured loans with the company through its retail lending subsidiaries Household Finance, Beneficial or Household Realty Corporation between January 1, 1999 and September 30, 2002.

OLYMPIA -- Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire and her colleagues in three other states today described as "wholly unnecessary" a recent legislative proposal from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that would give the agency broad latitude in deciding how to categorize and dispose of high-level nuclear waste at Hanford.

Olympia - At the request of Attorney General Christine Gregoire, the U.S. Department of Justice today agreed to suspend further shipments of transuranic (TRU) waste to Hanford for 45 days.

The announcement follows the state's filing of a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Spokane to halt further shipments of TRU waste until the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) complies with state and federal laws relating to the shipment and management of the radioactive waste.

OLYMPIA -- Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire has undergone successful surgery at St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

A recent screening mammogram revealed an area of abnormality and subsequent diagnostic studies showed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

The surgery, which was performed Thursday, shows no evidence of invasive breast cancer.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Chris Griffith and Dr. William Reus, and consisted of a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction.

COLFAX - Bruce L. Grass, a former assistant marshal for the City of Palouse, was charged today in Whitman County District Court with one count of first-degree criminal trespass stemming from an incident in the Town of Garfield on the evening of Aug. 24, 2002.

Grass, 49, is accused of entering a Garfield residence through a window without the resident's permission and without first obtaining a search warrant. At the time of the incident, he was assisting a Garfield marshal investigating a report of an underage person in possession of alcohol.

SEATTLE -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today opposed Qwest's request to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) for early termination of a service quality performance program originally established as part of the Qwest-US West merger.

SEATTLE -- The Attorney General's Public Counsel section today challenged rate increases proposed by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that would add about $5 to a typical residential customer's monthly electrical bill, and about $4.35 to a gas bill.

Papers opposing the proposed rate increases were filed today with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). PSE's request would generate an additional $81.6 million from electric customers and $47 million more from gas customers.