Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Likely to Reduce $80 Million Bayer Roundup Verdict
Jul 10 2019 // A federal judge said he’ll probably reduce — but not throw out entirely — an $80 million jury verdict against Bayer AG in the second case to go to trial over claims the company’s Roundup herbicide...
EU Judges Face Another Major Facebook Privacy Case from Activist Schrems
Jul 9 2019 // Five years ago, when activist Max Schrems took Facebook Inc. to the European Union’s top court no one knew what to call the case. The controversy, which led to judges scrapping a key trans-Atlantic data-transfer...
New Louisiana Rules for Self-Driving Trucks Effective Aug. 1
Jul 9 2019 // As companies work to design fleets of commercial trucks that won’t need a human in the driver’s seat, Louisiana lawmakers have written rules of the road that self-driving vehicles will need to follow to truck...
New York DFS Superintendent Lacewell Announces New Executive Appointments
Jul 8 2019 // New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) Superintendent Linda A. Lacewell has announced new executive appointments. Steven F. Kluger has been appointed executive deputy superintendent for Capital Markets, James V....
Affordable Care Act’s Fate Could Rest with Appellate Court’s View on Technical Matters
Jul 8 2019 // The fate of Obamacare, the law that President Donald Trump campaigned on repealing and replacing, could hinge on several technical points of law as a federal appeals court prepares to decide whether it’s...
Oklahoma State Lawmaker Wants Study on Arkansas River Flooding
Jul 8 2019 // Oklahoma State Rep. Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks) a before and after study of the recent catastrophic flooding that occurred in his state. Sims serves District 68, which includes Creek and Tulsa Counties.He has requested an...
Wildfire Help for PG&E, Edison May Not Be Ready When California Lawmakers Adjourn July 12
Jul 8 2019 // California’s biggest utilities, PG&E Corp., Edison International and Sempra Energy, may not get the help they need to deal with multi-billion dollar wildfire liabilities before lawmakers adjourn July 12 for...
Under New Law, Kansas Drivers Can Refuse Field Sobriety Tests
Jul 3 2019 // Kansas drivers can no longer be charged with a crime for refusing a field sobriety test under a new state law. The Wichita Eagle reported that a change in state law that took effect on July 1 means police can’t...
Judge Rules Andy Warhol’s ‘Transformative’ Art Did Not Violate Photographer’s Copyright
Jul 3 2019 // Andy Warhol transcended a photographer’s copyright by transforming a picture of a vulnerable and uncomfortable Prince into an artwork that made the singer an “iconic, larger-than-life figure,” a judge...
Trump Administration to Ease Rules on Truckers’ Maximum Hours on Road
Jul 3 2019 // Truck driver Lucson Francois was forced to hit the brakes just five minutes from his home in Pennsylvania. He’d reached the maximum number of hours in a day he’s allowed to be on duty. Francois couldn’t...
Under New Law, $700M in Louisiana Roadwork to Be Paid by BP Money
Jul 1 2019 // Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed one of the last outstanding bills from the legislative session, steering $700 million in oil spill recovery money to road, bridge and port projects. The Democratic governor touted the plans...
Proposed California Wildfire Board Could Operate Partly in Secret
Jul 1 2019 // A closely watched wildfire law proposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom would exempt a new safety board from some of the state’s government transparency laws. The Wildfire Safety Advisory Board would advise the...
PG&E in California Wants to Securitize Some Profits to Cover Wildfire Costs
Jul 1 2019 // PG&E Corp. is lobbying for legislation that would allow the bankrupt California utility giant to securitize some of its profits to pay for past wildfire liabilities, people familiar with the matter said. PG&E was...
Anxiety, Policy Limits Rising Ahead of California’s Sweeping Data Privacy Law
Jul 1 2019 // Robert L. Wallan’s clients are keeping him quite busy as they fret about the implementation next year of the nation’s most far-reaching data privacy law, which gives California consumers more control over their...
Oregon Lawmakers Repealed Tsunami Zone Building Law
Jul 1 2019 // The Oregon Legislature has repealed a nearly 25-year-old law prohibiting new schools, hospitals, jails, and police and fire stations from being built in the state’s tsunami inundation zone. Coastal legislators, who...
Declarations
Jul 1 2019 // Needless Catastrophe “The lack of effective safety management at this well resulted in a needless catastrophe.” — Kristen Kulinowski, interim executive of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, comments after...
Wisconsin Court: Extra Insurance Not Needed for Enbridge Pipeline in Dane County
Jun 28 2019 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Canada-based Enbridge Energy doesn’t need to carry additional insurance for a pipeline project in Dane County, despite the local government’s insistence that it do so...
New Texas Law Addresses Surprise Medical Bills Received by Injured Workers
Jun 28 2019 // Texas lawmakers in the recent legislative session passed a bill addressing surprise medical bills injured employees have received after being treated at federal military facilities. Senate Bill 935 requires workers’...
Poll: Majority of Americans Say Global Warming is Affecting U.S. Weather
Jun 27 2019 // The majority of Americans say global warming is important to them, and that it’s affecting the weather in the U.S. A national survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University...
With Governor’s Signature, Illinois Is 11th State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Jun 27 2019 // Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise by signing legislation making the state the 11th to approve marijuana for recreational use in a program offering legal remedies and economic benefits to...
