Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Bipartisan Momentum Building in Congress for Cryptocurrency Regulations

Mar 5 2018 // Jolted by the global investment craze over bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, U.S. lawmakers are moving to consider new rules that could impose stricter federal oversight on the emerging asset class, several top lawmakers...

U.S. Wants Public Input on Rules for Driverless Vehicles, Trains

Mar 2 2018 // U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Thursday that regulators will seek public input on rules for self-driving commercial vehicles and trains, as the administration grapples with how to regulate their expected...

German Government Marshals Defenses Against Powerful Cyber Attack

Mar 2 2018 // Germany’s government was marshaling its defenses on Thursday against a powerful cyber attack that lawmakers said had breached the foreign ministry’s computer network and whose origins officials admitted were...

Harvey Survivors Critical of Texas Governor/FEMA’s Disaster Response Plan

Mar 1 2018 // This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/27/texans-left-limbo-gov-abbott-fema-use-harvey-reinvent-disaster-respons/. In the weeks immediately after Hurricane Harvey,...

Autonomous Car Testing Without Backup Drivers Approved in California

Feb 28 2018 // Driverless cars will be tested in California for the first time without a person behind a steering wheel under new rules that state regulators approved Monday for the fast-developing technology. The regulations are a major...

Judge Nixes Medical Benefits Challenge to Federal Marijuana Laws

Feb 28 2018 // A judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging federal laws criminalizing marijuana as unconstitutional, saying the five plaintiffs had failed to pursue changes in the drug’s legal status by first going through...

Judge Denies Wells Fargo Bid to Dodge Shareholder Lawsuit

Feb 28 2018 // A federal judge denied Wells Fargo & Co.’s request to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit triggered by the bank’s plummeting stock price after it admitted in 2016 to creating millions of fake accounts, starting...

Update: UK Prime Minister Rejects EU Draft Brexit Deal as Unacceptable

Feb 28 2018 // The European Union presented the U.K. with a draft divorce deal that Theresa May said no British prime minister could ever accept. The pound fell. Brexit talks once again look to be stuck around the intractable issue of...

Georgia Lawmakers Consider Sweeping Georgia Cybercrime Bill

Feb 28 2018 // Lying about your weight on an online dating site? Checking out who won the Falcons game from your work computer? Using your computer hacking knowledge as an “ethical hacker?” Those actions may become illegal if...

Bank of England Will Not ‘Go Soft’ on Enforcing EU Solvency II Capital Rules

Feb 27 2018 // The Bank of England will not “go soft” on enforcing European Union capital rules for insurers, but will look at ways to make it easier for new entrants to boost competition in the industry, its deputy governor...

Judge Denies McKesson Bid to Keep Lawsuit Out of West Virginia County

Feb 27 2018 // The nation’s largest prescription drug distributor has lost its bid to keep a lawsuit out of a West Virginia county. News outlets report a judge rejected McKesson’s claim that it has no duty under state law to...

Appeals Court Rules Firing Over Sexual Orientation Is Illegal

Feb 26 2018 // Gay workers and their corporate supporters won a legal victory over the Trump administration as a federal appeals court ruled that firing people over their sexual orientation is a form of illegal sex discrimination. The...

California Looking for Balancing Act for Harassment Discipline

Feb 26 2018 // California Sen. Tony Mendoza’s resignation this week spared his fellow lawmakers from a difficult decision about appropriate punishment after an investigation found he likely engaged in flirtatious and sexually...

Europe Regulator Proposes Hacking, Geo-Awareness Protections for Drones

Feb 26 2018 // Europe’s aviation safety authority has proposed anti-hacking measures and geo-awareness technology for small drones to avoid collisions with aircraft or people, taking an important step toward Europe-wide...

Global Directors Beware: Are You Ready for EU’s Data Protection Regulation?

Feb 26 2018 // On May 25, 2018, the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will go into effect in the 28 EU member states. Companies, the world over, are now rushing to meet the deadline for compliance but how many...

West Virginia Judge Tosses Coal Company Lawsuit Against HBO’s John Oliver

Feb 26 2018 // A West Virginia judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by coal company Murray Energy against HBO host John Oliver. A segment of Oliver’s Sunday show “Last Week Tonight” in June poked fun at Murray Energy...

China Seizes Control of Anbang; Acquisitive Chairman Faces Fraud Prosecution

Feb 23 2018 // The Chinese government on Friday seized control of Anbang Insurance Group Co. Ltd and said its chairman had been prosecuted, dramatically illustrating Beijing’s willingness to curtail big-spending conglomerates as it...

Drone Segment Will be Biggest Growth in Aviation Insurance in 50 Years, Experts Say

Feb 22 2018 // Now’s the time to get in on the ground floor of the business of insuring drones. That’s according to panel of experts speaking recently in a drone insurance webinar hosted by Insurance Journal. The consensus...

Worker’s Death on Gulf Platform Subject of Federal Probe

Feb 22 2018 // Federal regulators are investigating the weekend death of a worker on an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The contractor was removing out-of-service fire suppression equipment when he was fatally injured on...

Bipartisan Momentum Building in Congress for Cryptocurrency Regulations

Feb 22 2018 // Jolted by the global investment craze over bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, U.S. lawmakers are moving to consider new rules that could impose stricter federal oversight on the emerging asset class, several top lawmakers...