Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Federal Judge Blocks Granting Family Leave to Same-Sex Couples in Texas
Mar 26 2015 // The U.S. was barred by a federal judge from immediately enforcing a new rule that would grant Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to same-sex couples. Texas sued the U.S. last week, claiming that the government’s...
California Senate Approves $1B Water Plan Amid Drought
Mar 26 2015 // The state Senate has approved a $1 billion proposal to speed up spending on water projects in drought-stricken California. The Senate this week voted 35-1 on the package to accelerate infrastructure spending. An...
Va. Retailer Lumber Liquidators Faces Safety Inquiry
Mar 26 2015 // The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday it is investigating Lumber Liquidators Chinese-made laminate flooring following a national TV broadcast raised concerns over levels of formaldehyde. Chairman...
Maryland House, Senate Pass Fracking Bills
Mar 26 2015 // Legislation that limits when and how fracking could take place in Maryland passed Tuesday in both chambers of the state legislature. Senators voted 29-17 for a bill that holds drilling companies strictly liable for...
Iowa Lawmakers Back Measure Protecting Cities from Sledding Claims
Mar 25 2015 // Lawmakers in the Iowa Senate and House have approved legislation that would protect cities from liability if people are injured while sledding in public parks. The bill passed 48-0 in the Iowa Senate. It passed in the...
Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Update to Guns in Company Parking Lots Bill
Mar 25 2015 // The Tennessee state Legislature passed a bill this week allowing workers to sue their employers if they are fired for storing guns in cars parked on company lots. The Senate passed the measure on a 28-5 vote, and the House...
Cyber Information Sharing Bill Introduced in House
Mar 24 2015 // Leaders of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee introduced legislation on Tuesday to make it easier for companies to share information about cybersecurity threats with the government, without the fear of...
Number of Doctors Licensed in Wyoming Could Rise Under New Law
Mar 24 2015 // A new law could increase the number of doctors licensed to practice in Wyoming. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported Wyoming became the first state to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which seeks to create a...
Georgia Senate Committee Approves Ridesharing Bill
Mar 24 2015 // A bill that would give Uber and other ride-sharing services clear sailing to keep operating in Georgia on passed the state Senate’s powerful Science and Technology Committee late last week. The bill by Republican...
Lawmakers Likely to Try Again to Reform Michigan’s No-Fault System
Mar 23 2015 // Michigan has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country and auto insurance rate hikes there were higher than those in any other state over the past two years, according to the insurance consulting firm,...
Maryland Bill Moves Ahead to Protect Residents From Fracking Damage
Mar 23 2015 // Maryland senators on March 20 showed signs of cooperation on the topic of fracking, adopting two amendments to a bill opponents worried was another way of banning the natural gas drilling method. The amendments to the bill...
Nebraska Lawmakers to Vote on Helmet Law Repeal
Mar 23 2015 // A push to repeal Nebraska’s motorcycle helmet law is going to a vote in the Legislature despite opposition from senators who say the requirement saves lives. The repeal measure would lift Nebraska’s restriction...
Judge In California Gender Bias Case Oks Punitive Damages
Mar 23 2015 // A judge in a high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit will allow a former partner at venture firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers to seek punitive damages, adding to the potential pricetag for the firm if it loses...
Oil Industry Sues to Block U.S. Fracking Regulations
Mar 23 2015 // U.S. drillers already reeling from a six- month drop in oil prices denounced new U.S. fracking regulations as costly and unnecessary, and quickly met them with a lawsuit. After three years of debate, the U.S. Interior...
South Carolina Court Rules Stripper Shot at Club Entitled to Workers’ Comp
Mar 23 2015 // An exotic dancer who was shot at a Columbia, S.C., nightclub is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for her injury, according to a ruling by the state’s highest court. The State newspaper reported that...
Consumer Advocate: Florida Rideshare Proposal ‘Hell-on-Wheels’
Mar 23 2015 // The Consumer Federation of the Southeast (CFSE) has warned that consumers will be at significant risk if Florida legislators allow transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft to follow different consumer protection...
Tennessee Judge: Cap on Personal Injury Damages Is Unconstitutional
Mar 23 2015 // A Chattanooga, Tenn., judge has ruled that a state law that caps non-economic damages in personal injury lawsuits is unconstitutional. The Times Free Press reported that Hamilton County Circuit Judge W. Neil Thomas issued...
Conn. Revisits Workers’ Comp for First Responders With PTSD
Mar 23 2015 // Connecticut’s General Assembly is revisiting whether to grant workers’ compensation coverage for certain first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, such as those who responded to the mass...
Tennessee Weighs Workers’ Compensation ‘Option’ Legislation
Mar 23 2015 // Tennessee may soon have its own alternative workers’ compensation insurance through new legislation by Republican lawmakers known as the Tennessee Employee Injury Benefit Alternative. State Sen. Mark Green and Rep....
Jury Verdict Favors Texas Insurer in Hidalgo County Hail Claim Case
Mar 23 2015 // A Texas-based insurance company has prevailed in the first lawsuit to go to trial over claims from two massive hailstorms in Hidalgo County, Texas, in 2012. The 12-member jury in Amaro v. National Lloyds found that...
