Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
States Vary Widely in How They Control Workers’ Comp Medical Costs: WCRI
Oct 21 2019 // Workers’ compensation medical costs vary widely among the states both in terms of price and how often services are used. The differences appear to relate closely to which cost-drivers each state legislature tried to...
Group Warns Congress Legalized Cannabis Is Workplace Risk
Oct 21 2019 // A group of occupational medicine doctors is warning that legalization of marijuana has “huge” public and workplace health and safety implications that Congress should consider when dealing with the issue. The...
Idea Exchange: Missouri Court Rulings Conflict with Insurer Right to Intervene Protections
Oct 18 2019 // The Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals recently issued opinions that effectively strip any practical effect from a Missouri amendment made to provide certain protections to insurers. In Aguilar v. GEICO Cas....
Judge Calls on Big 3 Drug CEOs to Discuss Opioid Settlement
Oct 18 2019 // The chief executives of the three largest U.S. drug distributors and a drugmaker have been summoned to appear before a federal judge to discuss a proposal to resolve thousands of lawsuits alleging they fueled the U.S....
California Governor’s OK of Cannabis Tax Bill Among Several Industry-Related Bills He Signed
Oct 17 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been quite friendly to the cannabis industry lately, signing into law more than a half-dozen cannabis-industry related bills. The bills were intended to add to or subtract from the...
Privacy Law Favored by Tech Firms Gains Support Among House Democrats
Oct 17 2019 // A group of more than 100 centrist Democratic House lawmakers is throwing its weight behind a privacy bill that has been praised by alliances of software and internet giants. The move is one of the first large-scale...
Lyft, Uber Bypass House Panel Hearing on Transportation Safety and Labor Conditions
Oct 17 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. skipped a U.S. House of Representatives hearing the ride-hailing industry, angering lawmakers who threatened tighter regulation for the fast-growing market. The two ride-hailing...
Florida Officials Say Insurers Not Doing Enough to Settle Hurricane Michael Claims
Oct 17 2019 // It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle, devastating the region as a Category 5 storm with 161-mph winds and causing more than $7.2 billion in estimated insured...
Michigan’s Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes Blocked by Judge
Oct 17 2019 // A Michigan judge temporarily blocked the state’s weeks-old ban on flavored e-cigarettes Tuesday, saying it may force adults to return to smoking more harmful tobacco products and has irreparably hurt vaping...
Oklahoma Judge Says He Miscalculated Award in Opioid Case by $107M
Oct 17 2019 // An Oklahoma judge on Oct. 15 acknowledged making a nearly $107 million miscalculation in determining how much drug maker Johnson & Johnson must pay the state to help address the state’s opioid crisis. Following a...
Bipartisan Group Calls for Pulling Internet Firms’ Liability Immunity
Oct 17 2019 // A bipartisan group of lawmakers is stepping up efforts to have U.S. trade officials eliminate a legal liability shield that tech companies are pushing to keep in new agreements, including a deal to replace the North...
Illinois Bill Would Require Lab Testing of CBD Items Sold in State
Oct 16 2019 // A proposed bill would require all CBD products sold in Illinois to meet testing requirements that would be developed by the state Department of Agriculture. CBD is a cannabis extract that does not cause a high but is...
Cannabis Banking Challenges in Legal States Go Far Beyond Pot
Oct 16 2019 // Kat Merryfield was ready to share her farm-to-home oils, chocolates and creams with the rest of the country. But banks and credit card processors weren’t ready to work with her small business. “We started out...
Occupational Medical Group Warns Congress Legalized Cannabis Is Workplace Risk
Oct 15 2019 // A group of occupational medicine doctors is warning that legalization of marijuana has “huge” public and workplace health and safety implications that Congress should consider when dealing with the issue. The...
Facebook Loses Backers for Its Libra Digital Currency But Could Still Proceed
Oct 14 2019 // Facebook faces a rough road ahead with Libra, but defections by high-profile partners are still unlikely to spell the end for the digital currency. On Friday, Visa and MasterCard announced their departures from the Libra...
Lawsuit: Regulatory Commission Must Pay New York Flooding Costs
Oct 14 2019 // New York is seeking compensation for flood damage in Lake Ontario shoreline communities in a lawsuit against the international body that regulates waterways between the United States and Canada, New York Governor Andrew...
Bankruptcy Judge Grants Purdue Pharma Time Out from Government Opioid Litigation
Oct 13 2019 // Purdue Pharma LP and its billionaire owners won a temporary reprieve from nearly 2,700 opioid lawsuits, giving the bankrupt drugmaker time to clinch a deal that would atone for its role in America’s addiction...
California Proposes Regulations to Enforce State Privacy Law
Oct 11 2019 // California proposed regulations Thursday that would give consumers more control over how businesses collect and manage their personal information, including requiring a “Do Not Sell My Info” link on...
Court Allows Judge Opposed by Drug Firms to Oversee Nationwide Opioid Trial
Oct 11 2019 // A federal appeals court on Thursday cleared the way for a landmark trial over the nation’s opioid crisis, rejecting a bid by eight drug retailers and distributors to disqualify the judge, and a request by Ohio and...
Global Safety Regulators Fault U.S., ‘Undue Pressure’ from Boeing for 737 Max Approval
Oct 11 2019 // U.S. aviation regulators assessing Boeing Co.’s 737 Max sometimes didn’t follow their own rules, used out-of-date procedures and lacked the resources and expertise to fully vet the design changes implicated in...
