Declarations

Gun End-Run

“The intent of Congress when it closes a door is not for States to thus jimmy a window.”

— Circuit Judge Dennis Jacobs, responding with reservations while concurring with a federal appeals court to uphold a New York state law holding gun manufacturers potentially liable when their weapons are used in deadly shootings. The law requires the gun industry to create reasonable controls to prevent unlawful possession, use, marketing or sale of their products in New York. It allows them to be sued for unlawful acts that create or contribute to threats to public health or safety.

Construction Fraud Crackdown

“Construction projects are a major investment, and consumers deserve to be treated honestly and fairly when hiring a business to perform work on their homes. Contractors cannot take thousands of dollars in deposits and then disappear. Where possible, given the constraints we have under the Consumer Protection Act, my office will hold bad actors who exploit Michigan residents accountable.”

— Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, discussing a lawsuit against Hummingbird Construction Co., LLC and its owner, Matthew Ashline, for allegedly scamming multiple customers by accepting deposits for construction projects never started and then failing to return the funds.

Coastal Crisis

“It is going to result in one of the largest setbacks for our coast and the protection of our communities in decades. I don’t know what chiropractor or palm reader they got advice from on this, but–baffling that someone thought this was a good idea.”

— Former Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican who once led Louisiana’s coastal restoration agency, commenting on the state’s cancelation of $3 billion in repairs to its disappearing Gulf coastline, funded by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement. The move scrapped what conservationists called an urgent response to climate change, but Gov. Jeff Landry viewed as a threat to the state’s way of life.

Warning from New Florida CFO

“I want the insurance companies to listen … if an insurance company does not do what they say they’re going to do and are contractually obligated to do, I am going to call you out.”

— Blaise Ingoglia, a millionaire home builder and recent state legislator, who was recently appointed head of the Florida Department of Financial Services by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The quote first appeared on the Orlando Sentinel news site. “I am going to be a proactive fiscal watchdog for Florida,” Ingoglia said, the Associated Press reported. “I’ve had a history of calling out wasteful spending, whether it’s Democrats or Republicans.”

Autopilot On Trial

“It engenders a lot more inappropriate confidence in the car, because autopilot is such a good technology in aviation. Somehow, we feel like that is going to translate to a really effective tech in the car.”

— Mary “Missy” Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University, and expert witness on safety in Tesla Inc.’s face off with the California Department of Motor Vehicles over claims the company exaggerated the capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technology. Cummings, who was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot, told jurors those kinds of statements can encourage driver “complacency.”

No-Drone Zones

“We have both good and bad actors in the air, and right now we can’t identify which is which. These are not hypothetical threats. They’re happening now in active emergency zones and putting lives at risk.”

— Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp, supporting local agency rights in drone safety. DroneUp works with governments on UAV-related training and operational support, policy development, mission coordination and integrated airspace management. State governors and industry experts are asking Congress to give state and local officials more leeway to control drones. Those rights are now solely for the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense and Energy.