Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Texas Plant Rocked by Explosions Was Declared High Priority Violator by EPA

Dec 3 2019 // The Port Neches, Texas, chemical plant where two explosions and a fire prompted widespread mandatory evacuations on Nov. 27 has a years-long history of state and federal environmental violations.The facility owned by...

Vape Crisis Prompts Calls for Greater Clarity in Cannabis Regulation

Dec 3 2019 // Cannabis industry lawyers are calling for greater clarity around regulation of the cannabis industry.Panelists at the 2019 Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Conference in Washington D.C. this month said...

Judge Blocks Facebook Data Breach Victims from Suing for Damages as Group

Dec 2 2019 // A federal judge said up to 29 million Facebook Inc. users whose personal information was stolen in a September 2018 data breach cannot sue as a group for damages, but can seek better security at the social media company...

Opioid Makers, Distributors Could Face U.S. Criminal Charges

Nov 27 2019 // Federal prosecutors are investigating six pharmaceutical companies for potential criminal charges in connection with shipping big quantities of opioid painkillers that contributed to a healthcare crisis, according to...

Oregon High Court Rules .09% Not Enough to Convict for Drunken Driving

Nov 27 2019 // The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that a driver whose blood alcohol content registered .09% nearly two hours after he was stopped should not have been convicted of drunken driving. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the...

Dive Boat on Which 34 Died in Southern California Exempt From Safety Rules

Nov 27 2019 // The diving boat that caught fire on Labor Day off Southern California, killing 34 people, was among hundreds of small vessels exempted by the U.S. Coast Guard from stricter safety rules designed to make it easier for...

Senate Democrats’ Bill Would Establish Consumer Rights Over Internet Data, Privacy

Nov 27 2019 // Democratic senators proposed legislation on Tuesday that would set penalties for online companies like Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. if they mishandle users’ personal data.The measure comes at a time...

Uber’s London License Ban Marks Global Regulatory Backlash for Ride-Hailing Firms

Nov 27 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. and its rivals disrupted global transport, riding on a lack of regulation to drive exponential growth. Now, regulators are closing in.London’s transport authority banned Uber for a second time...

Lawmakers Question Airbnb Over Rental Listings in Violation of Local Laws

Nov 27 2019 // U.S. lawmakers are asking Airbnb Inc. to provide information about hosts that list short-term rentals on the site who don’t comply with local laws and violate the company’s own policies.In a letter to Airbnb...

Judge Nearly Doubles North Dakota Doctor’s $1.2M Award in Retaliation Suit

Nov 25 2019 // A North Dakota doctor who won a $1.2 million jury award against a Bismarck clinic in a retaliation case should collect more than $2.1 million after a federal judge settled post-trial disputes. Dr. Robert Roswick sued Mid...

Fox Countersuit in Harassment Case Not Retaliation, Judge Rules

Nov 25 2019 // Fox Broadcasting Co. didn’t illegally retaliate with a breach-of-contract claim against a former executive who sued after he was fired for alleged sexual harassment, a judge ruled.New York Supreme Court Justice...

Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Ban on Flavored Vaping, Tobacco Products

Nov 25 2019 // Massachusetts lawmakers passed a groundbreaking ban Thursday on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes.The bill would also place a 75% excise tax on vaping products and require...

Trump Regulatory Rollback Targets Safety Rules Prompted by Industrial Disasters

Nov 25 2019 // The Trump administration’s move to relax an Obama-era chemical safety regulation put in place after an explosion at a fertilizer plant is the latest example of the White House easing rules established in the wake of...

Oklahoma AG to Appeal Judge’s Opioid Ruling in J&J Case

Nov 25 2019 // Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says he plans to appeal a judge’s order directing consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million to help address the state’s opioid...

EPA Eases Safety Requirements Enacted after Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion

Nov 22 2019 // Days before President Barack Obama left office in 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule aimed at preventing tragedies like the 2013 explosion and fire in the tiny Central Texas town of West that...

Australia Court Rules Against Johnson & Johnson in Pelvic Mesh Class Action

Nov 21 2019 // More than 1,350 Australian women won a seven-year-old class action lawsuit on Thursday against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for misleading patients and surgeons about the risks of the pharmaceutical giant’s pelvic...

Texas Windstorm Insurer’s Actuarial Committee Recommends 5% Rate Hike

Nov 20 2019 // When the board of directors of Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast meets in December, its members will be considering a 5% rate increase recommended by the...

Senate Banking Committee Advances Terrorism Reinsurance Renewal

Nov 20 2019 // Legislation to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program advanced another step today when it was passed by the Senate Banking Committee.The Senate legislation (S.2877) is identical to the bill (H.R. 4634) that passed...

Judge to Decide J&J Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit in Australia

Nov 20 2019 // An Australian judge will rule this week whether Johnson & Johnson hid the risks of its vaginal-mesh products and damaged the organs of women, in the latest ruling in worldwide litigation against the U.S. company over...

Citizens CEO Notes Impact of AOB Reforms as New Rates to Take Effect in Florida

Nov 20 2019 // The head of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. says it is already seeing a difference in assignment of benefits (AOB) litigation since reforms passed by the Florida Legislature took effect in July. Meanwhile, many Citizens...