Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Iowa Lawmakers Dispute Finding of No Violations at Tyson Plant Despite Deaths

Jun 25 2020 // Iowa’s workplace safety agency says an inspection did not uncover any violations at Tyson Foods’ largest pork processing plant, where several employees died after contracting the coronavirus.The Iowa...

Senators Propose ‘Scalpel, Rather Than Jackhammer’ to Reform Internet Liability

Jun 25 2020 // Two U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced legislation to reform part of a federal law that largely exempts tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for the material their users post.The legislation,...

California Wants Judge to Force Uber, Lyft to Classify Drivers as Employees

Jun 25 2020 // California plans to ask a state court judge to force Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. to classify their ride-hail drivers as employees rather than contractors, ratcheting up the tension over a new gig worker law.Shares...

100s of Virus Deaths Draw Focus on Missouri Nursing Home Industry

Jun 24 2020 // After years of failed attempts, advocates for nursing home residents this year won approval of legislation that allows families to install surveillance cameras in residents’ rooms.The measure, backers say, will help...

Treasurer: Louisiana Small Business Grant Program to Begin in July

Jun 24 2020 // Some small businesses harmed by the coronavirus pandemic should start seeing grants from a $300 million federally financed program as soon as next month, Louisiana’s state treasurer said.The money is part of $1.8...

Judge to Schedule Trial in Delaware Day Care Death Lawsuit

Jun 24 2020 // A Delaware couple who filed a wrongful death lawsuit after their infant son died at a home day care center has lost a bid to have a judge rule in their favor without a trial.Carlita and Charles Laws argued that they were...

Judge Sides with Trump Over Hospitals on Price Disclosure Rule

Jun 24 2020 // A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a challenge by hospital groups to a federal rule requiring them to disclose prices they quietly negotiate with insurers, in a victory for White House efforts to make healthcare pricing...

Millions of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Pose Environmental, Health Risks

Jun 23 2020 // In May 2012, Hanson and Michael Rowe noticed an overpowering smell, like rotten eggs, seeping from an abandoned gas well on their land in Kentucky. The fumes made the retired couple feel nauseous, dizzy, and short of...

LGBTQ Employees Still See Equality Gaps After Supreme Court Ruling on Firing

Jun 23 2020 // Even with this week’s Supreme Court ruling, the workplace will be far from equal for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.While the nation’s highest court says you can’t be fired for your...

Governor Signs Louisiana Bills Shielding Businesses from Virus Lawsuits

Jun 22 2020 // Louisiana businesses are receiving state protection from most lawsuits involving COVID-19 deaths or injuries, after Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law a package of measures that provides the sweeping liability...

Louisiana Lawmakers Block Bill Allowing Lawsuits Against Officers

Jun 22 2020 // A Louisiana lawmaker’s effort to eliminate police officers’ wide immunity from lawsuits and allow people injured by law enforcement to sue for damages in civil court was shelved by Republicans on a state House...

North Carolina Lawmakers Send Bill to Allow More Business Re-Openings to Governor

Jun 22 2020 // North Carolina legislators sent another bill on Thursday to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper designed to overturn parts of his executive order for COVID-19 that’s kept several types of retail businesses shuttered for...

Tennessee House Lawmakers Advance Broad Coronavirus Liability Protection

Jun 19 2020 // Tennessee would become the latest state to provide health care providers, schools and businesses broad protections against coronavirus lawsuits under a proposal gaining traction inside the GOP-dominant Statehouse.House...

Justice Department Outlines Proposed Overhaul of Social Media Immunity

Jun 19 2020 // The Justice Department on Wednesday outlined a broad overhaul of legal protections for online platforms such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. if they deliberately promote illegal speech on their...

Judge Halts Limit on California Governor’s Emergency Powers

Jun 19 2020 // An appellate judge on Wednesday stayed a lower court’s order barring Gov. Gavin Newsom from issuing directives that might conflict with state law, freeing him to take additional executive actions during the...

New Law Expands Access to Medical Marijuana in Louisiana

Jun 19 2020 // More Louisiana residents will have access to medical marijuana under a significant expansion of the state’s therapeutic cannabis program that was signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards.The changes in the law, which...

Air Safety Regulator, Boeing Made Mistakes on 737 MAX, Says Federal Aviation Chief

Jun 18 2020 // The head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, acknowledged on Wednesday that Boeing Co. and the U.S. air safety agency both made mistakes on the 737 MAX jet, but rejected senators’ accusations the...

Lawmaker Wants Government to Require Masks for Airline Passengers

Jun 18 2020 // A U.S. senator said on Wednesday he was hoping for bipartisan support in Congress for mandatory rules on masks for air travel after the head of the Federal Aviation Administration again resisted calls for a mandate.While...

Judge OKs Addition of Louisiana to Spillway Lawsuits

Jun 17 2020 // A federal judge in Mississippi has approved Louisiana’s request to be added as a defendant in two lawsuits challenging the way a major Mississippi River flood control structure is operated.The lawsuits filed in...

California Orders Workers’ Comp Carriers to Return Premiums Due to Stay-At-Home Orders

Jun 17 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today issued an order adopting emergency workers’ compensation regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.The new regulations go into effect on July 1. The...