Latest Legislation Headlines

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

U.K. Embraces E-cigarettes, as U.S. Scrambles to Crack Down on Vaping

Sep 30 2019 // While the U.S. scrambles to crack down on vaping, Britain has embraced electronic cigarettes as a powerful tool to help smokers kick the habit. The Royal College of Physicians explicitly tells doctors to promote...

How Early Signs of Lung Effects of Vaping Were Missed and Downplayed

Sep 30 2019 // Scientists, regulators and e-cigarette proponents missed, ignored or downplayed signs that vaping could significantly damage the lungs for nearly a decade, a review of medical literature, government documents and...

Analysts See Senate Joining House on Marijuana Banking Law

Sep 29 2019 // A stronger-than-expected 321-103 vote in the House in favor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, which allows banks to service the cannabis industry, sets the stage for likely passage in the Senate, according to...

U.S. Private Flood Insurance: The Journey to Build a New Market

Sep 27 2019 // Not long ago, private flood insurance was thought to be an impossible dream in the property/casualty sector. There were numerous arguments supporting the common wisdom that a meaningful market for residential flood...

North Dakota Lawmakers Studying Pros, Cons of Recreational Pot

Sep 27 2019 // North Dakota lawmakers have begun studying the consequences of legalizing marijuana in the state, a move that comes amid a pair of proposed citizen-led initiatives that aim to make the drug legal for recreational...

House Passes SAFE Marijuana Banking Bill by Big Margin

Sep 26 2019 // The U.S. House advanced legislation designed to let banks do business with cannabis companies in states that permit marijuana sales, a step that some supporters see as helping to pave the way to nationwide...

Opioid Trial Judge, Overseeing 2,000 Lawsuits, Denies Bias, Refuses to Step Down

Sep 26 2019 // The Cleveland judge overseeing more than 2,000 federal lawsuits over alleged opioid abuses refused to disqualify himself from a bellwether trial set to start next month, rejecting a request by drug distributors and...

Lawmaker Wants Rhode Island to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

Sep 26 2019 // A lawmaker in Rhode Island plans to introduce a bill to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. Rep. Julie Casimiro says she’s planning to propose a ban after the new legislative session begins in January. She says...

Judge Approves $54M Settlement in Duke University Hiring Lawsuit

Sep 26 2019 // A federal judge is closing a lawsuit that Duke University is settling over claims that it and nearby University of North Carolina conspired to hold down salaries of thousands of medical workers by not hiring staff away...

Group Behind California’s Data Privacy Law Wants Another One on the Ballot

Sep 25 2019 // The group behind California’s pending data privacy law is working to propose for the upcoming ballot a new law that would give consumers new data rights and place stricter obligations on companies. The group has...

Texas Windstorm Insurer: New Laws Bring Organizational Changes

Sep 25 2019 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) reports that working to implement new laws that change how TWIA does business and serves policyholders. The association recently issued the following update on a few...

U.K. PM Johnson Vows to Exit EU (With or Without a Deal) After Historic Court Defeat

Sep 24 2019 // A defiant Boris Johnson hit back at the U.K.’s top judges and vowed to take the country out of the European Union next month, despite suffering an unprecedented legal defeat over his Brexit strategy in the highest...

Dive Boat, Ghost Ship Fires in California a Lesson in Proving Negligence

Sep 23 2019 // One was a ship in name only, an artist commune set up in an Oakland warehouse. The other was a bona fide boat afloat on the ocean off Santa Barbara. Both became fiery death traps for a combined 70 souls, two of the worst...

Judge Allows Tesla Investor’s Claim Over Musk’s ‘Extraordinary’ $56B Performance Pact

Sep 23 2019 // A Delaware state judge has rejected a request by the board of Tesla Inc. to dismiss a stockholder complaint over an “excessive” 2018 performance award to CEO Elon Musk. In the spring of 2018, shareholders of...

Imelda Brings Flooding, Disaster Declaration to Southeast Texas

Sep 19 2019 // Flooding from Tropical Storm Imelda on Thursday left hundreds of people trapped in their homes and cars; led to water rescues, a hospital evacuation and power outages; and closed entire school districts, according to...

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Signs Executive Order on Gun Safety

Sep 19 2019 // New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed Executive Order No. 83, directing the New Jersey Department of Treasury, the Division of Purchase and Property, and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance to promote...

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen Asks Judge to Dismiss Roy Moore Defamation Suit

Sep 19 2019 // Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen asked a federal judge to dismiss Roy Moore’s defamation lawsuit over a television segment that lampooned Moore in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. Lawyers for Baron Cohen,...

Arkansas Senate Leader Proposes New Regulations, Tax on Vaping

Sep 18 2019 // Arkansas’ Senate president has proposed a new tax and regulations on vaping products, and said he hopes the governor will call lawmakers back to the Capitol to take up the issue. Republican Sen. Jim Hendren proposed...

California Spending $20M on Campaign to Warn Public of Vaping Dangers

Sep 18 2019 // California will spend $20 million on a public awareness campaign about the dangers of vaping nicotine and cannabis products and step up efforts to halt the sale of illicit products amid a rise in vaping-related...

Prime Minister Johnson’s Brexit Plan Goes to Court as Latest EU Talks End in Failure

Sep 17 2019 // Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy has been on trial ever since he became prime minister eight weeks ago, and on Tuesday his lawyers will defend it in the U.K.’s highest court. Fresh from being lambasted by a...