The Affordable Care Act (ACA), popularly known as Obamacare, has entered a new enrollment season with advocates singing its praises. This is understandable. In five and a half years of existence, the landmark law has survived two narrow Supreme Court...
Twenty-nine states have laws setting minimum wage rates above the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. Washington’s rate, at $9.47, is the highest. Fourteen states have minimum wages that are the same as the federal rate. Only Georgia and Wyoming...
The killing of 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12 by a man armed with a military-style assault rifle and a handgun hasn’t produced any more substantive action on gun control in Congress than other recent mass shootings. But...
Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation . Four other states - Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah - will do so this year, as a result of voter-approved ballot measures. Maine Gov. Janet...
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair sanctioning that state’s economic nexus-based sales tax law, similar requirements - with and without new enabling legislation - have gone into effect in five states, according...
Five state legislative chambers currently led by Republican majorities - including both the House and Senate in New Hampshire - will flip to Democratic control next year, as a result of the Nov. 6 elections. The Democrats also took full control of the...
Fourteen states have introduced over 40 bills dealing with sports betting this year, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking system . Four states - Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and West Virginia - account for more than half of the...
At least 35 states have considered bills or resolutions dealing with cybersecurity in 2018, according to analysis of LexisNexis State Net legislative data by the National Conference of State Legislatures . Twenty-two states have enacted such measures...
How long would it take a woman processing shrimp in a typical Indonesia or Thai facility to earn what a CEO of a major grocer takes home in one year’s salary? 4,000 years. It’s just one of the disturbing statistics shared by Oxfam’s...
Turbulence appears to be the new normal in today’s global risk landscape. Political turmoil, changing regulations, disruptive weather events, financial instability and a variety of other factors can disrupt supply chains or involve companies in...
Early last year SNCJ reported that while the development of autonomous, or self-driving, car technologies by Google, Uber, Tesla Motors and others was “progressing rapidly,” state efforts to regulate the testing and operation of such vehicles...
As of late January, legislation dealing with paid time off for workers to care for a newborn or ill family member was pending in at least 26 states, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures and LexisNexis State Net . Since...
The shadow of unfunded public pension liabilities casts a menacing cloud over the otherwise mostly bright futures of U.S. states and municipalities. The situation is gravest in Illinois, where court rulings have stymied legislative attempts at reform...
In 2014 eight state legislatures considered -- and four enacted -- measures allowing patients to legally obtain experimental drugs that haven’t yet received FDA approval, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Voters in a fifth...
While Congressional and state legislative races drew most of the attention on Election Day, those races were hardly the only critical issues voters would decide. Missouri, Colorado and Michigan became the latest states to endorse independent commissions...
Regulatory technology (RegTech) refers to technology that assists companies to meet growing regulatory requirements. Banks are set to invest more in RegTech in 2019, because they see it as a cost-effective and efficient way to respond to growing regulatory...
Over 165 women in 39 states will likely run for statewide political office this year, more than twice the number that actually filed to run in 2016, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute...
Lloyds Bank has set an ambitious three-year strategy to “digitize” the group. In its strategic review for 2018-20, Lloyds intends to use technology like data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to gain new insights which can transform...
Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting on May 14, four states have joined Nevada in allowing such wagering within their borders, according to the Legal Sports Report. Those states include New Jersey, where the sports...
There are bad ideas and then there are ideas that reek like an animal that crawled up and died inside a wall of your house. A new proposal from a trio of Washington state lawmakers is definitely in the latter category. As Sports Illustrated reports ,...
As of April, 13 states relied primarily on redistricting commissions rather than lawmakers to draw their legislative districts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures . In seven of those states, redistricting commissions also had primary...
When optometrist Dena Davidson decided she was ready to leave her profession behind, she knew two things. First, she was really interested in pursuing a career in human resources management. Second, she was less sure where or how to get started. ...
‘Pink Wave’ Hits State Legislatures: As anticipated, given the record number of female candidates running for political office this year , women made significant gains in state legislatures on Election Day. Preliminary analysis by the...
As of 2013, Illinois had the most underfunded public pension system in the nation on a percentage basis, according to data from the Pew Charitable Trusts. The state only had enough assets in its pension accounts to cover 39.3 percent of its pension liability...
While media attention focuses on the presidential campaign, courts are making changes in voting laws in ways that could impact election outcomes in 2016 and beyond. Under the banner of combating voter fraud, Republican-run legislatures have in the...