June 24, 2025

Support for Small Pharmacies in Multiple States, Support for 340B Program in RI & More

States Passing Laws to Aid Small Pharmacies States including Colorado ( HB 1094 ), Georgia ( HB 196 ), Indiana ( SB 140 ), Iowa ( SB 383 ) and Montana (HB 740) have passed laws this year setting minimum prescription drug reimbursement rates for pharmacies. The laws are coming in response to complaints from independent pharmacies that contracts with pharmacy benefit managers aren’t covering their costs for obtaining...

June 24, 2025

How Immigration Enforcement Could Affect Child Labor Laws

Child labor may evoke Dickensian images of young children in dirty, oversized clothes laboring in dusty, dangerous workshops. But this year legislators in Florida considered a bill ( SB 918 ) that would have eliminated certain employment restrictions on 16-and 17-year-olds and allowed minors as young as 14 to work overnight shifts . Rep. Jay Collins (R), the measure’s sponsor, dismissed criticism that it would...

June 17, 2025

Nation’s First Social Media Warning Label Requirement & Passage of Frontier AI Bill in NY

MN Enacts Nation’s First Social Media Warning Label Requirement Minnesota enacted a first-in-the-nation provision ( HB 2 a / SB 6 a ) requiring social media platforms to display mental health warning labels each time users access the platforms. Warning label legislation is also under consideration in California and New York. ( CBS17 , LEXISNEXIS STATE NET) NY Lawmakers Pass Frontier AI Bill The New York Legislature...

June 17, 2025

CA’s Investigation of State Farm over LA Wildfire Claims

CA to Investigate State Farm over LA Wildfire Claims California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara (D) announced a “market conduct examination” of State Farm over consumer complaints about the insurer’s handling of claims from the Los Angeles wildfires in January. One common complaint against the insurer is that it has been passing homeowners off from one adjuster to another, forcing the homeowners...

June 17, 2025

OR’s Tough New Corporate Health Care Law, PBM Restrictions in IA & More

OR Enacts Nation’s Strongest Corporate Health Care Law Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed a bill ( SB 951 ) imposing the toughest regulations on private and corporate control of medical practices in the country. The measure limits the amount of control health management companies can have over medical practices, with the aim of closing what supporters say is a loophole in state law allowing companies to get around...

June 17, 2025

Will Genetic Privacy Concerns Raised by 23andMe’s Collapse Last?

When the genetic testing company 23andMe announced it had entered the federal bankruptcy process in March, concern quickly turned to what would happen to customers’ genetic data . The California biotech company said the bankruptcy would not change how it protected sensitive customer information. And its buyer , Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, has promised to use 23andMe’s data ethically. “As a world leader...

June 10, 2025

CA’s AI Companion Chatbot Safety Bill & Dueling Internet Age Verification Bills in OH

CA Senate Approves AI Companion Chatbots Safety Bill California’s Senate passed a bill ( SB 243 ) that would require artificial intelligence-powered companion chatbot platforms to remind users every three hours that their chatbot isn’t human, as well as implement protocols to address suicidal thoughts of users. The measure is now in the Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection and Judiciary committees...

June 10, 2025

Unemployment for Striking Workers Bill Advancing in OR

OR Lawmakers Close to Approving Unemployment for Striking Workers The Oregon House passed a bill ( SB 916 ) that would allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks. The Senate passed the measure in March but will have to vote on it again because it was amended by the House. New York, New Jersey and Washington have already authorized unemployment benefits for striking workers. ( OREGONIAN...

June 10, 2025

CO’s Aggressive Overhaul of PBM Payment

CO Changes Way PBMs Paid Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill ( HB 1094 ) that, among other things, will allow pharmacy benefit managers, starting in 2027, to only be paid a flat service fee instead of earning income from rebates or other price-based fees. The new law will also set the amount that PBMs can reimburse pharmacies for prescription drugs. ( PLURIBUS NEWS , LEXISNEXIS STATE NET) —Compiled by...

June 10, 2025

LA Fire Victims Sue Homeowners Insurers & NC Nears Allowing State Investment in Crypto

LA Homeowners Sue Insurers over Inadequate Fire Coverage Victims of the Los Angeles wildfires in January have filed a pair of lawsuits claiming USAA, a Texas-based insurer that serves members of the military, and two insurers affiliated with AAA underestimated the replacement cost of their homes for years, leaving them without enough coverage to rebuild their homes. The plaintiffs accuse the insurers of fraud and negligence...

June 10, 2025

Consumer and Privacy Watchdog Groups Continue to Ding State Consumer Data Privacy Laws

A year ago, after the passage of a couple of strong data privacy laws in Maryland and Vermont, we wondered if states were starting to get tougher on consumer privacy . Even though this issue remains of high interest to state legislators— with 39 comprehensive consumer privacy bills having been considered in 18 states as of late May , according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)—another...

May 20, 2025

CT Targets Junk Fees, Price Gauging

CT Senate Passes Sweeping Consumer Protection Bill The Connecticut Senate passed an expansive consumer protection bill ( SB 5 ). Among other things, the measure would require service providers such as hotels to use “all-in” pricing, fully disclosing all mandatory fees prior to checkout, instead of employing so-called “junk fees.” The bill would also allow the state’s attorney general to...

May 20, 2025

Social Media Warning Label Bills & Data Centers in Crosshairs of State Lawmakers

Social Media Warning Label Legislation Catching on in States Although Congress hasn’t responded to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s call last June to take up legislation requiring social media platforms to carry warning labels indicating that social media may be harmful to the mental health of young people, state lawmakers have taken up that cause. A bill ( HB 499 ) passed by the Texas House...

May 20, 2025

OR Lawmakers Look to Curb Age Discrimination

OR Lawmakers Pass Age Discrimination Bill Oregon’s legislature passed a bill ( HB 3187 ) that would prohibit an employer from requesting an applicant’s age, date of birth or date of graduation before conducting an initial interview or making a conditional offer of employment. The measure, which is supported by some of the state’s largest unions, including the Oregon Nurse’s Association, now goes...

May 20, 2025

Healthcare Bills Approved in WI, PBM Regulations Passed in IA & More

WI Assembly Passes Multiple Healthcare Bills Wisconsin’s Assembly passed multiple healthcare-related bills with broad bipartisan support. One ( AB 43 ) would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control to those 18 and older. It now moves to the Senate. Another measure approved by the Assembly ( SB 4 ) would exempt direct primary care, where patients pay monthly or annual fees to access primary care services,...

May 20, 2025

States Look to Tax Social Media

A nightmare may be coming to life for social media companies in Minnesota. There, Democrats in the state Legislature have embraced a pioneering bill, SB 3197 , which seeks to levy the nation’s first tax on social media apps. The bill would require social media companies to pay the state a monthly fee, depending on the number of Minnesotans who use their platforms. A platform with 100,000 or fewer Minnesota...

May 13, 2025

First States OK Crypto Reserves, AL’s Genetic Data Theft Bill & More

NH, AZ Authorize Crypto Reserves Two months after President Trump signed an executive order establishing a federal strategic bitcoin reserve and digital asset stockpile, New Hampshire and Arizona have become the first two states to enact legislation providing for the creation of their own cryptocurrency reserves. The bill ( HB 302 ) signed by New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) allows the state’s treasurer to...

May 13, 2025

Insurance Worries about Condo Bill Passed in FL

FL Condo Bill Raises Insurance Concerns Florida lawmakers passed a bill ( HB 913 ) intended to provide condominium owners some relief from the high cost of bringing properties up to code, as a result of strict new rules imposed on them after the deadly Surfside condo collapse in 2021. But the version of HB 913 that was ultimately approved by state lawmakers has some in the condo insurance community worried that it could...

May 13, 2025

State Lawmakers Shift from PBMs to PSAOs in Fight Against High Drug Costs

State Lawmakers Shift from PBMs to PSAOs in Fight Against High Drug Costs For a while now state legislators have targeted pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, for contributing to the high cost of prescription drugs . But recently lawmakers have set their sights on a new culprit: pharmacy services administrative organizations, or PSAOs , which help independent pharmacies negotiate with drug wholesalers. An October...

May 06, 2025

Proposed Social Media Ban for Minors in TX, Data Privacy Lawsuit Against Roku in MI & More

TX Taking Tougher Stance on Social Media for Kids The Texas House passed a bill ( HB 186 ) that would ban social media accounts for anyone under the age of 18. The measure would also allow parents to request the deletion of their child’s social media account and require social media companies to comply within 10 days. The House also passed HB 499 , which would require social media platforms to carry warning labels...

May 06, 2025

IA Addresses Shortage of Birth Centers & AL Advancing Higher Age Threshold for Consent to Medical Care

IA Enacts Law Addressing Shortage of Birth Centers Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill ( HF 887 ) exempting freestanding birth centers from having to obtain a certificate of need from the state’s Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to operate. Birthing services are currently in short supply in the state, with at least 41 hospitals, mostly in rural areas, having closed their labor and delivery...

May 06, 2025

Will Other States Follow Arkansas in Allowing Parents to Sue Social Media Companies?

On April 21 Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed into law a bill giving parents the right to sue social media companies for harms caused by their content. The measure, SB 612 , establishes a private right of action for parents to sue social media companies “that knowingly or willfully contribute” to harmful behaviors by minors through the content they publish. More specifically, SB 612 allows...

April 29, 2025

Bill to Limit Auto Accident Damages for ‘Unauthorized Aliens’ in LA

‘Unauthorized Alien’ Limits Among Trio of Auto Insurance Proposals Under Consideration in LA House Three auto insurance bills cleared the Louisiana House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure last month. One of them ( HB 436 ) would prohibit “unauthorized aliens” from receiving general damages, including compensation for pain and suffering, in auto accident cases, although they could still receive...

April 29, 2025

Social Media Bill Override Attempt in CO, Social Media Warning Label Bill on Move in CA & More

Social Media Bill Dodges Veto Override in CO Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ (D) veto of a social media bill ( SB 86 ) survived an override attempt. The state’s Democrat-controlled Senate voted 29-6 in favor of overriding the measure, which would have required large social media companies to remove accounts involved with the selling of guns or drugs or with sex trafficking or the sexual exploitation of minors...

April 29, 2025

Medical Debt Legislation in WA, VT & Psilocybin Legalization Bill in IA

WA Enacts Law Keeping Medical Debt Off Credit Reports Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed a bill ( SB 5480 ) prohibiting collection agencies from reporting unpaid medical debt to credit agencies. The measure, which takes effect on July 27, is similar to a federal rule approved by the Biden administration but placed on hold by the Trump administration. ( WASHINGTON STATE STANDARD ) VT Passes Medical Debt Bill ...