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AI in Healthcare Bills Awaiting Gov’s Action in CA California could soon establish new guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare with a pair of bills awaiting action by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). One of the measures ( SB 1120...

If an autonomous vehicle hits another car or a pedestrian, who’s to blame? The manufacturer or software developer? Other parties like computer programmers, satellite mapping companies, or even state governments? Or perhaps the non-driving human...

Tech Lobby Zeroes In on AI Bill in CA Opponents of a first-of-its-kind bill ( SB 1047 ) in California aimed at regulating major developers of artificial intelligence outnumbered supporters of the measure by 3 to 1, according to analysis by the state’s...

CA Nears Restricting Private-Equity Healthcare Acquisitions The California Legislature passed a bill ( AB 3129 ) that, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), would require the state attorney general’s approval before a private equity group or hedge...

In at least parts of the country, unions are on the upswing. After last year’s hot labor summer , The New Yorker in April declared President Biden “ the most pro-labor president since F.D.R. ,” underscoring the rising strength of unions...

CA Lawmakers Approve Potentially Standard-Setting AI Bill The California Legislature passed a bill ( SB 1047 ) that could become the national standard for regulating artificial intelligence. The measure would require AI companies that spend more than...

CA Lawmakers Pass PBM Legislation California joined a nationwide movement to tighten restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers with the approval of SB 966 days before adjourning its legislative session on Aug. 31. If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)...

Data privacy, long a focus of state lawmakers across the country, is poised to enter a new space: your brain. Elon Musk has been making headlines for years now with his company Neuralink , which seeks to someday combine human consciousness with artificial...

Google Agrees to Help Fund Journalism in CA California lawmakers reached a deal with Google that will provide about $250 million in public and private funding for newsrooms across the state over the next five years. Although Google has committed to...

MA Expands Access to Maternal Health Care Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy (D) signed legislation ( HB 4999 ) expanding access to maternal health services in the state. Among other things, the measure provides for the licensing of midwives—reducing...

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal law prohibiting state-authorized sports betting in May 2018 , it wasn’t just state legislatures that sprang into action. The fantasy sports behemoths DraftKings and FanDuel also mobilized to...

AI Doomsday Bill Moves Closer to Passage in CA The California Assembly’s Appropriations Committee advanced a first-of-its kind bill ( SB 1047 ) aimed at preventing mass human casualties or property damage caused by artificial intelligence. The...

Bill Regulating PBMs Nearing Passage in CA California lawmakers are on track to pass a bill ( SB 966 ) in the coming weeks regulating pharmacy benefit managers. The measure would prohibit PBM practices as steering patients to PBM-affiliated pharmacies...

Cities across the country have been setting heat records all summer long. Indeed, the three hottest days on record for the entire Earth were all set in July, according to the United Nations. “Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone...

CA Insurance Commissioner Orders Moratorium on Cancellations for Fire-Impacted Homeowners California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a one-year moratorium on the cancellation or non-renewal of residential insurance coverage for more than...

AI Big Issue at NCSL Summit Artificial intelligence was a major focus of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2024 Summit in Louisville last week, with 10 sessions devoted to various aspects of the issue. And while 2024 seemed like the...

A recent analysis by the website GoodRx found that the cost of prescription drugs in the United States has risen 37 percent over the past decade, outstripping inflation . Drug companies, insurers and the government often take the blame for these skyrocketing...

CA High Court Upholds Gig-Economy Ballot Measure California’s Supreme Court ruled that a ballot measure passed by the state’s voters in 2020, allowing Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to continue classifying their California drivers as independent...

MT Follows Trend of States Increasing Oversight of Nonprofit Hospitals The Montana Department of Public Health has proposed rules regarding the collection of data on nonprofit hospitals’ charitable acts, including discounting prices and conducting...

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the midst of an Ozempic boom . Exploding demand for the weight-loss drug has sent the value of its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, to the moon and the buzz shows no signs of diminishing. Ozempic’s...

States Target School Cell Phone Use At least four states have banned or severely restricted the use of smart phones in schools in the current legislative biennium. Florida became the first state to do so last year, and Indiana and Ohio passed bans this...

Compounded Weight-Loss Drugs Creating Headaches for State Regulators With popular weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy in short supply, many doctors, pharmacies and other providers have begun offering compounded versions of the drugs...

In their seminal book on the American health care system, legendary investigative reporters Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele offered a disturbing metaphor for the illogical nature of medical pricing in 2004’s Critical Condition: How Health...

PA Lawmakers Pass Bill Regulating PBMs The Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill ( HB 1993 ) aimed at increasing oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. If signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the measure would prohibit PBMs from requiring patients to...

In a sign of the times, states have begun pursuing bills that require disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence. In March, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed SB 149 , making the state the first in the nation to require individuals who use generative...