April 01, 2022

Healthcare Roundup: Pharmacists’ Expanded Healthcare Role, Wastewater Surveillance & More

Expanded Role for Pharmacists in Many States Even before the coronavirus pandemic, states were expanding pharmacists’ role in providing healthcare. Over a dozen states allow pharmacists to test and treat people for the flu, strep throat, urinary tract infections...
March 18, 2022

Governors Spotlight: UC Enrollment, Gas Tax, Equal Pay & More

CA Gov Signs Bill Restoring UC Enrollment California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a measure ( SB 118 ) last week that removes public college enrollment as a separate consideration under the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA. The new law nullifies...
March 18, 2022

Tech Week: 2021 State Cybersecurity Legislation, Biometric Data Restrictions in ME & More

Cybersecurity Big Concern for State Lawmakers in 2021 With high-profile cyberattacks like the one on Colonial Pipeline last May that caused fuel shortages in Eastern states and the targeting of public infrastructure in every state by hackers over the past couple...
March 18, 2022

Healthcare Roundup: MO’s Proposed Fix for Doctor Shortage, Healthcare Cost Watchdog in CA & More

MO Weighs Fix for Physician Shortage A bill introduced this year in the Missouri House ( HB 2296 ) would allow assistant physicians - medical school graduates who haven’t completed their residency - to become fully licensed as doctors after practicing for...
March 04, 2022

Governors Spotlight: Russian Sanctions, Transgender Sports Ban, COVID Relief Checks & More

Govs Push Russian Sanctions The outrage from world leaders at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has filtered down to state governors as well. According to Stateline , a publication of the Pew Charitable Trusts, governors in at least 12 states have ordered...
March 04, 2022

Tech Week: UT Consumer Data Privacy Law, Facial Recognition Controversy in WA & More

UT On Verge of Passing Consumer Data Privacy Law Utah appears likely to become the fourth state to pass a comprehensive consumer data privacy law. Last month, the state’s Senate unanimously passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act ( SB 227 ), which is modeled...
March 04, 2022

Healthcare Roundup: New Multistate Opioid Settlement, Fallout from Single Payer Failure in CA & More

States, Purdue Pharma Agree to New Opioid Settlement The attorneys general for all 50 states have reached a new settlement with Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid crisis. An earlier settlement had been appealed by eight states: California, Connecticut...
February 18, 2022

Governor's Spotlight: Private School Scholarships, K9 Cop Protection, Free Community College & More

IA Gov Makes New Effort for Private School Scholarships Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) is making another push to allow students to use public school funds to pay for private school scholarships. Reynolds first proposed sending the entire state per-pupil allocation...
February 18, 2022

Insurance Week: Another Home Insurer Pullout in FL, ‘Tinder Swindler’ Bill in NY & More

Major Home Insurer Pulls Out of FL United Property and Casualty Insurance Co. - one of the top 10 homeowners insurers in Florida, with over 180,000 policyholders - has stopped writing new policies in the state this year, joining the other home and property insurers...
February 18, 2022

Healthcare Roundup: More Controversy Over Alzheimer’s Drug, Nonprofit Hospital Medicaid Reimbursements & More

Controversy Over Alzheimer’s Drug Deepens The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision last June to grant accelerated approval for Aduhelm , Biogen’s new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, sparked considerable controversy. Many --...
February 04, 2022

Governor's Spotlight: Clean Hydrogen, Medical Cannabis, Tax Cuts & More

NM Lawmakers Kill Gov’s Clean Hydrogen Bill : The New Mexico House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted to table Gov. Michell Lujan Grisham’s (D) proposal to make the state a hub of hydrogen production by offering tax incentives...
February 04, 2022

Insurance Week: FHLB Push for Parity on Insurer Collateral, FL Roof Bill & More

FHLB Pushing for Parity with Banks on Insurer Collateral: Officials from the Federal Home Loan Bank have been urging state lawmakers to approve measures putting Home Loan Banks on equal footing with banks when it comes to collateral pledged by insurance companies...
February 04, 2022

Tech Week: Autonomous Vehicle Development, Antitrust Review of $68.7B Microsoft Acquisition & More

Autonomous Vehicle Companies Not Waiting Around for Federal Lawmakers: Legislation that would establish a federal framework for autonomous vehicles has stalled in Congress. But autonomous vehicle companies like Tesla, Alphabet’s Waymo and General Motors’...
February 04, 2022

Healthcare Roundup: Moody’s Healthcare Predictions, Universal Healthcare Bill Failure in CA & More

Moody’s Predictions for Healthcare in 2022: Moody’s Investors Service is expecting several trends in healthcare this year, according to a recent report from the credit rating agency. One of Moody’s predictions is that health insurers’...
January 24, 2022

Will TLDR Get a New Meaning?

Let’s be real – nobody actually reads the terms and conditions they agree to when visiting a website. And for good reason. For all of us who are not corporate lawyers – and probably even for many who are – the jargon those terms are couched...