12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 9 - Trends in the Tobacco Industry — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
On May 14, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed Alabama HB8 into law. Effective June 1, HB8 introduced sweeping changes that will reshape how nicotine products are sold, marketed, and regulated in Alabama. You heard that right,...more
A new bill, the “Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2023” (S.2929 and H.R.5715) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The bill would...more
Lawmaking in the COVID Era - The legislature adjourned on June 26 at 8:41 p.m. Sort of. After holding what was nearly the longest and certainly the strangest session in history, the legislature has really only recessed,...more
With visions of getting out of Atlanta and back to their home districts before traffic set in, legislators worked quickly today to put a cap on a full legislative week. ...more
Legislators kept busy this week both at and away from the Capitol. Committees continued processing policy bills, staying mindful of the first policy committee deadline scheduling three weeks away. The House held an extra...more
Divided House committee approves Act 250 compromise - After more than a year of work, the House Natural Resources Committee voted 6-3 to approve sweeping changes to Vermont’s landmark land-use law, including a provision...more
Push to end surprise medical billing - The Senate Finance Committee heard from providers and health insurers on S.309, a bill that prohibits certain provisions in contracts between health insurers and health care...more
Underfunded pension liabilities get needed attention The topic of Vermont’s overwhelming state employee and teachers’ pension burdens rears its head on occasion, but legislators quickly move on to challenges more easily...more
Governor delivers budget address - Gov. Phil Scott delivered his budget address on Tuesday, focusing on the demographic crisis and a shrinking workforce as the state’s biggest challenges....more
Global Warming Solutions Act: asking for too much or not enough? The House Committee on Energy and Technology took testimony this week on the The Global Warming Solutions Act. University of Vermont Professor Jon Erickson...more
Congressional appropriations serve as a potent tool to guide administrative actions in commerce and trade Before departing in the final days of 2019, Congress passed a bipartisan spending package amounting to US$1.4...more
The West Virginia Legislature commences its 60-day regular session on Wednesday, January 8, 2020. This is an election year, which means that of the 134 members of the Legislature (100 Delegates and 34 Senators), 117 of these...more
The House Committee on Judiciary heard vastly different views this week on a new version of S.37, legislation passed by the Senate last month that would have adopted a strict liability standard for harm caused by toxic...more
Final push on clean water governance bill - The House Committee on Natural Resources continued its work this week on S.96, a bill that would adopt a clean water investment and governance proposal promoted by the Agency of...more
PFAS bill progresses - The House Natural Resources Committee finished deliberation this week on S.49, a bill that grants the Agency of Natural Resources more discretion in setting the maximum contaminant level for PFAS...more
We are entering the final week of the 60-day legislative session, which concludes at midnight on March 9. This past Wednesday, we marked crossover day, the last day for bills to advance out of their house of origin if...more
We are now approaching crossover day, February 27, the date that bills must pass their house of origin in order to be considered by the other house during the remainder of the legislative session. As a practical matter, if a...more
Paid family and medical leave legislation, H.107, passed the House General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee on Wednesday on an 8-1-1 vote. Rep. Marianna Gamache, R-Swanton, a lone but passionate dissenter, raised...more
Under the Dome: Inside the Maine State House provides a high-level overview of recent activity at the Maine State House. Legislature Met on July 20 to Consider Bond Bills, Items from Special Appropriations Table - After...more
A May 18th adjournment brought to a close the first half of the 74th biennial session of the Vermont General Assembly. Drama awaits as Gov. Phil Scott has threatened to veto H.518, the fiscal year 2018 budget, over an...more
The House Ways and Means Committee is considering a proposal from the Vermont Department of Taxes to reduce the amount of use tax a person can pay without providing records to prove his or her tax liability. The rate would...more