Public PolicyRSS

  • February 10, 2010

    American Airlines Could Face $10M FAA Fine

    American Airlines could reportedly face one of the biggest fines in Federal Aviation Administration history as the agency closes a two-year investigation into faulty wiring on 290 MD-80 jets.

  • February 10, 2010

    Calif. Insurance Chief Pressures Cos. With Iran Ties

    California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner on Wednesday released a list of 50 foreign firms conducting business in Iran's energy and defense sectors, warning that as of March 31, no statement credit would be given in California for investments in companies named on the list.

  • February 10, 2010

    Google To Test Ultra-Fast, Net-Neutral Networks

    Google Inc. announced Wednesday that it plans to test super-fast broadband Internet technology by building trial networks in a handful of locations across the country, promising that these networks would adhere to the net neutrality rules the company has long championed.

  • February 10, 2010

    Taiwan Allows LCD Makers To Invest More In China

    The government of Taiwan has reportedly agreed to allow its liquid crystal display industry to invest more in mainland China, in order to help Taiwanese LCD producers keep up with rivals in South Korea that have recently been allowed to boost their Chinese investment.

  • February 10, 2010

    Republican Legislators Take GHG Finding To DC Circ.

    Thirteen Republican lawmakers and 17 companies have petitioned a federal appeals court to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, calling the decision a “power grab” by the agency.

  • February 10, 2010

    Legislators Seek Insurers' Data On Toyota Claims

    The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has stepped up its probe of Toyota Motor Corp. customers' reports of unintended acceleration, asking five auto insurers if they had received and alerted transportation regulators to similar "persistent" complaints of the problem.

  • February 10, 2010

    Supporters Rally Behind Independent CFPA

    Federal and state lawmakers are ramping up support for the inclusion of an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency in financial reform legislation being drafted in the U.S. Senate, even as Republican opposition to the proposed CFPA threatens to derail the final bill.

  • February 10, 2010

    House Panel To Probe Anthem Blue Cross Rate Hike

    A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee has launched an inquiry into Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's recent proposal to raise health insurance premiums for California customers as much as 39 percent.

  • February 10, 2010

    Schumer Bill Eases ERISA Rules For Ruined Pensions

    Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has introduced a bill to ease rules in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the federal tax code to give pension plans more time to amortize losses they've incurred from the Madoff Ponzi scheme.

  • February 9, 2010

    Obamas Launch Fight Against Childhood Obesity

    As part of an effort by the first lady, President Barack Obama has signed a memorandum creating the first task force on childhood obesity to review programs and policies relating to child nutrition and physical activity and develop a national action plan.

  • February 9, 2010

    Infant Deaths Prompt CPSC To Recall 500K Cribs

    The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled all Generation 2 Worldwide and Childesigns-brand drop-side cribs, following reports of infant deaths attributed to suffocation and strangulation hazards in the cribs' design and hardware.

  • February 9, 2010

    Mich. Questions $78M Plan To Control Asian Carp

    Federal officials have proposed investing $78.5 million in efforts to combat what they say is the harmful spread of Asian carp throughout the Great Lakes, but Michigan lawmakers are saying the solution does not go far enough in light of evidence that the carp's aggressive spread continues unabated.

  • February 9, 2010

    Officials Sound Alarm On Anthem Blue Cross Rate Hike

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has asked WellPoint Inc. subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to publicly justify its recent proposal to hike premiums as much as 39 percent for California health insurance customers.

  • February 8, 2010

    ACPERA Sunset An Opportunity For Congress: Attys

    When the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act expires this June, Congress could take the opportunity to fill what attorneys say are nagging gaps in the law, clarifying what it means to cooperate in a civil case and bringing America's antitrust leniency program in line with those of other countries.

  • February 8, 2010

    EU Approves Netherlands' ABN-Fortis Finance Plan

    European Union competition officials temporarily approved on Monday a €6.9 billion ($9.5 billion) recapitalization package that allows ABN Amro Bank NV and Fortis Bank Nederland (Holding) NV to complete their long-planned merger, as regulators continue to investigate antitrust concerns related to the Dutch government's takeover of ABN.

  • February 8, 2010

    Bill Takes Aim At Big Bonuses From TARP Firms

    The latest round of outrage over record bonus pools at some top firms has sparked new legislation from Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Jim Webb, D-Va., that would slap a 50 percent tax on “excessive” 2009 bonuses paid by banks that took taxpayer bailouts during the financial crisis.

  • February 8, 2010

    New Bill Would Install 10M Solar Units By 2019

    Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., have introduced companion bills to get 10 million solar power systems installed on U.S. rooftops over the next decade as part of an effort to support energy independence and create green jobs.

  • February 8, 2010

    NOAA Plans New Federal Climate Change Agency

    The U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday unveiled plans to launch the NOAA Climate Service to coordinate, collect and disseminate federal climate change data among private and public policymakers and stakeholders.

  • February 5, 2010

    Expect Ambitious AGs To Pursue More Big Cases: Attys

    With public anger still stoked against big banks and other headline-grabbing companies, there's no shortage of cases for politically ambitious state attorneys general to pursue. And despite some of the risks associated with high-profile litigation, lawyers say we can expect to see more suits like the one filed in New York on Thursday against Bank of America as election time nears.

  • February 5, 2010

    Reps To Pose Insurance Antitrust Exemption Repeal

    Two Democrats are poised to introduce a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would repeal the federal antitrust exemption for medical malpractice and health insurers, moving forward on a component of the House's now-stalled health care overhaul.