Public PolicyRSS

  • June 4, 2009

    States Can Handle Hydraulic Fracturing: Gas Industry

    An environmentally controversial method of gas extraction called hydraulic fracturing is best regulated by states, an expert from an industry-funded group and a top energy company official told Congress on Thursday.

  • June 1, 2009

    SEC On Warpath Over Internal Leaks: Report

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether several employees improperly disclosed nonpublic information, including to an unnamed investment bank, a semiannual report by the Office of the Inspector General has revealed.

  • June 1, 2009

    Feds To Delay E-Verify Start Date For 4th Time

    The federal government plans to push the start date of a final rule requiring federal contractors to certify workers' immigration status through E-Verify from June 30 to Sept. 8, according to a U.S. court filing in a lawsuit fighting the regulation.

  • June 1, 2009

    Sun Sets On Solar Legislation In Texas

    A bill that would have created a $500 million fund to subsidize solar energy in Texas will not become law this year, and other solar bills also failed as the state Legislature became bogged down in political maneuvering.

  • June 3, 2009

    FDA Head Voices Support For Food Safety Act

    The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed support on Wednesday for food safety legislation seeking to increase the agency's authority over U.S. and foreign food producers, and she asked Congress to provide further funding to carry out the new responsibilities.

  • June 3, 2009

    GM, Chrysler Execs Defend Dealership Cuts

    Executives at bankrupt Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. on Wednesday defended their decisions to slash thousands of dealerships, telling the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that the cuts were crucial to building efficient, profitable new companies.

  • June 1, 2009

    Senate Pulls Brake On Railroad Antitrust Bill

    A bill designed to lift antitrust exemptions for the railroad industry was put on hold Monday, when two key senators elected to fold it into wider legislation dealing with transportation issues.

  • June 1, 2009

    Illinois Law Passed In Response To Crestwood Scandal

    Responding to revelations that millions of gallons of toxic water were knowingly pumped into citizens' homes in the Village of Crestwood, Ill., the state General Assembly has passed legislation requiring all users to be promptly notified when drinking water is contaminated.

  • June 4, 2009

    CFTC Calls For Legislative Fix Of Zelener Loophole

    At a House hearing Thursday, a top official of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission urged lawmakers to close a loophole created by a 2004 appeals court decision the agency says has encouraged the growth of boiler rooms dealing in potentially fraudulent commodity contracts, and allowed them to evade federal regulators.

  • June 3, 2009

    FTC Pushes Congress To Pass Drug Settlement Bill

    A top Federal Trade Commission official on Wednesday urged lawmakers to pass legislation banning so-called reverse payment patent settlements between brand-name pharmaceutical companies and their generic competitors.

  • June 3, 2009

    US Must Play Role In Mortage Market: FHFA Head

    Government housing-insurance programs are "high-risk," but the U.S. nevertheless has a role to play in backstopping the nation's $6 trillion mortgage market, a top housing finance official told Congress on Wednesday in a hearing addressing how to fix Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

  • June 2, 2009

    ABA Sections Critique Canada's Cartel Leniency Plan

    Several sections of the American Bar Association have responded to the Canadian Competition Bureau's revised guidelines for sentencing and leniency in cartel cases, encouraging the agency to provide stronger incentives for parties to settle.

  • May 29, 2009

    Conn. House Passes Paid Sick Leave Bill

    The Connecticut House of Representatives has approved legislation that would make the state the first to mandate that large businesses provide paid sick leave to their employees.

  • May 29, 2009

    CPSC Chief Nancy Nord To Step Down

    The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's controversial acting chair, Nancy Nord, is reportedly stepping down from her post, but will remain at the agency as a commissioner.

  • June 23, 2009

    Future Uncertain For Voluntary Carbon Market

    If U.S. lawmakers end up passing a cap-and-trade bill, it could mean a slow descent into oblivion for the voluntary carbon market, some experts argue.

  • May 29, 2009

    Centocor's Simponi May Cause Fatal Infections: FDA

    Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.'s new rheumatoid arthritis drug Simponi can cause severe and potentially fatal fungal infections, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, marking the latest medication in a class of drugs known as tumor necrosis factor alpha blockers to come under scrutiny in recent months.

  • May 29, 2009

    Conn. Bans Bisphenol A In Children's Products

    Connecticut has given the green light to implement a ban on bisphenol A in products marketed for the use of children under the age of 3, as a growing number of states are currently considering limitations or prohibitions on the controversial chemical's use.

  • May 29, 2009

    Lawmakers Unveil Revamped Food Safety Bill

    A group of congressional Democrats has released a discussion draft of the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, which builds on earlier legislation intended to boost the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ability to monitor food and drug imports in the wake of increasing product safety concerns.

  • May 29, 2009

    FTC Gives Final Blessing To Whole Foods Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission has given final approval to its deal with Whole Foods Market Inc., which calls for the natural grocer to sell 32 supermarkets and the brand of acquired rival Wild Oats Markets Inc.

  • May 28, 2009

    NY Life Unit To Cough Up $6.2M Over Fund Fees

    New York Life Investment Management LLC has agreed to pay about $6.2 million to settle allegations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it failed to provide a mutual fund with adequate information about steep management fees that the investment adviser subsequently mischaracterized in regulatory filings.