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State AGs Want Power to Hit Airlines for Consumer Complaints
Just like airline passengers, state attorneys general are frustrated with flight delays, cancellations and the airlines’ sometimes bad treatment of customers. Some 38 attorneys general, from both parties, sent a letter to Congress last week calling on congressional leaders to pass legislation that would give state attorneys general the power to go after the airlines […]
Should You Insure Your Pet? Without State Oversight, It’s Hard to Say.
BATH, Maine — Danielle Crossen, 33, playfully ruffled the hair on her small, white mixed-breed dog, Wilson, as they played at the South End Park on the banks of the Kennebec River on a recent drizzly summer day. The love between the two was obvious. But does she have pet insurance on him? Nope. “I […]
State Attorneys General Unite Against Robocalls
Nothing has been able to kill scam robocalls — not federal regulation, not individual state lawsuits, not private software. Each effort has made a dent, but the unwanted calls keep on coming, much to the consternation of Americans on the receiving end. Now, all 50 state attorneys general, Republicans and Democrats, have come together through […]
Looser Liquor Laws Boosted Restaurants — and Maybe Problem Drinking
Most states that allowed curbside pickup or home delivery of alcohol to help restaurants, bars and liquor stores survive pandemic closures have extended the looser liquor laws. But in their desire to boost the hospitality industry, states might be fueling binge drinking and higher overall alcohol consumption, some research shows. Of the 35 states (plus […]
As Prices Rise, the Push to End Diaper Taxes Grows
To help inflation-plagued and struggling families ease the burden of buying necessities, several states are scrapping the sales tax on infant and adult diapers. Colorado and Iowa have both agreed since May to get rid of the state tax on all diapers, beginning in 2023. Florida and Maryland’s laws took effect in July. A bill […]
Without Obergefell, Most States Would Have Same-Sex Marriage Bans
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, but in most states, laws or constitutional amendments would revive the prohibition if the high court decides, as it did with abortion, that such unions are not a constitutionally protected right. Thirty-five states ban same-sex marriage in their constitutions, state law, or both, according to the […]
Federal Regulators Ban Juul, Leapfrogging States’ Efforts
The federal Food and Drug Administration on Thursday banned the popular Juul electronic cigarette, leapfrogging regulators from several states who previously had tried to crack down on the vaping products, arguing they entice young people to ingest addictive nicotine. The FDA said in a news release that it had issued marketing denial orders to Juul […]
This State Will Hire You—No College Degree Required
With record numbers of state jobs going unfilled since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maryland was in a bind. So, officials decided to eliminate the four-year degree requirement for thousands of those jobs—from parole agents to information technology specialists to nursing assistants—becoming the first state to do so. In the current tight labor market, […]
Abortion Bans May Add to Uncertainty Over Embryo Donation
Abigail and Rachelle Henderson, 15-year-old twins from Buffalo, New York, were conceived in vitro and carried to term by their mom, Rebecca. Trevor and Aubrey Gassman, now 9 and 8 years old, who live in Oregon, were born of embryos created during the infertility treatment of Rebecca Henderson and her husband, Chris. The couple donated […]
Colorado Enacts First ‘Right to Repair’ Law, But Only for Wheelchairs
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation to allow wheelchair owners access to parts, software and manuals so that they can repair their own chairs, the first state law to be enacted in the “right to repair” movement to allow people to fix their own stuff. Manufacturers of cell phones, tablets, farm equipment and many other […]
Pay Transparency Laws Raise Women’s Salaries (And Slightly Lower Men’s)
The bestselling 2016 book “Hidden Figures,” later adapted into a popular film, told the story of Black female mathematicians who played an essential role in the U.S. space program in the 1950s and 1960s, but who faced racial discrimination and were paid less than their male counterparts. The gender pay gap existed before the era […]
Federal Judge Tosses Oregon Ban on Real Estate ‘Love Letters’
An Oregon judge has thrown out a state law that banned real estate “love letters” written by prospective homebuyers to sellers in an attempt to close a deal on a home. U.S. District Judge Marco Hernández issued a consent decree that invalidated the law on free speech grounds. In the decree, he said the law […]