More than 70% of the 7,000-plus meetings of federal advisory committees in 2014 were conducted behind closed doors, according to a recent study by the Congressional Research Service. The committees influence federal regulatory policy by advising federal agencies, and the committees often include industry representatives. The Hill covers the CRS report here; the report itself […]
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This morning, the Supreme Court considered whether a group of workers at an Iowa meat-processing plant appropriately proceeded as a class on their federal and state wage-and-hour claims where their proof of the amount of hours worked was based in part on an expert time study because the company failed to keep legally required records […]
As our readers will recall, under the Supreme Court's decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, the Affordable Care Act's very significant expansion of the Medicaid program will not operate in any state unless the state opts in. If a state does not opt in, its residents cannot benefit from the expansion. Under the expansion, almost everyone with […]
The Wall Street Journal reports: Most Americans have probably never heard of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Many will learn about it on Tuesday night when millions tune in to watch the next Republican presidential debate. The American Action Network, a right-leaning advocacy group that has spent heavily to elect Republicans, plans to blanket the Fox […]
Recent years have brought lots of litigation about food products that are labeled as "all natural" but contain highly processed or "unnatural" ingredients. Dating back much further, the Food and drug Administration has long acknowledged the confusing and even misleading use of the term, but until today, the agency had not used its regulatory authority […]
The text of the is out — finally — and it's "worse than we thought," according to a Public Citizen analysis. Among the lowlights, according to Public Citizen, are "New Rights for Fossil Fuel Corporations to Challenge Climate Protections"; "Constraints on Food Safety Provisions"; "Opportunities for Drug Firms to Contest Medicine Purchasing and Pricing Decisions"; and expansion of the […]
Following up on its 3-part series on forced arbitration clauses, the New York Times published an editorial reiterating the conclusions of the series. The editorial concludes: Reversing the broader trend of forced arbitration, however, will require public outcry loud and long enough to stir the White House and Congress to action. Many people interviewed in […]
Here. Here's the beginning of the story: If you're a TiVo user, your digital video recorder may be ratting you out to advertisers. In the latest example of consumer privacy being threatened by Big Data, TiVo's number-crunching subsidiary this week announced a partnership with media heavyweight Viacom that helps advertisers target TV viewers with specific […]
We've flagged before the issue of whether the Obamacare mandate that employers provide contraceptive coverage raises religious liberty problems even if an opt-out is available. The Supreme Court announced today it will decide the issue in seven consolidated cases.