Opinion
-
Maryland’s Drug Price Gouging Law: The Potential Consequences
Opinion -On May 26, Maryland became the first state to pass a law which applies specifically to “price gouging” practices by generic pharmaceutical manufacturers of essential drugs. -
Louisiana Ridesharing Bill Hits Dead End in Senate Committees
Opinion -The Louisiana Senate Judiciary Committee tabled a bill that would standardize the state’s transportation regulations on peer-to-peer economy transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Lyft and Uber. -
House Approves Dodd-Frank Rollback Bill
Opinion -The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would ease federal restrictions on banks, reduce the cost of regulatory compliance, and relax some federal government controls over banks and financial services. -
Amendment Convention Resolution Campaign Hits ‘12’ in Missouri
Opinion -The Missouri state legislature approved a resolution calling on Congress to draft new constitutional limitations to “impose fiscal restraints on the federal government.” -
Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Storm Heading for Mainland America
Opinion -The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, a federal board tasked with managing the island commonwealth’s course out of fiscal emergency, declared failure, filing paperwork to begin court proceedings restructuring the government debt. -
Heartland Weekly – Four Liberal U.S. Senators Attack Heartland, and We Reply
Opinion -Four U.S. Senators – Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Edward Markey (D-MA) – sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos demanding to know if her department had contact with Heartland. -
President Trump Releases First Full Budget Proposal
Opinion -President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018, which begins on October 1, would eliminate funding for 66 federal agencies or programs, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts. -
Maine Legislature Scrambles to Break Tax-Surcharge Deadlock
Opinion -Despite meeting in May to break a stalemate over the state’s 3 percent tax surcharge, members of Maine’s Joint Standing Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee were unable to break a deadlock. -
Double Subsidies for NFL Team, Says Nashville Government Agency Head
Opinion -The Nashville, Tennessee Metropolitan Sports Authority is considering increasing taxpayers’ annual payoff to the owners of Tennessee Titans. -
NRDC Study: Fracking Doesn’t Pollute Groundwater
Opinion -Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” is not a major threat to drinking water, according to a new study financed in part by the anti-fracking Natural Resources Defense Council. -
Senate Rejects Effort to Scrap Obama Methane Rule
Opinion -On May 10 , the U.S. Senate narrowly rejected a bill to nullify an Obama-era rule restricting methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations on federal and tribal lands. -
North Carolina Bag Ban Under Fire
Opinion -The North Carolina Senate passed a bill rescinding a plastic bag ban applying to the state’s Outer Banks, enacted by the legislature in 2010. -
Senate Confirms Gottlieb as New FDA Commissioner
Opinion -FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb has written in support of curtailing FDA overreach. -
House Considers Capping Medical Malpractice Judgments
Opinion -Lawyer contingency fees are driving up the cost of health care. -
New Jersey Bill Would Expand Malpractice Protection for Charity Care
Opinion -Dr. Alieta Eck's charity health care center is a model for reaching low-income and uninsured patients without government funding. -
Trump’s Exit From Climate Accord Puts America First, For a Change
Opinion -President Trump said Thursday that the United States formally will withdraw from the Obama-era Paris climate accord despite the decidedly shrill cries made by environmental groups claiming withdrawal from the accord will spell doom for Earth’s climate. -
Congress Considers Outer-Space Regulation Reforms
Opinion -After a congressional hearing on how federal regulations block private individuals and businesses from operating in Earth’s orbit and beyond in April, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) launched a follow-up hearing. -
Florida Enacts Tax Cut, New Carve-Outs
Opinion -The tax burden on Florida residents will decrease by about $180 million—through new tax cuts, exemptions, and carve-outs—in the next fiscal year. -
Seattle, Washington Mayor’s Soda Tax Idea Covers Coffee, Low-Sugar Drinks
Opinion -The Seattle City Council approved a proposal by Mayor Ed Murray (D) to impose a new tax on sales of soda, coffee, and other beverages containing sugar and artificial sweeteners. -
Why EU Monopoly Search Ruling Will Be a Tipping Point for Alphabet-Google
Opinion -The expected guilty EU antitrust verdict against Alphabet-Google’s flagship “general search service” for abusing its dominance, will be a tipping point for Alphabet-Google this summer. -
New Iowa Law Tweaks Civil-Asset Forfeiture Practices
Opinion -Starting in July, Iowa residents will enjoy greater protection from local and state government agencies that want to seize and keep citizens’ property without criminal convictions through a process called civil-asset forfeiture. -
Can a New Homestead Act Solve the Debt Crisis?
Opinion -President Donald Trump released his full budget request, outlining priorities for this year and the subsequent decade -
Heitkamp’s Venting and Flaring Mythology
Opinion -Radical environmentalists are once again winning the messaging battle. This time, it's the Bureau of Land Management methane venting and flaring rule, which is supposedly aimed at restricting the amount of methane that is vented or flared in the productio -
North Carolina Senate, House Offer Dueling Budget Plans
Opinion -The North Carolina House of Representatives and Senate are considering significantly different state budget and taxing proposals.