CA Lawmakers Approve Potentially Standard-Setting AI Bill The California Legislature passed a bill ( SB 1047 ) that could become the national standard for regulating artificial intelligence. The measure would require AI companies that spend more than $100 million...
CA Lawmakers Pass PBM Legislation California joined a nationwide movement to tighten restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers with the approval of SB 966 days before adjourning its legislative session on Aug. 31. If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) the measure...
Google Agrees to Help Fund Journalism in CA California lawmakers reached a deal with Google that will provide about $250 million in public and private funding for newsrooms across the state over the next five years. Although Google has committed to spending ...
MA Expands Access to Maternal Health Care Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy (D) signed legislation ( HB 4999 ) expanding access to maternal health services in the state. Among other things, the measure provides for the licensing of midwives—reducing the number...
AI Doomsday Bill Moves Closer to Passage in CA The California Assembly’s Appropriations Committee advanced a first-of-its kind bill ( SB 1047 ) aimed at preventing mass human casualties or property damage caused by artificial intelligence. The Senate passed...
Bill Regulating PBMs Nearing Passage in CA California lawmakers are on track to pass a bill ( SB 966 ) in the coming weeks regulating pharmacy benefit managers. The measure would prohibit PBM practices as steering patients to PBM-affiliated pharmacies and “spread...
CA Insurance Commissioner Orders Moratorium on Cancellations for Fire-Impacted Homeowners California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a one-year moratorium on the cancellation or non-renewal of residential insurance coverage for more than 185,000 policyholders...
AI Big Issue at NCSL Summit Artificial intelligence was a major focus of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2024 Summit in Louisville last week, with 10 sessions devoted to various aspects of the issue. And while 2024 seemed like the year of...
CA High Court Upholds Gig-Economy Ballot Measure California’s Supreme Court ruled that a ballot measure passed by the state’s voters in 2020, allowing Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to continue classifying their California drivers as independent contractors...
MT Follows Trend of States Increasing Oversight of Nonprofit Hospitals The Montana Department of Public Health has proposed rules regarding the collection of data on nonprofit hospitals’ charitable acts, including discounting prices and conducting free...
States Target School Cell Phone Use At least four states have banned or severely restricted the use of smart phones in schools in the current legislative biennium. Florida became the first state to do so last year, and Indiana and Ohio passed bans this year....
Compounded Weight-Loss Drugs Creating Headaches for State Regulators With popular weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy in short supply, many doctors, pharmacies and other providers have begun offering compounded versions of the drugs tailored to...
PA Lawmakers Pass Bill Regulating PBMs The Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill ( HB 1993 ) aimed at increasing oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. If signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the measure would prohibit PBMs from requiring patients to use a PBM...
PBMs Driving Up Prescription Drug Prices The three largest pharmacy benefit managers—CVS Health, Cigna and UnitedHealth Group—often “steer patients toward pricier drugs, charge steep markups on what would otherwise be inexpensive medicines and...
NY Enacts Social Media Protections for Minors New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed first-in-the-nation legislation ( SB 7694 ) prohibiting social media platforms from providing algorithmic feeds to minors to try to keep them online. But the “Stop Addictive...