Recently, New York Senate Bill 5043 was introduced by Senator Tony Avella. It was read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development. If signed into law, the bill would amend the administrative code of the City of New…
In a companion case decided on April 24, 2015, the Texas Supreme Court held that the Texas Citizens Participation Act (Act) can apply to private as well as public communications. In its per curiam opinion in Lippincott and Parks v. Whisenhunt, the Court held that controversial private communications on a…
Today, Pillsbury attorneys Steve Becker and Elizabeth Moeller published their client alert titled Unusual Bipartisanship Makes New Free Trade Agreements More Likely. The Alert discusses major new free trade agreements that are on the horizon. For the past several years, the Obama Administration has been negotiating two new major free…
On April 24, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an interesting opinion in another challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the case of Steven F. Hotze, M.D., et al., v. Burwell, the Court of Appeals considered a challenge to the Patient Protection and…
On April 24, 2015, the Texas Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion clarifying the evidentiary standards that will govern the application of the Texas Citizens Participation Act (“Act”). The Court balanced the need for open and vigorous discussion of important public issues–such as hydraulic fracturing–against a litigant’s right to…
DECEMBER 9, 2015 UPDATE: Today, the Central District Court its Order Granting Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss in Barber v. Nestle USA, Inc., et al., No. SACV 15-01364-CJC(AGRX), concluding that “Plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the safe harbor doctrine and therefore declines to reach the remainder of Nestlé’s arguments.” Nestlé successfully…
Recently, the California Contractors State License Board announced that it will be hosting a seminar/webcast to help contractors to comply with the new requirements imposed by Senate Bill 854, including the requirement that contractors register with the Department of Industrial Relations in order to bid or be listed on a…
Recently, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors updated its publication titled Important Information Regarding Reciprocity (Revised 3/17/2015). Like many other states, Louisiana may give an applicant for a contractor’s license credit for having a contractor’s license in another state in which Louisiana has a reciprocity or examination endorsement agreement,…
Seattle’s new minimum wage legislation passed by the Seattle City Council and signed into law by Mayor Murray on June 3, 2014 provides for an increase in the minimum wage in the City of Seattle to $15/hr., phased in over time, beginning April 1, 2015. The minimum wage ordinance has…
The Franchise Tax Board (“FTB”) will begin reviewing California Competes Tax Credit Agreements of all recipient of the credit (except for small businesses) beginning this summer. If FTB determines that credit recipients have failed to achieve the employment and investment milestones set forth in their credit agreements, FTB may recommend…