State AG Pulse | A FAIR Go For NY Consumers
NYS Gov. Hochul’s 2025 State of the State – Legislative Recap
Florida’s Equine Landscape
Unveiling Gender-Affirming Care: Why It Matters and What’s at Stake – Diagnosing Health Care
AI Law in the Commonwealth of Virginia - Recent Developments
Proof in Trial: Moore v. Harper
Video: Things to Remember in Q1 when Preparing 2024 Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) Reports
Podcast: Discussing Florida’s 2024 Legislative Session
33rd Annual Legislative Seminar - Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
33rd Annual Legislative Seminar - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill
Orrick Public Policy Podcast #23 – A Conversation with Virginia Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg
Overview of 87th Texas Legislature
Labor & Employment Law: Vermont and Federal Legislative Update
Lowndes Client Corner Podcast Episode 5 - Winter Park Distilling Company Brews One-Of-A-Kind Facility in Winter Park
On June 3, 2025, a bipartisan group of 260 state lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate expressing “strong opposition to the provision in Subtitle C, Part 2 of the tax and budget...more
On June 2, the Texas legislature passed the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, (TX AI Act or bill) which heads to the governor for his signature or veto. The bill will take effect January 1, 2026, if...more
The 95th Arkansas General Assembly convened on January 13, 2025, and entered into an extended recess on April 16, 2025...more
Recently, the Texas House of Representatives introduced HB 5007, along with its companion bill SB 2117. The legislation—“Relating to the establishment of the Texas Committee on Foreign Investment to review certain...more
Nearly nine years after voters authorized the regulated sale of adult use cannabis in Massachusetts, the Joint Cannabis Committee is addressing the challenges (and that’s an understatement) the industry is facing with a very...more
The North Carolina General Assembly is considering various alcohol bills during the long 2025 session. Proposed changes include legalizing happy hour, authorizing Sunday sales by ABC stores, clarifying special one-time...more
On May 6, 2025, the Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 349 by a vote of 49-1. A week later, on May 13, 2025, the legislation was referred to the state House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee to begin...more
As Rich Andreano blogged on April 15, 2025, legislation to prohibit or restrict so-called “trigger leads” in the home-buying process has been reintroduced in the House and Senate. The legislation has broad industry and...more
Trending in Telehealth highlights monthly state legislative and regulatory developments that impact the healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists and technology companies that deliver and...more
At Ward and Smith, we are closely monitoring these developments to help our clients with the potential impacts on their businesses. Below is an overview of what stakeholders in the hemp industry need to know about this...more
In Q1 of 2025, there have been significant regulatory and policy developments at the state, federal, and international level regarding artificial intelligence (“AI”). In Europe, the phased implementation of the European...more
In 2024, Colorado passed the first comprehensive state-level law in the U.S. regulating the use of artificial intelligence, the Artificial Intelligence Act (the Act). It imposed strict requirements on developers and users of...more
“Compromise” sometimes gets a bad rap. And history teaches us that there can be bad compromises. But as your resident glass-is-half-full contributor who has also been closely following debate over access to consumable hemp...more
In the first part of 2025, New York joined other states, such as Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Texas, seeking to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) at the state level. Specifically, on 8 January 2025, bills...more
As the hallowed cannabis holiday for stoners-turned-business-entrepreneurs falls upon us, we find ourselves in the shifting sands of change in the cannabis industry as usual. Not surprisingly, many states have seen...more
Since the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, the use of hemp and CBD (cannabidiol) products has skyrocketed, transforming from niche wellness items to mainstream essentials that are widely available. These products, currently...more
On the heels of significant legislative activity in 2024 when numerous state legislatures sought to expand the reach of "mini-HSR laws" by targeting healthcare transactions involving private equity firms or sponsors, state...more
Deadlines! It has been a busy week at the State Capitol. In both the House and Senate, committees raced to meet the first and second bill deadlines of Friday, April 4 (collectively), while finance committee chairs in both...more
As President Joseph Biden wound down his time in office, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undertook significant efforts to finalize the regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While it remains...more
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance and integrate into various aspects of society, it becomes increasingly necessary for states to regulate or enact legislation to govern its use. AI has the potential to...more
Missouri’s new minimum wage and paid sick leave law (“Proposition A”) currently is subject to two legal challenges; (1) a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the law, and (2) a house bill that, if passed by the...more
On March 25, 2025, North Carolina Senators Johnson (R), Overcash (R), and Jackson (R) as primary sponsors introduced Senate Bill 491 (“S.B. 491” or the “Bill”), which seeks to license, examine, and regulate debt settlement...more
The Virginia law, like the Colorado Act, would have imposed various obligations on companies involved in the creation or deployment of high-risk AI systems that influence significant decisions about individuals in areas such...more
Well, it’s officially crazy season. An annual tradition in the Alabama statehouse since the inception of Alabama’s medical cannabis program, last week we saw a flurry of cannabis-related bills introduced with great fanfare...more
Amidst the usual suits and blazers, white dresses and tuxedos have been appearing with increasing frequency around the Georgia State Capitol this spring. Apparently word is out amongst the city’s photographers that the...more