Minnesota Extends PFAS in Products Reporting Deadline to September 15, 2026
Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency pushed the first‑in‑the‑nation PFAS‑in‑products reporting deadline from July 1 to September 15, 2026, and released extension and waiver request forms. Manufacturers must still pay an $800 one‑time fee and disclose product details, PFAS concentrations, and supplier information through the PRISM portal. The agency added instructional videos, virtual office‑hours, and a PRISM 1.2 upgrade to ease filing. Companies with complex supply chains are given extra time but are urged to keep gathering data and document due‑diligence efforts.
Guangdong Explicitly Links Patent Pre-Examination With Patent Prosecution Highway Eligibility
On April 14, 2026 Guangdong’s Intellectual Property Protection Center issued a notice that formally links the province’s free patent pre‑examination service to eligibility for the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). The pre‑examination can produce a Chinese patent in roughly two to...
Commission Postpones Western Spadefoot Decision to June Meeting
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to list the western spadefoot as threatened in its northern range and endangered in the south under CESA. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife found the petition...
Still Striking After All These Years- What the Sixth Circuit’s Back-to-Back Rieth-Riley Decisions Mean for Employers
The Sixth Circuit affirmed two NLRB rulings against Indiana‑based Rieth‑Riley Construction, finding the company committed multiple unfair‑labor‑practice violations, including unlawful lockouts, unilateral wage increases, and a refusal to bargain. The court rejected the employer’s arguments that economic exigency or Davis‑Bacon...
Click to Join, Hard to Leave: FTC Reopens Negative Option Rulemaking
The FTC reopened its rulemaking on negative‑option plans with an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released on March 11, 2026. The agency is seeking comments on how to tighten rules around undisclosed terms, lack of affirmative consent, and difficult cancellation processes. It...
Massachusetts Federal Court Tees Up Broader Preliminary Injunction of ACTS Survey
A Massachusetts federal court issued a new temporary restraining order that pushes the compliance deadline for the Education Department’s ACTS survey to April 24, 2026 for a coalition of higher‑education associations and independent colleges. The order follows a prior preliminary injunction that...
Closing the Gaps: Managing Operational Risk in the Consumer Products Industry
Consumer‑products manufacturers face mounting operational risk as state‑level regulations, aggressive product‑claim litigation, and ESG‑related securities actions outpace traditional federal compliance. Plaintiffs now scrutinize the alignment of regulatory interpretations, sourcing practices, and marketing claims, targeting gaps in “Made in USA,” “pure,”...
NYC Mayor and DCWP Commissioner Announce First-In-The-Nation Municipal “Click to Cancel” Rule
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and DCWP Commissioner Samuel Levine announced a proposed “Click to Cancel” rule aimed at eliminating subscription traps. The rule, issued under Executive Order 10, would require businesses to provide a one‑click cancellation method for any...
Court Affirms A Finding Of Forgery But Reverses Awards Of Remedies Because There Was No Informal Fiduciary Duty Owed By...
The Texas Court of Appeals affirmed that a deed recorded by Darrell was forged, declaring it void ab initio and removing the cloud on title to the family ranch. The court also held that no informal fiduciary duty existed between...
Key Takeaways From Oregon’s 2026 Legislative Session
Oregon’s 2026 legislative session enacted a suite of labor‑focused statutes, most notably HB 4089, which escalates criminal penalties for wage‑theft and unlicensed construction contracting. HB 4111 and SB 1570 tighten immigration‑status protections, barring its use in civil litigation and treating it as protected...
Maryland FAMLI Program Rules, Part I: Online Account and Notices
Maryland’s Department of Labor released final regulations for its Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program, mandating online employer accounts and detailed notice requirements. Payroll contributions from both employers and employees start on January 1 2027, with benefits becoming available by January 3 2028....
UPDATE—Texas Senate Bill 17
In March 2026 the Texas Attorney General released proposed rules to implement Senate Bill 17, dramatically widening the statute's reach. The draft guidance treats indirect and beneficial interests in real property as covered, adopts a look‑through approach to entity ownership,...
The Condo Supply Problem, Part 3: HOA Fees Are the Symptom, Not the Cause
Rising homeowners association (HOA) fees are a symptom of deeper cost pressures in the condominium market, not the root cause. The article links higher fees to aggregated master‑insurance policies, stricter lender reserve requirements, construction‑defect liability costs, and vague association documents...
White House Proposed Budget Targets OFCCP, Section 503, and VEVRAA
The White House’s FY 2027 budget proposal again calls for defunding the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), aiming to cut the Department of Labor’s discretionary budget by 25.9 percent. It would shift the agency’s limited disability and veteran compliance duties...
2026 340B Program Update – 340B Rebate Model RFI Comments Due and Manufacturers Continue Restricting 340B Pricing
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has extended the comment deadline for its proposed 340B rebate‑model pilot to April 20, 2026, giving covered entities extra time to outline operational and financial impacts. At the same time, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have instituted...
