On 1-9-19, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced H.R. 420, the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act.” Blumenauer, the co-sponsor of the Rohrabacher–Blumenauer amendment, better known as the on-going appropriations provision that prohibits the Justice Department from spending federal funds to enforce federal law that is in conflict with state medical cannabis ... read more

By: Valentine Brown The government has been shut down for 29 days,  with no signs go reopening anytime soon. Although USCIS has continued to operate due to being self-funded by application filing fees, E-Verify’s funding was discontinued by the shutdown, so the system has been inoperable since December 22, 2018. ... read more

by John M. Simpson. On January 2 of this year, a trial court in the Canadian province of Ontario declared unconstitutional certain provisions of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (“OSPCA Act”).  Bogaerts v. Attorney General of Ontario, 2019 ONSC 41, No. 749/13 (Jan. 2, ... read more

A bill in the Nebraska Legislature would give priority to federal opportunity zones (OZs) in the allocation of state Affordable Housing Trust Fund and other state programs. As crafted, LB 87 would add OZs to already existing statewide enterprise zones in receiving priority for allocation of precious housing trust fund ... read more

by Michelle C. Pardo You may have heard the well-known proverb, “a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client.” It stands for the concept that while individuals in our country are free to represent him or herself in a criminal or civil trial – acting ... read more

On 8 January 2019, the Prime Minister has issued Decision No. 02/2019/QD-TTg (“Decision 02”) to amend certain articles of Decision 11/2017/QD-TTg dated 11 April 2017 of the Prime Minister on mechanism for encouragement of development of solar power in Vietnam (“Decision 11”). Decision 02, became effective on 8 January 2019, ... read more

A. Probleme im Autosektor Vietnams Automobilindustrie hat noch so einige Hindernisse zu überwinden. Maßgebliche Probleme gibt es in Bezug auf Luftverschmutzung und Abgase, dem Zertifizierungsverfahren für Importeure und der Produktqualität sowie dem Mithalten mit dem internationalen Markt. Die Automobilindustrie verfügt über komplexe Lieferketten (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 und ... read more

On Tuesday, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo released draft adult use cannabis legislation. Called the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, it is just a few hundred pages long. The bill would set up a new “Office of Cannabis Management” (OCM) to oversee regulation. The office would operate under the Division of ... read more

by John M. Simpson. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), a prominent non-governmental organization in the U.S. representing farm and ranch families, held its annual meeting earlier this month in New Orleans.  Among the topics discussed (in addition to the address by President Trump), was the increase in “alternative protein” production, namely meat-like ... read more

  On January 16, 2019 the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the final regulations that were submitted by California’s three licensing agencies, the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Department of Public Health (CDPH), in December.  These new, approved regulations went ... read more