After a series of votes and issues threatened to derail efforts before the close of the 2010 legislative session, the long-awaited food safety legislation has passed both houses of Congress.

IRS application forms and instructions relating to the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project ("QTDP") tax credit, created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, are now available on the IRS website.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its final rule rescinding the Social Security No-Match Rule.

Don't expect the Obama administration to be in a hurry to roll out its plans for comprehensive immigration reform. In fact, blueprints to secure some type of legal status for millions of illegal alien workers may be shelved until 2010.

In a provision drawing little notice, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as the Heath Care Reform Act, amended the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers to provide "reasonable" break time and a private place other than a bathroom for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child's birth. This provision took effect on March 23.

After considerable debate, health care reform has been enacted. The new legal requirements for health care come from two laws.

Initially, the U.S. Supreme Court's Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics decision, which involved licensing and sale of patented electronic component parts, would seem to have little to do with seeds.

FDA on August 24 released two guidance documents relating to implementation of the menu labeling requirements contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), commonly known as the health care bill. Under the PPACA, certain chain restaurants with more than 20 locations are required to post calorie counts for all standard menu items on the menu boards.

The Iowa Supreme Court handed down its decision in KFC Corporation vs. Iowa Department of Revenue today, upholding the state’s ability to tax out-of-state franchisors that do not have a physical presence in the state.

Voluntary nutrition labeling programs implemented by large U.S. food manufacturers have come under renewed fire recently.

On January 4, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 15 potential national enforcement priority areas for FY2011–2013. Several of the proposed priorities, including concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), are part of the current 2008–2010 enforcement strategy.

As part of its effort to deter fraud in the immigration process, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is conducting random unannounced site visits at employers of H-1B and L-1 workers.

Last month, several environmental organizations, including the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed suit against the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in federal court in Florida.

In an August 31, 2010 webinar, representatives from FDA's Center for Devices and Radiologic Health (CDRH) fielded questions concerning the reports with preliminary recommendations issued earlier this month by the 510(k) Working Group and the Task Force on the Utilization of Science in Regulatory Decision Making.

A federal district court recently held that the Colorado statutory privilege for quality management information did not protect an investigation conducted by the attending surgeon outside the scope of the hospital’s quality management process.

Concluding a year-long process, on November 17, 2010 the Colorado Board of Health approved significant revisions to the state's facility licensure law.

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently issued a response to a no-action request that emphasizes the SEC's narrow interpretation of the finder exception from broker-dealer registration.

On December 1, 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule relating to effluent limitations for construction and development activities that will impact many construction sites throughout the United States.

A new Massachusetts law, effective November 4, 2010, prohibits Massachusetts employers from asking applicants for criminal record information on an initial written application unless a state or federal law or regulation mandates disqualification because of a conviction.

On December 8, 2009, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) published notice of its Pilot Program for Green Technologies Including Greenhouse Gas Reduction.