Site Map - Legislation

11/24/2009 - A new North Carolina law (formerly A.B. 1327) would allow law enforcement agencies to communicate intelligence about criminal activity to school systems if the activity presents imminent danger to the life of a student or employee of the school.

11/24/2009 - The California legislature has passed a bill (A.B. 943) that would prohibit employers from obtaining credit reports on most prospective employees. Employers would be allowed to conduct credit checks on candidates for certain positions, such as those jobs in which employees would have access to large amounts of cash or other valuables or where the employees would be privy to confidential financial information. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not announced whether he will sign the bill into law.

11/24/2009 - A bill (S. 1649) introduced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) would seek to prevent terrorist attacks in part by strengthening security at laboratories that handle dangerous pathogens.

11/24/2009 - A bill (H.R. 1727) introduced by Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) that would require that local law enforcement collect information on convicted arsonists and bombers has been approved by the House of Representatives. It is now pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

11/24/2009 - A court rules that an employer is responsible for the actions of an employee returning from a conference; however, a fire department is not liable for a sexual assault committed by firefighters. Congress considers legislation on food safety and bioterrorism.

10/28/2009 - A new law (formerly S.B. 526) in North Carolina requires public schools to establish programs to prevent bullying and harassment. The law requires schools to address physical, verbal, and electronic harassment and to implement procedures for reporting, investigating, and preventing such behavior. The new law states that having an unpopular viewpoint does not constitute bullying or harassment.

10/28/2009 - New regulations implemented in Massachusetts requiring that companies encrypt documents sent over the Internet or saved on laptops or flash drives have been revised to make the process easier for small businesses. Under the regulations, wirelessly transmitted data must be protected and firewalls must be up to date. The revised regulations are risk-based in implementation, meaning that the administrative, technical, and physical safeguards necessary are based on several factors, such as the size, scope, and type of business; the resources available; the amount of data stored; and the need for security and confidentiality of the information. Businesses in the state must meet the new regulations by March 1, 2010.

10/28/2009 - A bill (S. 251) introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), which is designed to prohibit prisoners from using smuggled cell phones, has been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The Senate has not announced whether it will consider the bill. The provision would allow corrections officials to petition the government to use wireless jamming devices. (Currently, any interference with wireless services is illegal.)

09/30/2009 - Nebraska legislators have enacted a law (formerly H.B. 155) establishing new identity theft crimes. Under the law, knowingly providing false personal identifying information or a false identification document to a court or law enforcement officer is a felony. Knowingly providing such false information to a prospective employer with the goal of gaining employment is a misdemeanor.

09/30/2009 - A new law in Washington State (formerly H.B. 1844) requires that state employees who are responsible for issuing drivers’ licenses, vehicle licenses, or state IDs undergo a criminal background check. The checks will be required before a person is hired and repeated every five years for current employees.

08/31/2009 - A new law (formerly H.B. 289) enacted in Utah would allow the state to conduct criminal records checks of volunteers who provide services to vulnerable adults.

08/31/2009 - A new law (formerly H.B. 173) would make noncompete agreements legal in Georgia if agreed to by the public in a referendum. The law is not allowed under the Georgia Constitution so, to take effect, it requires a public vote to change the constitution, Under the law, a former employee could be restricted from conducting activity that would compete with a former employer for a certain amount of time and within a specific geographic location. Former employees could also be prohibited from hiring or attempting to hire employees away from a former employer.

08/31/2009 - An amendment to the appropriations bill for the Transportation Security Administration (H.R. 2200) would limit the use of whole-body imaging technology for airport screening.