A Rhode Island Superior Court judge has halted the Town of Smithfield’s attempts to limit medical marijuana cultivation by patients through its zoning laws. In April, the Smithfield (RI) Town Council passed an ordinance that amended the Town’s zoning laws by prohibiting licensed medical marijuana patients from possessing more than two mature marijuana plants and...
October is “National Cyber Security Awareness Month.” How can anyone not be aware of cyber security? Reports of large-scale data breaches, hacking and cyberattacks appear in the media almost daily. The recent Equifax breach alone has exposed sensitive personal information of over 143 million Americans. Phishing and ransomware attacks are also on the rise. Phishing...
Since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act (the ACA), the use of S corporations has seen a steady increase in popularity among tax advisers, despite the fact that conventional wisdom provides that S corporations offer less operational flexibility than partnerships. Now that the ACA’s tax provisions are being targeted by both the Trump...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli After many revisions, the Rhode Island Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act (the “Sick Leave Law”) was signed into law last week. The basics are as follows: The law will go into effect July 1, 2018. The Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training will likely...
By now, most people have heard of the Equifax data breach, which affects the accounts of more than half the adult population of the United States. Because October is “National Security Awareness Month,” we would like to offer some thoughts and suggestions as to what steps you might take in light of the Equifax data...
Construction may be the most cyclical of all the major industries. Each cycle (i.e., recessionary, emerging, prime, and mature) presents benefits and challenges. We are currently in a “mature” construction cycle. Construction success hinges on identifying the current cycle and leveraging the benefits of that cycle. This article details tools to leverage those benefits. To...
Current Status After being delayed for approximately a month, Rhode Island’s budget through June 30, 2018 was finally signed into law by the governor on August 3, 2017. An analysis of the relevant tax sections in the budget is provided below. For reference, the enacted Public Laws version of House Bill 5175 Substitute A As...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli The time has come for Massachusetts’ employers to start preparing for the implementation of the law entitled An Act to Establish Pay Equity (the “Law”) that will go into effect on July 1, 2018. The Law represents a significant change to the scope of legal obligations that...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, and the use, sale and possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In recent years, however, a majority of states (at last count, 29 states and Washington, D.C.) have passed measures that decriminalize medical...
Massachusetts lawmakers have approved compromise legislation to legalize recreational marijuana use and sales in the Commonwealth. The bill has been sent to Governor Baker, who is expected to sign it. The new law would make a number of changes to the recreational marijuana law that voters approved in a referendum last November, (see Opportunities and Risks...
