Governor Gina Raimondo has proposed legislation that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults in Rhode Island. Proposed bills to legalize recreational use of marijuana in the Ocean State have stalled in the past, or have been sent to committees for more study. Governor Raimondo and other legislative leaders have been reluctant to...
By Colin Coleman, John Ottaviani, and Brian Reilly On January 10, 2019, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed new legislation to amend Massachusetts’ data breach notification law. The new law, which will be effective as of April 11, 2019, makes a few changes that are particularly relevant to Massachusetts businesses: 1. Emphasis on Immediate Breach Notification. Although the...
By Colin Coleman, John Ottaviani, and Brian Reilly January is a good time for all businesses to review and update their cybersecurity policies and practices. We are only a few days into 2019, and already we are hearing breaking news about new data breaches. The German government suffered a breach involving many prominent politicians and celebrities....
By Eugene G. Bernardo II or David M. DiSegna On December 31, 2018, the IRS issued new regulations governing public approval requirements for tax-exempt private activity bonds under 26 U.S.C. § 147(f), which were originally enacted as part of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, or TEFRA. The regulations make several significant changes to...
As companies dash toward year-end, scammers are also hard at work. In one common scam, known as “spoofing,” an employee receives an email that appears to be from within an organization in order to trick the recipient into sending the scammer money, sensitive information, or other materials of value. These emails are typically addressed from...
By Eugene G. Bernardo II and David M. DiSegna Section 13532 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “2017 Act”) eliminated the tax exemption for interest on advance refunding bonds (defined as bonds issued more than 90 days before the redemption of the bonds to be refunded). However, after the 2017 Act’s...
By David Wittmann and Brian Reilly Within the past few weeks, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled two enforcement actions against companies engaged in the sale of digital assets. It also separately settled actions against DJ Khaled and Floyd Mayweather for their failure to disclose payments they received in relation to promoting the sale of...
Rhode Island has a window of opportunity to take the national lead in the insurance industry with voluntary restructuring of solvent insurers. Due to attempts by other states and state regulators to leapfrog Rhode Island, however, that window is in danger of closing. Voluntary restructuring of solvent insurers is not a new concept, at least...
On August 10, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law an act relative to the judicial enforcement of noncompetition agreements that fundamentally changes the way those agreements are regulated in Massachusetts. The act applies to all noncompetition agreements entered into after October 1, 2018, so all employers that have Massachusetts-based employees who are subject...
(Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part column. See part 1 here.) By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli As detailed in Part I, certain types of noncompetition agreements are now invalid under the new Massachusetts noncompete law (the Act). This is of course a double-edged sword for employers, who will now benefit from...
