Last week, the Senate Finance Committee completed markup of the Baucus/Hatch tax extenders bill by approving the bill on a vote of 19-5. The bill contains a two-year retroactive extension of the work opportunity tax credit (WOTC) in its present form, through December 31, 2013. The WOTC Coalition applauded the passage, noting that none of…
DetailsLast week, USDA Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon announced the agency’s intent to publish a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register to impose new sanctions, including new civil penalties, modifying penalties for sales of ineligible items, and new fines for transactions without the presence of an EBT card. While not…
DetailsThe FDA has heavily regulated cigarettes and smokeless tobacco since it gained authority over tobacco three years ago, but the agency has largely left cigars alone. But because the FDA indicated it would be designing a strategy to address non-regulated tobacco products, premium cigar makers and shops are becoming concerned. So are some members of…
DetailsLast week, class action claims against gasoline retailers were kept alive by a Kansas federal judge. The litigation alleged retailers sold gasoline without revealing or accounting for temperature expansion, refusing to reconsider a denial of the retailers’ motion to dismiss, said a Law360 report. “Defendants’ motion for reconsideration of motion to dismiss for lack of…
DetailsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will require all consumers to buy at least four gallons of gasoline from certain gas pumps after the new E15 ethanol-gasoline blend is introduced into the market. The agency revealed the mandate to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in an Aug. 1 letter responding to AMA concerns that consumers…
DetailsThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday dismissed challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of a partial waiver for E15 allowing it to be used in light-duty vehicles manufactured beginning in 2001. The court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring action against the EPA for granting a…
DetailsThe ongoing drought in the Midwest will soon trigger a global food crisis, Bloomberg reports. In response, the International Food Policy Research Institute is asking the United States to stop its biofuel production because it uses 40% of its corn crop. “The major problem is policy,” said Shenggen Fan, the institute’s director-general, on Bloomberg Television.…
DetailsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is boosting its compliance inspections and making retailer compliance checks a priority. In recent years the agency has increased its number of inspectors from 1,218 in 2008 to 1,600 in 2011, and has conducted more than 91,000 retailer compliance checks on tobacco-related regulations. “FDA’s retailer compliance inspections are increasing…
DetailsAgriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon recently announced new strategies to further improve program integrity in SNAP and hold those misusing benefits accountable. The measures include tougher financial sanctions for the small number of retailers that defraud the program, as well as new requirements and tools for states to ensure benefits go solely to eligible individuals.…
DetailsThe National Association of Tobacco Outlets joined the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce in calling for a detailed response from Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Health and Human Services Department Secretary, about the potential illegal use of federal tax dollars to support lobbying efforts. “For more than two years, members of Congress, as well as…
Details