Visa and MasterCard have announced that as a result of a November 2012 federal district court settlement ruling, they will be able to provide merchants in the US and US territories the ability to add asurcharge to cover the merchants’ cost of acceptance for certain credit card transactions, beginning January 27, 2013. Debit and prepaid…
DetailsSkimming has become big business, costing banks, retailers, and consumers $18 billion in 2011, the Huffington Post reports. Many of those skimming cases happened at gasoline station pumps, and 66% of identity theft was linked to existing credit card or debit card accounts, according to Javelin Strategy and Research. Rings of skimmer groups target ATMs…
DetailsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week announced a final rule strengthening the agency’s authority to use administrative detention to prevent potentially unsafe food from reaching the marketplace. This action makes the criteria for administrative detention consistent with the changes to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act under the Food Safety Modernization…
DetailsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds convenience store operators of their responsibility to ensure that all store employees are trained to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (previously known as food stamps). USDA notes that when retailers apply to accept SNAP benefits, they agree to an understanding of their responsibility to ensure that…
DetailsThe Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) recently posted a petition on the White House’s petition website to urge action to prevent the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) from enacting “unnecessary, burdensome regulations that could effectively ban the sale of many e-cigarettes.” “The FDA first tried to remove all e-cigarettes from the market…
DetailsMotorists accustomed to filling up at gas pumps with vapor-collecting attachments on the nozzles could be in for a change. Those nozzles belong to Stage II vapor-recovery systems, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled no longer cost-effectively cut air pollution. EPA estimates eliminating Stage II systems will save gas stations $3,000 each year. The…
DetailsU.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and David Vitter (R-La.) have introduced legislation to block an increase in the amount of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline. The bill would overturn U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers that allow gasoline containing 15% ethanol (E15) to be used for many passenger cars and light trucks. The…
DetailsA bipartisan group of 53 U.S. senators and representatives has introduced legislation that would allow local brick-and-mortar retailers to compete with out-of-state Internet sellers. While brick-and-mortar retailers collect sales taxes from customers who make purchases in their stores, many online and catalog retailers do not. Under the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, states would have…
DetailsDuring his State of the Union address, President Obama called for an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 (indexing it to inflation), sparking numerous debates among economists, including whether the move would truly help workers or stymie job hiring. “An increase in the minimum wage raises the income of those who…
DetailsThe Affordable Care Act has just passed a new milestone: All states have committed to what kind of health insurance marketplace, also referred to as an exchange, will be running in their states starting in January 2014. Seven states including Michigan have submitted applications for a state–federal partnership marketplace. Under this arrangement, the state might…
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