Between the Lines Blog
Final Rulemaking Package Submitted for California Intervenor and AHB Fairness and Accountability Regulations
April 21, 2026
by Jerry Zimmerman
On April 20, 2026, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara submitted the final rulemaking package for the Intervenor and Administrative Hearing Bureau (AHB) Fairness and Accountability regulations (REG-2025-00006) to the Office of Administrative Law for final review. These regulations…
Trademark Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Yourself
Trademark scams are on the rise, leading to confusion amongst trademark owners. In fact, in August 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) took the extraordinary step of sanctioning a foreign filing firm and terminating over 52,000 trademark applications and registrations…
Understanding Patient Safety Organizations: A Practical Guide
If you work in the healthcare industry, you have likely heard about Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) and the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA). This article breaks down what these frameworks mean and how they can protect sensitive safety information from disclosure in…
Service Animals in Arkansas Schools: What Every Administrator Should Know - Part Two
In a prior installment of this blog post we outlined the law that all Arkansas school administrators should know about service animals. Now we turn to a slightly less clear issue that comes up quite frequently: the difference between service animals and emotional support animals. The Mitchell…
Service Animals in Arkansas Schools: What Every Administrator Should Know (Part 1)
Navigating the ADA, Reasonable Accommodations, and Safety in Practice If you’ve ever had a parent or visitor arrive at your school event with a dog, you’ve probably found yourself asking: What are my legal responsibilities? What questions am I allowed to ask? How do I balance access, safety, and…
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law Blog
Flow Control/Landfill: Federal Court Addresses Challenge to Shreveport, Louisiana Ordinance
A United States District Court (W.D. Louisiana) (“Court”) addressed in an April 16th Memorandum Ruling (“Ruling”) addressing a Shreveport, Louisiana ordinance requiring all municipal solid waste collected within the city to be disposed of at the Republic Woolworth Landfill (“Woolworth Landfill”)…
Proposed Constitutional Amendment: Arkansas Attorney General Again Rejects Clean and Healthy Environment Amendment
Arkansas Attorney General (“AG”) Tim Griffin transmitted an April 7th letter to Jennifer Waymack Standerfer rejecting a popular name and ballot title for a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment titled: The Natural Environment Amendment. See Opinion No. 2026-034. The AG had previously…
Air Enforcement: New Mexico Department of Environmental Quality Notice of Violation Addressing Santa Fe County Facility
The New Mexico Environmental Department (“NMED”) issued a March 3rd Notice of Violation (“NOV”) to Vulcan Materials Company (“VMC”). See EPCEB Air Case No. VUL-1666-2201. The NOV addresses alleged violations of the Arizona air regulations and/or an air permit. VMC is stated to own and/or operate a…
Regulatory Transformation Workshop/United States Army Corps of Engineers: May 12th Workshop in Little Rock, Arkansas
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) Little Rock District announced in an April 10th news release that it will hold a regulatory transformation workshop (“Workshop”) on May 12th. The Workshop will be held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Corps…
Title V/Clean Air Act: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Order Denying Objection to Weld County, Colorado Oil and Natural Gas Production Facility
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a January 6th Order Denying a petition objecting to the issuance of a Clean Air Act Title V Operating Permit (“Permit”) for Highpoint Operating Corporation (“Highpoint”). See Petition No. VIII-2025-29. The relevant facility is…