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Fuel Surcharge Guidance and Multiple Regulatory Updates from Commerce Commission NZ

The Commerce Commission NZ published a collection of regulatory updates on 22 April 2026, including guidance on fuel surcharges, merger review statements, infrastructure approvals, and enforcement actions. The High Court imposed a $2.482 million penalty on Co-operative Bank for breaching the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003. The Commission proposed approving Transpower's $1.1386 billion capex allowance for Cook Strait cable replacement and approved Wellington Electricity's substation upgrade for central Wellington power supply protection. Multiple merger reviews remain ongoing.

Inspector of Air Accidents (Recorded Data) Vacancy Closes May 24 2026

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has published a vacancy notice for the position of Inspector of Air Accidents (Recorded Data), closing for applications at 11:55 pm on Sunday 24 May 2026. The role involves managing investigations of aircraft accidents and serious incidents involving recorded data from both on-board sources (flight recorders) and off-board sources (radar data, radio telephony recordings), including data recovery, replay, performance analysis, and drafting of Safety Recommendations and reports. Reference number for the vacancy is 457685, published on 21 April 2026.

Climate Change Agreements Scheme — Carbon Emissions Factor for Gas Updates

HMRC published a policy paper on 20 April 2026 setting out a measure that updates how the carbon emissions factor for gas is described and calculated. The measure also makes drafting changes to existing secondary legislation to consolidate and clarify eligibility to the climate change agreements scheme. The document links to the full amendment text for the extension to new sectors and processes.

Certain Crafting Machines and Components Thereof; Section 337 Violation Review

The U.S. International Trade Commission has determined to review in part an administrative law judge's final initial determination finding a violation of Section 337 in Investigation No. 337-TA-1426. The investigation concerns crafting machines and components allegedly infringing patents owned by Cricut, Inc. The Commission requests written submissions from parties, government agencies, and interested persons on remedy, public interest, and bonding.

Fertility Restoration With Autografting of Cryopreserved Testicular Tissue

NIH registered a pilot clinical trial (NCT07542626) evaluating autologous transplantation of cryopreserved immature testicular tissue as a fertility restoration method for prepubertal boys who become azoospermic or severely oligozoospermic after gonadotoxic therapies such as chemotherapy. The study plans to enroll participants and assess the feasibility of reimplanting previously frozen tissue.

ITC Reviews Crafting Machines Section 337 Violation, Requests Submissions on Remedy and Public Interest

The U.S. International Trade Commission determined to review in part the presiding administrative law judge's final initial determination finding a Section 337 violation in Investigation No. 337-TA-1408 involving certain crafting machines. The Commission requests written submissions from parties, government agencies, and interested persons on remedy, public interest, and bonding. The investigation, initiated December 11, 2024, involves patent infringement claims by Cricut, Inc. against multiple Chinese respondents including the Vevor Respondents, Konduone, and HTVRONT.

Legislative Drafting: A Fictional Example

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel published a fictional example illustrating its legislative drafting practice. The document shows how drafters translate government policy into legal language and subject policy to rigorous analysis to ensure provisions achieve their aims coherently. The example includes drafting instructions, an initial clause attempt, and a covering note demonstrating the iterative process between drafter and department.

Common Legislative Solutions: Guide to Tackling Recurring Policy Issues in Legislation

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has published updated guidance titled 'Common Legislative Solutions' to help government officials address recurring policy issues through commonly adopted legislative approaches. The guidance, produced with input from UK legislative drafting offices, identifies common policy problems and analyses possible legislative solutions. The document was last updated on 23 December 2025 with a new version of the guide.

Jessica de Mounteney Appointed First Parliamentary Counsel

Jessica de Mounteney has been appointed as the new First Parliamentary Counsel and Permanent Secretary of the Government in Parliament Group at the Cabinet Office, effective end of April 2024. She succeeds Dame Elizabeth Gardiner, who is departing after over 32 years of dedicated service. The appointment was made by the Prime Minister upon the recommendation of the Leader of the House of Lords. This is a routine administrative appointment to a senior civil service position within the UK's legislative drafting function.

Watercraft Accident Investigation Legislation Amendment

The Department for Transport and Marine Accident Investigation Branch concluded a consultation on amendments to the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023. The amendments aim to ensure accidents involving watercraft (recreational vessels with installed motors such as personal watercraft) can be investigated by the MAIB, and to correct minor drafting defects in the original order. Seventeen responses were received; minor stylistic amendments raised during consultation will be incorporated and the new legislation will be introduced as soon as possible.

Governor Brad Little Vetoes Five Bills Including Daycare, Budget, and Crypto Measures

Governor Brad Little vetoed five bills on Wednesday, April 9, 2026. The vetoes span House Bills 758a (daycares), 975 (rainy day funds), 968 (cash transfers), and 674 (telecommunications), plus Senate Bill 1359a (virtual currency kiosk fraud). Each veto letter outlines specific policy concerns including child safety risks, reserve fund levels, budget compliance, drafting deficiencies, and federal authority over telecom decisions.

State v. Nagel Affirmed - Postconviction Relief Denied

Vincent R. Nagel appealed the denial of his motions for postconviction relief without an evidentiary hearing in two consolidated cases arising from his 2022 no-contest pleas to three charges including possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, attempted second-degree murder, and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Nagel claimed trial counsel was ineffective for drafting the plea agreement to state he would serve 22 years before parole eligibility when he alleged the agreed sentence was 12.5 years, and for failing to correct the error at sentencing. The Nebraska Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's denial, finding the motion did not allege sufficient facts constituting a constitutional violation warranting an evidentiary hearing.

Modify 2026 Interim Committee Activities

The Colorado General Assembly has introduced HB26-1331 to modify 2026 interim committee activities. The bill limits interim committees to 5 bill drafting requests and 3 introductions, prohibits per diem and travel expenses for interim committee members, suspends certain committee meetings and reports for one year, and repeals the legislative emergency preparedness committee and statewide health care review committee. The bill decreases appropriations by $396,469 total across the General Assembly ($126,971), Legislative Council ($161,162 and 1.9 FTE), and Committee on Legal Services ($108,336 and 1.4 FTE).

Pay Transparency and Fair Pay Initiative

Bermuda's Ministry of Economy and Labour is consulting on proposed pay transparency legislation that would require all employers to develop written pay transparency policies, include salary ranges in job advertisements, prohibit salary history inquiries during recruitment, and grant employees the right to request salary range information for their roles. The proposal aligns with International Labour Organisation principles on equal pay for work of equal value and includes enforcement mechanisms and retaliation protections. The Government invites public feedback via www.forum.gov.bm before drafting legislation.

Retrospective Amendments to Pension Scheme Documents

Paul Newman KC provides legal analysis on the limits of validity for retrospective amendments to pension scheme documents under UK law. The article examines the extent to which such amendments may be rendered effective through careful drafting. The analysis is directed at legal professionals and pension scheme trustees seeking to understand the constraints on modifying pension documents with retroactive effect.

Designing Effective Arbitration Clauses: Forum Options, Confidentiality, and Procedural Fairness

ABA published guidance on drafting effective arbitration clauses, covering forum selection frameworks (AAA, JAMS, ICC), confidentiality provisions, and procedural fairness requirements. The article advises that courts may rescind or modify arbitration clauses found to be procedurally unfair, and mandates that arbitration clauses covering statutory claims in employment or consumer agreements must provide all relief available under applicable statutes.

EDPB EDPS Adopt Joint Opinion 4/2026 on CSA2 and NIS2 Proposals

EDPB and EDPS adopted Joint Opinion 4/2026 on the Cybersecurity Act 2 (CSA2) proposal and NIS2 directive amendments. The opinion supports strengthening EU cybersecurity while ensuring data protection alignment. CNPD participated in the drafting. The opinion recommends a single entry point for data breach notifications to reduce administrative burdens and designates European digital identity wallets as essential entities.

Method for Accelerating LLM Inference Procedures

USPTO published patent application US20260094028A1 by MEDIATEK INC. disclosing a method for accelerating large language model inference through draft token generation, rule-based determination, and matching operations. The invention aims to improve computational efficiency of LLM inference procedures using a two-stage drafting and matching approach. The application was filed September 26, 2025.

LAWYERSISTER_ Intent-to-Use Trademark Application - Legal Services

USPTO received intent-to-use trademark application TM99333602 for 'LAWYERSISTER_' covering legal services including legal advice, legal drafting, legal consultancy, and legal notice services. The application was filed on August 12, 2025, with a Statement of Use deadline of March 31, 2026.

Ireland DSGBV 2025 Annual Progress Report

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O'Callaghan published the 2025 progress report on the implementation of the Zero Tolerance Third National Strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV). The report documents measurable progress across 22 delivery partners in key areas including access to justice, the National Emergency Domestic Violence Accommodation Plan, and legislative reform. Minister O'Callaghan highlighted two significant legislative measures: removal of child guardianship from those convicted of killing an intimate partner, with drafting at an advanced stage; and a proposed register allowing domestic violence offenders to be publicly named, with pre-legislative scrutiny completed in January 2026. As the strategy enters its final phase, the focus will be on consolidating progress and developing the Fourth National Strategy.

Global Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation Procedures

The APG Secretariat issued procedural guidelines for its Global Fifth Round of mutual evaluations (MEs), effective 17 March 2026. These procedures govern how APG will assess member jurisdictions for compliance with FATF AML/CFT/CPF Standards using the FATF Methodology. The document covers team composition, on-site visit protocols, drafting timelines, follow-up processes, and plenary adoption procedures for Mutual Evaluation Reports (MERs).

APG Global Fourth Round Transitional Follow-Up Procedures

The APG Plenary adopted Transitional Follow-Up Procedures in March 2026 to govern the follow-up reporting process for the Global Fourth Round mutual evaluations. The procedures establish monitoring mechanisms for member jurisdictions' compliance with FATF Standards, including regular follow-up, enhanced follow-up, and quality and consistency review processes. Members exit the process 24 months before their Global Fifth Round mutual evaluation commences.