Articles

MRA's cooperative lobbying efforts with the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) bore fruit this year in Alabama and Alaska.

The Commerce Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee approved legislation yesterday that would strengthen the security of consumer data, while also making two important changes crucial to the conduct of marketing research in the United States.

Texas governor, Rick Perry, has signed a new health bill, H.B. 300, into law that enforces new obligations in addition to the requirements of the HIPAA privacy rule. The law, which becomes effective September 1, 2012, provides an expansive definition of a covered entity and is likely to include non-covered entities under HIPAA, including survey researchers.

On July 13, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2012 Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations legislation, which had already cut about 25% from Census funding compared to FY11, without an amendment which would have further sliced away at the Census Bureau's budget.

Today, the House Appropriations Committee will consider amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations legislation, which already cut about 25% from Census funding compared to FY11.

MRA testified this morning on legislation in the Vermont legislature, S. 104, which would legalize research with physicians.

The Alabama Senate passed S.B. 96, which would amend Section 17-5-16 of the Alabama Code to require “any communication via phone bank or other automated telephone dialing service to be conducted” with a “notice at the beginning and ending of the phone call that the communication was a paid political advertisement, clearly identifying the identification of the person, nonprofit corporation, entity, principal campaign committee, or political action committee that paid f...

Alaska Senate Majority Leader Kevin Meyer (R-O) introduced S.B. 40, and Rep. Scott Kawasaki (D-9) introduced H.B. 226, legislation which would forbid using “an automated telephone system, device, or facsimile machine for the selection and dialing of telephone numbers and playing of recorded messages if a message is completed to the dialed number for the purpose of: (A) offering goods or services for sale; (B) conveying information on goods or services in soliciting sales or purchases; (C) ...

MRA convinced a state legislator to exempt respondent incentives for marketing research from his legislation, which would have banned most payments from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to health care professionals.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responded to MRA on our concerns regarding the confidentiality of marketing research data.