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Covering Election Law, Community Solar, Operational Modernization, Executive Order, Modernization. Updates on Election Law challenges, California's community solar tariffs, Federal Reserve operational overhaul, and executive order litigation highlight today’s regulatory landscape across multiple sectors.
Regulatory news, updates, and insights for USA presented by the Carver Agents team
Welcome to Carver's USA Regulatory Updates for April 26, 2026.
The California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, has adopted a new process to implement the community renewable energy tariff and made modifications to its Green Tariff programs. These changes include funding and evaluation of the Disadvantaged Communities-Green Tariff, along with updated program reporting requirements. Key mandates require that at least 51 percent of program capacity serve low-income customers, prohibit costs to nonparticipating customers exceeding avoided costs, and ensure compliance with prevailing wage requirements for construction.
In federal regulatory news, the U.S. District Court has issued a preliminary injunction halting the merger between Nexstar Media Group and TEGNA. This merger had previously been approved by the Federal Communications Commission through a bureau-level process without a full commission vote. The court found that the merger would have violated the FCC's national ownership cap. The ruling emphasizes the need for full commission oversight and transparency in merger approvals.
The Federal Reserve is undertaking a significant modernization of its operations. According to remarks by Christopher J. Waller, the Federal Reserve will shift from a decentralized, district-focused operational model to a more centralized system-wide approach for major functions such as information technology, human resources, finance, procurement, and payments. Two models are proposed: one emphasizing centralized leadership with a local presence, and another adding physical consolidation and potential outsourcing. Key requirements include centralizing leadership of major support functions under single senior leaders accountable for the entire System, standardizing processes and systems across all 12 Reserve Banks, and delegating authority for operational decisions to System-level leaders rather than requiring consensus across all Banks.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, has filed an amicus brief in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to reaffirm its exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets. This action counters efforts by states including Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York to regulate these markets, underscoring federal preemption of state laws in regulating commodity derivatives. The CFTC's position protects regulated exchanges from conflicting state enforcement and legal challenges.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a legal alert reminding school districts of their legal responsibilities to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, assault, and abuse under California law and Senate Bill 848. School districts are required to adopt new policies on the safe use of facilities and professional boundaries, designate compliance coordinators, train staff and mandated reporters, conduct background checks, and maintain transparent communication and reporting systems. Districts must develop and implement a comprehensive school safety plan by July 1, 2026.
Attorney General Bonta is also leading a coalition seeking to permanently block Sections 2, 3, and 5 of President Trump's Executive Order 14399, which restricts mail voting and exerts federal control over elections. The coalition filed a motion for summary judgment requesting a permanent injunction, arguing that these provisions are unconstitutional and exceed presidential authority. The injunction would protect states from federal enforcement of these sections and prevent the federal government from creating programs or investigations based on the order without state requests.
In an ongoing antitrust matter, Attorney General Bonta has secured public access to detailed evidence in the Amazon price-fixing case in California. The evidence reveals Amazon colluding with vendors and competitors to fix prices by coercing vendors to raise prices or remove products from competing retailers. The update mandates that Amazon cease explicit price fixing with vendors and competitors, stop communicating with vendors about other retailers’ pricing to coerce price increases, and avoid coercing vendors to act as intermediaries demanding compensation for price matching.
Finally, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is considering granting an order under sections 17(d) and 57(i) of the Investment Company Act and rule 17d-1 to allow joint transactions otherwise prohibited by the Act. This affects the Saba Capital Income & Opportunities Fund II and related entities. Interested persons may request a hearing by May 15, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with hearing requests requiring proof of service on the applicants.
That wraps up today's regulatory updates. Visit carveragents.ai for more information.