The Tennessee chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business has outlined all the bills the Tennessee State Legislature will review this session and that could potentially impact small businesses. It's a lengthy list worth perusing. Check it here.

We're catching up a bit to this note but thought it was interesting to pass along. Remember two years ago when we were all talking about Amazon's is-it-or-isn't-it nexus and rifling through the fine points of Quill v. North Dakota? The tax team at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz says Department of Revenue officials could be moving to clear up some of the confusion: Part of a recent Court of Appeals ruling cites a New Jersey case that links the licensing of intellectual property to the creation of a nexus.

The House Judiciary Committee is today hosting a hearing on the Marketplace Equity Act, legislation that seeks to compel online retailers to collect sales taxes regardless of whether they have brick-and-mortar stores in the buyer's state. Among those scheduled to testify is Bill Haslam.

Joe White looks ahead to the "really, really crazy" last week of the state legislature, where "a lot of stuff is passed just basically because the sponsor says, 'Hey, this is what the bill does' and nobody has time to read it." Among this year's surprise bills is a proposal to significantly change the state's unemployment benefits.

Wanna draw a line from Greece to big chunks of Nashville's health care scene? Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jerry Doctrow says "the spectacle playing out in Europe and a strong desire by members of Congress to avoid the 'do nothing' label in upcoming elections both create some real pressure to act." And that means there's a good chance of serious changes to Medicare and Medicaid criteria and/or reimbursements — despite the best efforts of the industry's lobbyists.

As part of a public-relations-push-turned-crusade, Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz on Tuesday told The Wall Street Journal he has hired a legal team to draft revisions to the Lacey Act governing the importing of rare woods and other plants. He's looking for sponsors in Congress, which shouldn't too hard given the vocal support he's received from a number of legislators in recent weeks.

Mr. Juszkiewicz said he wants clearer guidelines regarding "due care" to certify that wood imports are legal and for the law to apply only to importers and manufacturers, and not to retailers and consumers.

Juszkiewicz's comments to the Journal came on the same day a coalition of industry and environmental groups briefed media on the positive impact of the Lacey Act. Also on Tuesday, various Tennessee Tea Party groups said they will sponsor an Oct. 8 rally in support of Gibson. Scheduled to headline that event are Rep. Marsha Blackburn, radio host Steve Gill and others.

MGLaw attorney Griffin Dunham says legislation to tighten bankruptcy filing venue rules — Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen is co-sponsoring the bill — should be well received. The proposal will require companies to file where they are based or do most of their business.

The bill is aimed at preventing debtors from using a friendly forum where they have no real presence to make creditors’ lives more difficult. This makes sense - the most affected districts should hear the case. This also seems fair to creditors because presumably it would cut down on the significant transaction costs that would be incurred to fight in $600/hour legal markets like Delaware and New York.

The insurance attorneys at Bass Berry & Sims say an overhaul of Tennessee's captive insurance regulations, which had been a priority for the Haslam administration, "places Tennessee on the short list of states senior management should consider when looking to establish a self-insurance vehicle." The new framework allows for coverage of a wide range of risks, including workers' compensation.

SEE ALSO: Haslam administration wants bigger captive insurer market from back in February