On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, House Democrats introduced H.R. 6800 – The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, also known as the CARES 2.0 bill. This $3 trillion package would provide additional...more
5/14/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Funding ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures ,
State and Local Government ,
Tribal Governments ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unemployment Insurance
On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, Congress held a ceremony commemorating the dedication of the statue of Ponca Chief Standing Bear in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. The ceremony included remarks by House Speaker...more
On Thursday, August 22, the Department of the Treasury will publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing that the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee (TTAC) will meet on Wednesday, September 18, from 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m....more
On Friday, August 9, 2019, in Brackeen v. Bernhardt, No. 18-11479, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit declared that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and its implementing federal regulations (“the Final Rule”)...more
8/14/2019
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Anti-Commandeering ,
Appeals ,
Child Custody ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Department of the Interior ,
Equal Protection ,
Final Rules ,
Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) ,
Native American Issues ,
Non-Delegation Doctrine ,
Reversal ,
Standing ,
Summary Judgment ,
Tenth Amendment
On Wednesday, June 5, the Treasury Department published a notice in the Federal Register announcing that the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee (TTAC) will meet on Thursday, June 20, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time in...more
• On June 3, 2019, a federal court in New Hampshire ruled in favor of a New Hampshire state agency in concluding that “the text, context, and structure of the Wire Act” limit the Act’s applicability to sports gambling and no...more
• On January 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice released a November 2, 2018, opinion from its Office of Legal Counsel reversing previously issued guidance under the Obama Administration that interpreted the Wire Act to...more
In Brackeen v. Zinke, No. 4:17-cv-868-O (N.D. Tex.), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas declared that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and its implementing federal regulations (the Final Rule) are...more
All three branches of the federal government had a busy spring. The U.S. Supreme Court just completed its 2017 term in June with a full-strength bench after spending much of the previous term with only eight justices after...more
7/18/2018
/ Action to Quiet Title ,
Department of the Interior ,
Drainage ,
Drought ,
Executive Orders ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Funding ,
General Welfare Exclusion ,
Government Reorganization ,
In Rem Jurisdiction ,
Indian General Allotment Act ,
Jurisdiction ,
Land Owners ,
Land Purchases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Native American Issues ,
Opioid ,
Polling ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Reauthorization ,
Reclamation ,
Retirement ,
Salmon ,
SCOTUS ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Treaties ,
Trump Administration ,
Upper Skagit Indiana Tribe v Lundgren ,
Vacated ,
WA Supreme Court ,
Washington v United States ,
Water ,
Water Rights ,
Water Usage ,
Women in the Law
Lawmakers have returned from the Memorial Day recess and are facing a packed legislative agenda over the summer. With the announcement this week of a shortened August recess, the Senate will have more time to address...more
6/13/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Farm Bill ,
FCC ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Policy ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
NDAA ,
Net Neutrality ,
North Korea ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Repeal ,
Spectrum ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Policy ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Resources Development Act
Washington saw a flurry of bipartisan activity over the last few weeks. Most notably, Republican and Democratic negotiators reached a long-awaited deal on sequestration budget caps. The compromise, announced on February 7 as...more
6/7/2018
/ Add-ons ,
Aluminum Sales ,
Banking Sector ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Capital Requirements ,
Congressional Review Act ,
CRA ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
DACA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Drones ,
Drug Pricing ,
FCC ,
Federal Budget ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Gun Laws ,
Imports ,
Infrastructure ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
National Security ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Opioid ,
Petition for Rulemaking ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 201 ,
Section 232 ,
Section 340B ,
Solar Panels ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Extenders ,
Tax Relief ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trump Administration ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
• The Supreme Court in Murphy v. NCAA ruled 7-2 that a federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports betting violated the constitutional rule that the federal government may not “commandeer” the states.
• The...more
5/18/2018
/ Anti-Commandeering ,
Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Indian Gaming ,
Indian Gaming Regulation Act ,
Murphy v National Collegiate Athletic Association ,
NCAA ,
PASPA ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Sports Gambling ,
State Sovereignty ,
States Rights ,
Tenth Amendment
When Congress returned after the December break, it needed to reach a spending agreement on government funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2018. Since October 2017, the government had been funded through a series of...more
4/27/2018
/ Bureau of Indian Affairs ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Funding ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Native American Issues ,
NLRA ,
Opioid ,
Patchak v Zinke ,
Presidential Appointments ,
SCOTUS ,
Separation of Powers ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Tribal Employees ,
Trump Administration
Congress returned from its spring recess with a host of issues to address—trade, Trump administration nominations and opioid legislation sitting atop the priority list. Given the ongoing data scandal at Facebook, privacy...more
4/12/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Broadband ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exports ,
Farm Bill ,
FCC ,
Foreign Agents ,
Fuel Standards ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Health Care Providers ,
HELP ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
NAFTA ,
NHTSA ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Policy ,
Registration Requirement ,
Rural Areas ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Section 340B ,
Senate Finance Committee ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trump Administration
January 2018 marked the beginning of year two of the Trump Presidency and the second session of the 115th Congress. Congress came back into session on January 3 after recessing for the December holidays. With the passage of...more
1/29/2018
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Appropriation ,
Article III ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Continuing Resolution ,
Farm Bill ,
Government Shutdown ,
Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) ,
Native American Issues ,
NEPA ,
Opioid ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Tribal Corporations ,
Tribal Lands ,
USDA
December is often the busiest time in Washington, and this year is no different as Congress races toward the holiday finish line. There is still a multitude of problems to solve before members can head back to their...more
12/12/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
DACA ,
FCC ,
Federal Budget ,
H-1B ,
Individual Mandate ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
IPAB ,
Israel/Palestine ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Middle East ,
Natural Resources ,
Ownership Requirements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Repeal ,
Section 232 ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
Congress returned from the Thanksgiving holiday with an intense workload that must be completed by the end of the year. Tax reform remains a focus, and the Republican-controlled Congress is still committed to getting a final...more
12/8/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Coal ,
Department of the Interior ,
FERC ,
Indian Gaming ,
Indian Tribal Trusts ,
Low Income Housing ,
Native American Issues ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oral Argument ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Reform ,
Tax Treaty ,
Trade Relations ,
Tribal Governments ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Water
Congress continues its heavy workload with the Thanksgiving recess roughly three weeks away. On October 26, the House passed the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution by the slim margin of 216-212—opening the door for...more
11/7/2017
/ Asia ,
CFIUS ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Congressional Committees ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Disaster Aid ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Federal Register ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Flood Insurance ,
Foreign Investment ,
Medicare ,
NAFTA ,
New Legislation ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Finance Committee ,
Tax Code ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Congress returned after Labor Day for a busy September and acted quickly to avoid a government shutdown by passing stop gap funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and raising the debt ceiling. The already crowded congressional...more
10/9/2017
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Shutdown ,
Healthcare Reform ,
NAFTA ,
Natural Disasters ,
NDAA ,
Paris Agreement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Reform ,
Travel Ban ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
The exuberance of a November election victory for Republicans has given way to the difficult reality of passing legislation in a closely divided Senate. While the GOP has made significant gains in the area of regulatory...more
8/8/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Arbitration ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Insurance ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran Sanctions ,
NDAA ,
North Korea ,
RAISE Act ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Repeal ,
Russia ,
STEM ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees ,
Venezuela
On June 30, Congress gaveled out for the July 4 recess after postponing a critical vote to begin debate on an Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal-and-replace bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the GOP caucus...more
7/10/2017
/ Clean Water Rule ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Healthcare Reform ,
International Relations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
Qatar ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v Hawaii
Despite the headlines coming out of Washington, Congress continues to move forward in regular fashion, discussing and acting upon key issues, such as funding the government, addressing the need to raise the debt ceiling and...more
6/3/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Budget ,
FERC ,
Financial CHOICE Act ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Contributions ,
Quorum ,
Repeal ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Reform ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees
Congress returned to session the week of April 24 following a two-week recess. Active discussions and debate surrounding the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and efforts to “repeal-and-replace” the Affordable Care Act resumed...more
5/10/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Health Care Act (AHCA) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electric Generation Suppliers ,
Employee Training ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Federal Budget ,
FERC ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OTMP ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Repeal ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration
Congress entered into its spring recess on April 7 having delivered regulatory reforms to President Trump’s desk. In the first 75 days of the Trump administration, legislators approved 13 Congressional Review Act resolutions,...more
4/15/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Call Blocking ,
China ,
Confidential Business Information (CBI) ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Disclosure ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Foreign Relations ,
GAO ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Infrastructure ,
Lobbying ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Robocalling ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Spoofing ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trade Deficit ,
Trump Administration ,
Two For One Rule
As the Trump presidency completes its first 10 weeks, the administration is celebrating big wins on the regulatory reform front while nursing some wounds from a major defeat on efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable...more
4/3/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
Broadband Privacy Rules ,
China ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Electronic Devices ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
International Relations ,
International Travel ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Judicial Appointments ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Devices ,
NAFTA ,
National Security ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
NEPA ,
North Korea ,
Obama Administration ,
OMB ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Repeal ,
Secretary of State ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Supreme Court Justices ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Policy ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Transportation Security Administration ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees ,
USTR