The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has now established a page addressing “Agency Contingency Plans” with myriad links to the plans for a variety of agencies. The OMB webpage also links to FAQs that address what...more
The 30-day clock is about to start for comments on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking industry input on whether and how to regulate the wireless communications used to operate...more
On January 6, 2023, the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced new interim guidance for evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change under the National Environmental Policy Act...more
1/13/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
CEQ ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Review ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Natural Gas ,
NEPA ,
New Guidance ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is one of the most ambitious pieces of legislation yet aimed at combating climate change and promoting energy independence. Its proponents claim that it will reduce carbon emissions by 40%,...more
1/12/2023
/ Biofuel ,
Biomass ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Production Tax Credit ,
Renewable Energy ,
Tax Credits
On December 1, 2022, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (comprised of both the civilian and military acquisition regulatory councils) issued the final FAR rule on “Effective Communication between Government and...more
The patchwork collection of state and federal requirements applicable to COVID-19 vaccination continues to remain in flux. Beginning December 2021, there was a nationwide stay in the implementation of Executive Order 14042's...more
11/1/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OMB ,
Popular ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Fiscal Year 2023 started on October 1 and, without a final set of Department of Defense (DoD) authorizations and appropriations, the DoD currently is operating under continuing resolution. A version of the National Defense...more
10/21/2022
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Drones ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The civil False Claims Act (FCA) prohibits entities from fraudulently inducing the Government to contract, take or refrain from taking action, or make payment. Under the FCA, contractors that falsely certify their compliance...more
Congress has injected yet another wave of stimulus funding as the Biden Administration attempts to shape the future of America’s infrastructure. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law House Bill 5376, known as...more
8/29/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Energy Reform ,
Federal Funding ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Reform
Recently the Federal Trade Commission entered into a settlement under which Patriot LED must pay civil damages of nearly $158,000, plus a penalty of $2.96 million, for its alleged false marketing of lighting products as...more
8/24/2022
/ Buy America ,
Buy American Act ,
Country of Origin ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Goods or Services ,
Made in the USA ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Agreements Act
Traditionally, a fixed price government contract is one in which the contractor absorbs the risks and costs of performance. Absent an economic price adjustment (EPA) clause in the contract, an unforeseeable event, such as a...more
Increasingly, the Federal government implements a rule for government contractors which then makes its way in some form into all of US industry. Cybersecurity regulations, mandating that government contractors, grant and...more
4/22/2022
/ Comment Period ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Contractors ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Effective immediately, the Department of Defense (DoD) Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFARS) issued its final rule to provide enhanced post-award debriefing rights in competitive negotiated contracts, task orders, and...more
This week the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) issued a “SHIELDS UP” advisory. While it does not identify specific threats in the advisory, CISA states that the “Russian...more
2/21/2022
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
FBI ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Risk Management ,
Russia ,
Threat Management ,
Vulnerability Assessments
Once again the President has invoked the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act as the authority for an Executive Order “to promote economy and efficiency.” In his latest Executive Order (EO) issued on Friday,...more
The Biden Administration continues its march towards implementation and enforcement of permanent vaccination mandates.
OSHA withdraws OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) -
On January 13, 2022, the Administration’s...more
1/27/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The saga continues. In prior alerts, we have been providing updates and analysis regarding continuing practical and legal challenges to implementing the President’s Path Out of the Pandemic plan, and in particular, the...more
1/7/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (FPASA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Popular ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In the latest round of litigation on the rules being rolled out to implement the Biden Administration’s Path Out of the Pandemic, the Supreme Court signed orders yesterday to hold oral argument on January 7th, 2022 on the...more
12/24/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Certiorari ,
Commerce Clause ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Motion to Dissolve ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
Non-Delegation Doctrine ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Executive Order 14042 (the “EO”) and the implementing FAR clause and Safer Workforce Task Force (SWTF) Guidance – which mandate that government contractors and their subcontractors be vaccinated absent a legal exception – has...more
12/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (FPASA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Parens Patriae ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Health ,
Standing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Following an expedited briefing schedule and hearing, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction staying implementation of the government contractor vaccination...more
12/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Statutory Violations ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Breaking news – Following an expedited briefing schedule and hearing, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, in Georgia v. Biden, No. 21-cv-00163, has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction...more
As anticipated in our prior alerts, there have been continuing practical and legal challenges to implementing the Path Out of the Pandemic plan. This alert provides an update on the current status of challenges to OSHA's...more
12/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
OSHA ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Stays ,
Tenth Amendment ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On November 4, 2021, the White House released a fact sheet on the issuance of new OSHA ETS and CMS Rules and also addressed some changes to the previously announced EO 14042 federal contractor vaccination mandate. During last...more
11/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
We have previously reported on implementation issues arising from President Biden’s Path out of the Pandemic plan, which included issuance of Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID-19 Safety Protocols for...more
11/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
We have been answering a number of questions from clients regarding the nature and scope of the requirements for COVID vaccination, testing, masking and more. Our previous alert and blogs laid out the administration's Path...more
10/19/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety