After much anticipation, the House passed House Financial Services Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and House Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson’s (R-PA) crypto regulatory legislation, the Financial Innovation and Technology for...more
In a landmark decision issued on May 16, the Supreme Court held that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) funding mechanism is constitutionally sound, as it does not violate the Appropriations Clause. The...more
On April 23, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the “Retirement Security Rule: Definition of an Investment Advice Fiduciary,” which makes changes to the definition of “ fiduciary” for purposes of the Employee...more
On April 7, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released the text of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), a bipartisan and...more
On March 6, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized a historic set of climate disclosure rules, which stand to be the most significant disclosure regime change since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The rule...more
On March 6, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) voted along party lines to adopt its long-awaited climate-related disclosure framework for registrants. This “Final Rule” largely reflects the proposed rule put...more
In a move that aligns with conservative arguments that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has become a political arm of the White House, the agency finalized its controversial credit card late fee rule just two...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a long-anticipated notice of proposed rulemaking on Jan. 17 that would fundamentally alter how overdraft services are provided by banks and credit unions. The CFPB is...more
On Jan. 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division announced its final rule on Employee or Independent Contractor Classification. The announcement marks the end of a rulemaking process that started...more
House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry’s (R-NC) announcement to retire at the end of the 118th Congress on Dec. 5 sent shockwaves throughout the financial services space, setting up a potentially...more
On Monday, Oct. 30, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) on the Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The EO is intended to establish safety standards for leading...more
On Oct. 19, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Personal Financial Data Rights, which would change the way financial institutions hold and distribute...more
On Oct. 11, 2023, the White House released a fact sheet describing new and forthcoming actions taken by the Biden administration that continue its focus on so-called “junk fees.” The announcement highlighted efforts between...more
On Aug. 30, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) about employer obligations related to overtime pay. The NPRM would put significant new burdens on a variety of industries,...more
In early June, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB” or “the Board”) proposed comprehensive amendments that impact how auditors consider noncompliance with laws and regulations, creating the possibility of a...more
8/4/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Auditors ,
Audits ,
Board of Directors ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Environmental Policies ,
Financial Statements ,
Noncompliance ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders
“Material Cybersecurity Incident” Standard Will Have a Monumental Impact on Current Cyber Disclosure Requirements -
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted the Cybersecurity Risk...more
The Treasury Department’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) released a report on June 26 calling on state regulators to refine efforts to evaluate climate change risks in insurance markets. The report comes amid some insurers...more
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) received nearly 2,000 comments on its proposed revisions to the guidance that will govern how Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) requirements codified in the Infrastructure...more
Comments on the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed noncompete clause rulemaking will now be accepted until April 19. The FTC voted 4-0 yesterday to extend the public comment window by roughly 30 days; it was initially set to...more
President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address on Feb. 7, facing a divided Congress for the first time in his presidency. Biden opened with a show of bipartisanship, drawing cheers as he congratulated the...more
Following two rounds of votes, the House Republican Steering Committee elected Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) to serve as the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee for the 118th Congress. Smith has served on the committee...more
On Jan. 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Proposed Rule) seeking to categorically ban nearly all employer non-competition agreements nationwide. If passed in its draft form,...more
1/10/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Former Employee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Restrictive Covenants
Legislative Lowdown -
Lawmakers Look to 2023 for Tax Priorities Following Omnibus Passage. On Dec. 29, President Joe Biden signed the nearly $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 into law, funding the...more
The Senate Appropriations Committee released the contents of a bipartisan $1.7 trillion omnibus package for fiscal year (FY) 2023 early on Dec. 20. Topline funding levels were agreed to last week as part of a deal to pass a...more
Legislative Lowdown -
Last-Minute Attempt to Revive Permitting Legislation. According to sources familiar with the matter, several moderate lawmakers from both parties are pushing to include energy-permitting reform...more
12/8/2022
/ Corporate Taxes ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Tax Incentives ,
EU ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Pending Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning ,
Tax Reform