The United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) recently announced a new set of tariffs on imports of Chinese goods.1 Companies with global supply chains have been scrambling to understand the impact of the tariffs on...more
10/16/2018
/ China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Goods or Services ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
Early last week, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amended their rules concerning the eligibility of Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB)1. Both agencies issued regulations...more
10/11/2018
/ Amended Rules ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
New Rules ,
Ownership Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SBA ,
SDVOSB ,
Small Business ,
Veterans ,
VOSB
The United States, Canada, and Mexico have reached an agreement to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after more than a year of negotiations. Rebranded as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the...more
10/3/2018
/ Bilateral Investment Treaties ,
Canada ,
Expropriation ,
Foreign Investment ,
International Arbitration ,
Investor Protection ,
Investors ,
Mexico ,
Most-Favored Nations ,
NAFTA ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
Dear Friend of Snell & Wilmer:
The past year brought significant changes across a variety of political, legal, and policy spheres, and the world of U.S. international trade law was no exception. This edition of the...more
1/12/2018
/ Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cuba ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Embargo ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exports ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Iran ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Russia ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
The third round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations among the United States, Canada, and Mexico concluded at the end of September. Similar to the position taken after the second round of...more
10/10/2017
/ Canada ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
The second round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations among the United States, Canada, and Mexico concluded earlier this month. While official statements from the countries indicated that all three...more
9/20/2017
/ Canada ,
Country of Origin ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On August 16, 2017, the United States, Canada, and Mexico began renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). According to reports, the negotiations are scheduled to be expedited in an effort to be complete...more
8/18/2017
/ Canada ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Popular ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On June 16, 2017, President Trump proposed new Cuba policies that would roll back certain changes made by the Obama Administration. Chief among the President’s sought changes are: a complete ban on economic activities that...more
The Phoenix City Council recently voted to amend the City’s lobbying ordinance in an attempt to reinforce registration regulations and enhance enforcement penalties. This amendment signals important changes for those paid to...more
In its recent four-word decision (“The judgment is affirmed.”) Independence Institute v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a campaign finance law requirement that donors backing certain campaign ads...more
3/8/2017
/ 501(c)(3) ,
Appeals ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
First Amendment ,
Independence Institute v FEC ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Political Advertising ,
Political Speech ,
SCOTUS
The recent major revisions to Arizona’s campaign finance laws (passed in bills S.B. 1516, H.B. 2296 and H.B. 2297), which took effect late last year, modified the previous restrictions on corporate contributions to political...more
As 2016 draws to a close, the holiday reading list for those involved with political action committees (PACs), mega political action committees (Mega PACs) and others in politics may include the comprehensive rewrite of...more
On April 5, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an Enforcement and Guidance Plan (Plan) concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). While the new Plan could be interpreted as a novel departure from past...more
9/19/2016
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Halliburton ,
Individual Accountability ,
KBR (formerly Kellogg Brown & Root) ,
OECD ,
Popular ,
Risk Assessment ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
After months of preparations, January 16, 2016 was “Implementation Day” – the day when the world’s sanctions on Iran were officially rolled back. On January 16, the International Atomic Energy Agency determined that Iran had...more
The Office of the Arizona Attorney General recently sparked debate by issuing an opinion advising two county attorneys that they may use public resources to disseminate messages about the dangers of marijuana use ahead of the...more
The U.S. Supreme Court last week reversed a federal three-judge panel in Alabama that upheld the state’s legislative district map against a racial gerrymandering challenge. Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama...more
With so many personal gadgets needing daily recharging, desktop hard drives running 24 hours a day, and DVRs recording movies that run while we’re asleep, do you wonder where all that electricity is coming from? The next big...more
Government contractors and other companies subject to internal investigation requirements won some relief from the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on June 26 with a decision that firmly reiterated that...more
7/1/2014
/ Appeals ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Compliance ,
Confidential Communications ,
Contractors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Internal Investigations ,
KBR (formerly Kellogg Brown & Root) ,
Upjohn Warnings ,
Work-Product Doctrine
Over the last several years, the United States and other countries have constantly changed international trade regulations in response to ongoing foreign events. Now, in response to the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine,...more
It has long been assumed that under the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Upjohn Co. v. United States, reports generated during an internal investigation undertaken at the direction, and under the supervision, of corporate...more
Governments in every country are taking international trade compliance seriously. Unlike other company departments that heavily rely on automation to track supply chain compliance, those departments responsible for...more
The federal government is the single largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. Some of these purchases, of course, are for highly specialized goods or services produced or performed by large corporations. For the...more
For the last 15 years, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) has garnered the most “compliance” attention by companies and the media due to the severe penalties associated with the bribing of foreign government officials....more
One of the many business strategies to win more government contracts is to “team” with other companies that provide specific specialties or qualify for socio-economic benefits. Sometimes, these partnerships are formal through...more
The Global Connection has extensively covered the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) over the years. With the advent of the U.K. Bribery Act, the FCPA was finally having real competition by another country as a...more