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 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
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
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
On September 30, 2021, the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC) issued a formal Class Deviation from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), to implement rollout of the President’s Executive Order 14042, Ensuring...more
10/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Safety Programs ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Last year at this time, we reported on the prospect of a partial government shutdown due to Congress’s failure to enact appropriations legislation to fund all aspects of the government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. In that case,...more
10/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Shutdown ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Stop Work Orders ,
Tax Reform ,
Vaccinations
On September 24, 2021, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued its hotly anticipated workplace safety guidelines as required by Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors....more
9/28/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
As reported in an earlier alert and blog, on September 9, 2021, President Biden rolled out his Path Out of the Pandemic plan (the “Plan”) to combat the spread of COVID-19. ...more
9/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Biden rolled out his Path Out of the Pandemic plan (the “Plan”) to combat the spread of COVID-19. As reported in an earlier alert, this Plan contains a number of moving parts and coverage that...more
9/14/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Service Contract Act ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Published on June 9, 2021, President Biden’s Executive Order on Protecting America’s Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries is the latest Executive Order seeking to strengthen national security by improving public and...more
6/24/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Connected Items ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information Technology ,
Mobile Apps ,
National Security ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Software ,
TikTok
Previously we reported on President Trump’s Executive Orders banning U.S. nationals’ investment in designated Chinese companies that pose a threat to our national security under the International Emergency Economic Powers...more
6/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Defense Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain
If you live on the East Coast and tried to get gasoline last week, you already know firsthand of the impacts that a cyber incident can wreck on the supply chain. As a result of the Colonial Pipeline cyber incident, a...more
Recent weeks have brought news on multiple fronts regarding supply chain risks and actions in response thereto:
Commerce ICTS Regulations to Go Into Effect; Chinese ICTS Companies, Products and Services in the...more
3/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
FCC ,
Foreign Policy ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Internet of Things ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications
President Biden entered office on January 20, 2021, without the usual parades, inaugural balls, and so forth that are the hallmarks of the establishment of a new administration. Typically only a few Executive Orders are...more
1/29/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Census ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
LGBTQ ,
Masks ,
Military Service Members ,
Popular ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Supply Chain ,
Travel Ban