Labor & Employment Law: Vermont and Federal Legislative Update
Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to compile and share state-specific citizenship lists with election officials, requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to...more
As the country enters a midterm election year, Republican Members in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a comprehensive election reform proposal. The bill, known as the Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA...more
On January 14, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States issued three decisions: Barrett v. United States, No. 24-5774: This case addresses whether a defendant who commits a single act that violates two subsections of...more
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance - The United States Supreme Court will decide whether states can count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, a ruling...more
On November 10, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in one case: Watson v. Republican National Committee, No. 24-1296: This election law case addresses the validity of a Mississippi state...more
PA Treasurer Expands Loan Program Amid Budget Stalemate - State Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) widened a $500 million low-interest loan initiative to include providers of domestic violence and rape survivor services as the...more
Lawmakers remain deadlocked over spending levels, revenue options, and policy priorities, leaving schools and human services without state funding and forcing local governments to borrow or cut programs. At the center of the...more
State Budget Deal “Close” But Elusive as Talks Drag Into Third Month- Lawmakers from both parties say a budget agreement is close but are offering few details, leaving state payments to schools and social services frozen...more
Former FEC Chairmen Urge Supreme Court to Clarify Bribery Standard, Warn Against Criminalizing Routine Campaign Interactions...more
$49.9B Shapiro Budget Offer Opens Path to Compromise Amid Transit, Funding Challenges - Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) $49.9 billion budget proposal has prompted cautious optimism in Harrisburg, with Democratic leaders...more
Cuts Commence as Budget Statement Persists - With the state budget more than seven weeks overdue, delayed payments are straining Pennsylvania libraries, foster care agencies, and schools, prompting service cuts, borrowing,...more
Pritzker, taking aim at Trump, crypto ‘bros,’ signs laws to regulate digital currency industry, crypto ATMS - “These real-life examples of people falling prey to scammers and using cryptocurrency kiosks to send them large...more
PA State Budget a Month Past-due, SEPTA Service Cuts Weeks Away -Democratic state legislators expressed frustration that a budget bill with funding for mass transit has yet to pass. With SEPTA anticipated to start...more
Gov. Shapiro Launches “Deliberative Polling” to Foster Bipartisan Dialogue -Governor Josh Shapiro (D) launched a three-day deliberative polling event in Philadelphia aimed at encouraging informed, cross-partisan discussions...more
On March 25, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS.” This far-reaching Executive Order requires federal and state authorities to implement...more
The New York State Senate once again began the year’s legislative session by passing a number of election-related bills....more
City Council, Police Discuss Methods to Curb Illegal Car Meetups - On Tuesday, the City Council Public Safety and Streets & Services Committees heard testimony from Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) officials about...more
The Cozen Lens · Election Day is just 41 days away but voting has already begun in some states, mitigating the impact of both candidates’ campaigns as we draw closer to November 5th. · Tech leaders are...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) issued a decision on September 29, 2022, in Starbucks Corporation, 371 NLRB No. 154 (2022), updating the considerations that guide regional directors when deciding...more
1. The National Labor Relations Board modified its test for determining if COVID-19-related conditions warrant mail ballot union elections, potentially signaling a return to mostly in-person votes. Starbucks Corp., 371 NLRB...more
The federal contractor vaccine requirement is back in the news. As T. Scott Kelly and Emily Halliday discussed, in late August 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit narrowed the coverage of a previously...more
It has been almost two years since the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its decision in Aspirus Keweenaw in 2020, setting forth the standards that Regional Directors use to determine the efficacy of...more
A significant change to the manner in which representation elections have been conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic is the increased frequency of mail-ballot elections – whereas, previously, such elections were extremely...more
Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) issued a decision realigning guidance on when a union election should occur by mail. Going forward, the new standard will make it less likely that union elections...more
New York AG Letitia James and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation reached a settlement with robocall company Message Communications, Inc. and its president (collectively “Message Defendants”) along with any...more