Nota Bene Episode 137: Asia Q3 Check In: Vaccine Rollouts and China’s Capital Markets with Paul Kim
Homeless Assistance Centers and the NIMBY Response
The FEMA Denial Pattern We Are Seeing – and How to Write a Scope That Survives Review - Recent FEMA Determination Memoranda, first appeals, and arbitration filings before the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) reflect...more
A historic, widespread, and long-lasting winter storm is in progress, bringing destructive ice and heavy snow from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast. Forecasts indicate dangerous travel conditions for days, and parts of...more
Effective January 21, 2026, the U.S. Department of State announced that it will indefinitely pause all immigrant visa issuances for applicants from 75 specific countries the Department deems are “at high risk of public...more
Department of State to Pause Immigrant Visa Processing from 75 Countries - The Department of State announced on January 14, 2026, that it is pausing the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries in an attempt to...more
Ohio AG Dave Yost led a group of 19 Republican AGs in sending a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, asking him to ensure the continuation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the...more
The block grant model has long been eyed as a potential solution to the complexity, frustration, and delay often experienced by FEMA Public Assistance program recipients and subrecipients after a disaster. House Resolution...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General ("OIG") issued Advisory Opinion No. 25-02 ("Opinion") on April 4, 2025, regarding a Health Center proposal to link social support services to...more
Though there is continuing debate on the underlying cause(s), data clearly supports that natural disasters are occurring with increasing frequency and at a greater cost to the American public (whether personally or through...more
Much of the southeast of the United States is still recovering from devastating hurricanes (Helene and Milton) that impacted the region in the past month, affecting thousands of people. Citizens affected by the damage caused...more
With disasters increasing in frequency, severity, and cost, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a new financial incentive for applicants to rebuild in ways that will make them more resilient in the face of a...more
Landslides and slope failures resulting from disasters cause millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure each year. Following a disaster, funding for repair and restoration of infrastructure, including roads and bridges,...more
The ever-increasing cost of disasters and Congress' reliance on 11th-hour continuing resolutions (CRs) often result in a storm of questions regarding disaster appropriations. This disaster recovery brief explains some of the...more
Here Ye! Here Ye! Major changes to federal regulation and policy are happening now! FEMA's new proposed policy guide is open for public comment through August 16 AND comments to FEMA's proposed changes to 44 Code of Federal...more
We are one month into the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season and already have our first named storm, with significant impacts across some portions of the Gulf States. We have seen a Governor declared emergency in Texas and a...more
Historically, the courts have had little involvement in review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) decisions regarding the billions of dollars of federal disaster recovery funding that FEMA administers...more
What is SSI? SSI is a government program that provides monthly payments to adults and children who have income and resources below specific financial limits and who meet one of the following criteria: They are 65 or older...more
On January 9, State of Georgia Representative Mandisha Thomas introduced HB 887 (the Bill), which amends certain provisions of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and...more
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding to eligible applicants under the Public Assistance (PA) program to help applicants in responding to and recovering from presidentially declared major disasters...more
On January 2, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against FloatMe Corp. (“FloatMe”), a fintech that offers short-term cash advances through its mobile app, alleging violations of the FTC Act, the Restore...more
CSPI Urges Food Retailers, Congress to Make SNAP Decisions - Marketing is as important as availability, food study finds - Keep Your Government Hands off Our Food Stamps! SNAP—or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...more
In the pursuit of economic fairness, Ohio finds itself at a crossroads with the One Fair Wage petition (One Fair Wage), a movement aiming to amend Article II, Section 34a of the Ohio State Constitution to increase the minimum...more
As the 2023 Hurricane season continues, the depleting Disaster Relief Fund isn't the only thing that participants in FEMA's programs should be concerned about. The increased focus on the rising costs of disasters and the...more
Key Takeaways - New York State Human Rights Law source-of-income anti-discrimination statute held as unconstitutional. People v. Commons W., LLC underscores the challenging balance between promoting equitable housing...more
When a hurricane or other natural disaster hits, public and private non-profit entities often look to the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) for financial assistance. But obtaining and keeping FEMA Public...more
Recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) second appeal decisions and United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeal (CBCA) arbitration decisions indicate that FEMA is narrowly construing its policy language...more