February 2017

On Friday, February 24, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection published a presolicitation notice announcing its intent to issue a solicitation “for the design and build of several prototype wall structures in the vicinity of the United States border with Mexico.”  At least on the government procurement front, this notice marks…

Last Thursday, President Trump and his senior advisors met with representatives of organizations committed to fighting human trafficking. As reported by several news outlets (e.g., AP, NYT, and Reuters), the President stated during the meeting that he would commit the “full force and weight” of the U.S. government against what he views as…

Both chambers are set to return on Monday after a weeklong recess, kicking off a six-week session of legislative business in Washington, D.C. The issues expected to dominate this work period include the confirmation hearing for Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court and negotiations over how to keep the government funded beyond the…

The European Commission has presented a proposal to amend the EU’s examination comitology procedure with the aim of forcing Member States to vote and take responsibility in the adoption of controversial decisions mostly affecting health and the environment, such as pesticides, GMOs, and chemicals.  If adopted, the proposed amendments are likely to result in an…

Commissioner Ann Ravel’s decision to resign from the Federal Election Commission will have short term and long term effects on an agency empowered to interpret and enforce the federal campaign finance laws and disclose the money raised and spent in federal elections.  Its short term effects should be minimal.  The statute requires four votes for…

In public comments submitted earlier this month, the defense industry and the public contract bar called upon the Department of Defense (DoD) to withdraw or significantly revise a proposed rule altering how independent research and development (IR&D) costs are treated.  These public comments reflect the defense industry’s growing concern that DoD is moving to constrain…

When China’s new Cybersecurity Law takes effect on June 1, 2017, China will become another important jurisdiction to watch in the international data transfer space.

Before the new Cybersecurity  Law officially was promulgated on November 7, 2016, cross-border data transfer of data from China was largely unregulated by the government.  While many Chinese laws and…

Last week, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (“DARPA”) issued a new broad agency announcement (“BAA”) seeking proposals to support the creation of an integrated “capability platform” for the delivery of medical countermeasures to prevent a pandemic threat within sixty days of targeting a known or newly emerging pathogen.  The BAA confirms DARPA’s commitment to…

Both houses of Congress return on Monday. The Senate will continue to focus on confirming President Trump’s cabinet appointees and the House will continue to consider legislation disapproving federal regulations issued in the final months of the Obama Administration under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

The House is scheduled to return to legislative business on…

When China’s Cybersecurity Law was enacted last November, one question (among many) that surfaced was how the government would implement the “national security review” that the law requires for certain network products and services.  The law, which takes effect this June, provides that any network products and services that might affect national security procured…