On July 27, Senate Republicans released a series of COVID-19 relief bills, including the “American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act” (the “Bill”). The Bill is a successor to several provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, passed in March of this year, which attempted to blunt the
July 2020
Senate Republican Proposal Would Enhance Employee Retention Credit
As we noted in an earlier post, on July 27, Senate Republicans introduced new legislation in response to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. One of the introduced bills, titled the American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act (the “Bill”), would enhance the existing employee retention credit.…
IoT Update: UN Takes the Driver’s Seat for International Regulations on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Cybersecurity and Software Updates
On June 24, 2020, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (“UNECE”)* adopted two regulations that will have a significant impact on manufacturers of connected and autonomous vehicles (“CAVs”). These regulations impose obligations relating to cybersecurity and software updates for passenger cars, vans, trucks, and buses, while the cybersecurity regulations also reach light four-wheeler…
Recapture of Excess COVID-19 Payroll Tax Credits Addressed in New Regs
On July 27, 2020, the IRS published Information Release 2020-169 announcing the issuance of new temporary and proposed regulations to implement procedures to assess, reconcile, and recapture any portion of the credits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) erroneously credited, paid, or…
EHR Interoperability: Public Health Benefits & Privacy Considerations
By Nigel Howard
Public-health researchers, officials and medical professionals rely on data to track outbreaks, advance research, and evaluate prospective treatments. One critical source of patient data comes from electronic health records (EHRs). EHR data in the U.S. has traditionally been siloed within hospital IT systems, but the federal government and key healthcare stakeholders have recently ramped up…
Senate Republican Proposal Would Expand WOTC to Spur Hiring
On July 27, Senate Republicans introduced a series of bills intended as their opening salvo in what appears likely to be contentious negotiations among Senate Republicans, the White House, and House and Senate Democrats over the next legislative response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with another round of direct stimulus payments to individual taxpayers, extended…
The Green Deal at the Border: Public Consultation on the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Launched
Last week, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the possible adoption of a new EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”). This consultation is yet another of the initiatives that the Commission is taking to roll out its ambitious European Green Deal (for a recent overview webinar see here). Manufacturers in virtually all…
Supreme Court Closes Door to Participant Challenges to Defined Benefit Plan Investments
The extent to which a participant in a tax-qualified defined benefit plan has standing to sue the plan’s fiduciaries for mismanagement of plan assets has long been unclear. The argument against standing is that the participant has not suffered any injury because the participant would receive the same benefit from the plan regardless of the…
New York Doubles Down On Offshore Wind and Sets Renewables RFP Record
In a move that further bolsters the state of New York’s status as a trailblazer in America’s energy transformation, on July 21, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the largest combined renewable energy solicitations in U.S. history. New York is seeking up to 4,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind and onshore renewable energy capacity to…
OFCCP Promulgates Final Rule Eliminating Its Authority Over TRICARE Providers
On July 2, 2020, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) promulgated a final rule resolving long-standing uncertainty regarding its enforcement authority over health care providers participating in TRICARE, a federal program that provides health care to service members, veterans, and their families.[1] The rule officially removes OFCCP’s regulatory authority…