On September 30, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) continued its efforts to upend labor relations and reinstituted its short-lived Lincoln Lutheran dues checkoff rule. In a 3-2 decision, the Board held that employers with unionized workforces are required.
In September 2022, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it had filed suit against one broker-dealer underwriter and entered into settlements with three other broker-dealer underwriters.
As part of advancing the independent scope of practice for nurse practitioners, California has revised its statutory scheme to further refine practice expectations.
On Friday, October 7, 2022, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released an interim final rule containing an enormous set of export controls that will likely damage the Chinese semiconductor, advanced computing, and supercomputer industries.
As part of the Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) ongoing effort to draft a Renewable Energy Access Plan, ICC staff is considering methods to encourage transmission development across the state. The draft Plan may influence ICC transmission policy, including Illinois’ participation.
Crypto-asset transactions are rapidly growing in popularity. However, a surge of cybersecurity breaches and hacker attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges and cryptocurrency wallet service providers has caused billions of dollars in crypto-asset losses to its owners.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the first in what undoubtedly will be a series of guidance documents regarding the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 
On September 13, 2022, the European Parliament approved a report by its committee on legal affairs that calls for the introduction of a new regulatory framework to prevent abuses that may be caused by third-party-funded lawsuits
As the founder of iGroup and iGrow, Anastasios Economou weighs in on the future of crypto, NFTs, and the impact of the Metaverse on companies.
Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries
California extended the time for eligible employees to use COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave by three months, or until the end of 2022. In a further change, Assembly Bill 152 also allows California employers to require further COVID-19 testing as a condition of using this paid sick leave.
California has enacted legislation broadly protecting employees from discrimination for the use of marijuana, which has been legal in the state since 2016. Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1288 into law. It generally prohibits employers from discriminating “against a person in hiring.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently published a new Technical Guide for tax-exempt 501(c)(6) trade associations, business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, and other organizations exempt from federal taxation under IRC 501(c)(6). The new guide is part of an ongoing effort.
On September 28, 2022, the Food and Drug Association announced a proposed rule to redefine the implied nutrient content claim term “healthy” to more closely reflect current nutrition science and Federal dietary guidelines.
The first Monday of October means the Supreme Court begins to hear cases for the new term. As we promised at the end of last term, below we summarize cases the Court could address, including issues involving the federal Clean Water Act; standing and the appropriateness of executive action.
Hydroponic production has become increasingly popular in American agriculture. Historically, fruits and vegetables had been grown exclusively on traditional soil-based farms. Hydroponics, by contrast, are typically grown in greenhouses and urban farms using innovative new technologies.
The courts have, for now, stepped in and put a halt to the most egregious of prosecutions under the China Initiative. By the time the courts acted, great damage has already been done—careers are lost, finances drained, and lives forever scarred.
Metaverse Industry Image
The Biden Administration, after ordering a series of reports on the risks and potential benefits of cryptocurrency and digital assets in its March 9, 2022, Executive Order (EO), has now published the “Comprehensive Framework for Responsible Development of Digital Assets,” (Framework).
It’s been one year since Illinois passed a sweeping energy bill – the Energy Transition Act, PA 102-0662 – commonly referred to as the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The law targets 50% renewable electricity procurement by 2040 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.
Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries
In Advisory Opinion 22-17, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) concluded that a proposed restructuring of a loan and other contractual relationships between a health system and a federally qualified health center (FQHC) “look-alike” clinic.
On September 13, 2022, a federal court in San Francisco decided an NGO-led challenge to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule establishing a national standard for the disclosure of bioengineered foods.
On June 21, 2022, President Biden signed the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and Technical Corrections Act into law. 
Free-range hens, sustainably sourced, and 100% Parmesan Cheese: At first glance, these phrases are indistinguishable from the countless marketing consumers encounter on a daily basis. However, in courts across the country, these phrases could constitute false advertising.
Between consumer demand for more transparency and anticipated 2023 privacy laws, companies may be vulnerable to class action lawsuits.