The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the proposed Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs (the Proposed Rule) on January 12, 2022, in the Federal Register.

On January 13, Canada announced that it would join Mexico in requesting a dispute settlement panel to address a disagreement over the US interpretation of the automotive rules of origin under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This is the latest development in the on-going trilateral dispute.

Five years ago, USCIS routinely took three months to issue employment authorization documents (EADs) and advance parole (AP) travel documents.

On January 24, 2022, The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on behalf of the Forced Labor Task Force (Task Force), published a Federal Register Notice to request public comments regarding the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the due diligence standards.

On January 14, 2022, a federal court in the Northern District of California endorsed the SEC’s novel “shadow trading” theory of insider trading. In SEC v. Panuwat, the Court held that a person can violate securities laws by trading in the securities of an issuer.

The New York State Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (S7428/ A8352) (Fashion Act) would require fashion retailers and manufacturers doing business in New York State to comply with stringent supply chain mapping requirements and to disclose the environmental and social impacts of t

A California appellate court has ruled that a wrongful death action filed by an employee and her children arising from the death of the employee’s spouse from COVID-19 after she allegedly contracted the virus at work and infected her husband, was not “derivative” of her infection.

On January 11, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, effective immediately, the Agency’s review of applications for new pesticide active ingredients (AI) pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) will uniformly incorporate analysis und

Effective January 1, 2022, California Senate Bill 41, the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA), imposes requirements on the collection, use, and disclosure of genetic data collected or derived from direct-to-consumer genetic testing products and services.

In this WorldSmart podcast, Ecuadorian politician and diplomat Ivonne Baki joins Hunter Carter and Malcolm McNeil to discuss women in politics, fair trade agreements with Ecuador, and the art of diplomacy.

With growing consumer shift toward “sustainable” products, retail companies must ensure that claims of sustainability can be substantiated while planning ahead for anticipated changes to the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guide in 2022. Anthony Lupo and Dan Jasnow have your main takeaways.

As our colleagues have noted, the U.S. Supreme Court’s two vaccine-mandate-related decisions impact employers and have significant public health implications.

Headlines that Matter for Privacy and Data Security

On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court reinstituted a stay blocking OSHA’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS), which mandated that employers with 100 or more employees require their employees to get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for COVID-19.

On January 14, 2022, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, renewed the declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) that was first declared on January 20, 2020. 

On March 1, 2022, SB 21-271 will take effect in Colorado, exposing employers to increased potential criminal penalties for violations of Colorado’s anti-non-compete statute, Colorado Revised Statute § 8-2-113.

On January 13, the U.S. Supreme Court granted emergency relief to plaintiffs challenging OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), and issued a stay on enforcement of the rule.

Demonstrating standing can be challenging for plaintiffs in environmental cases.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has issued a unanimous opinion in Meehan v. Medical Information Technology, Inc., holding that the termination of an at-will employee for exercising the statutory right of rebuttal to information included in their personnel record.

Electric Mobility

Around the globe, automakers, parts suppliers, and related industries are making long-term investments in electric vehicles (EV), EV batteries, charging stations, and associated technologies.

Under legislation signed on December 31 by Governor Kathy Hochul, (S.3762/A. 1396; L2021, ch. 828), all pharmacy benefit managers operating in New York State will be required to register with the State Department of Financial Services (DFS) by April 1, 2022, and thereafter to be licensed.