Alerts

On May 15, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released the Loan Forgiveness Application for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The release of the Forgiveness Application sheds further light on the process that borrowers will use to apply for the forgiveness of PPP loans. 

On Friday, May 15, 2020, the Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) revised an arcane export control rule that imposes US export controls on foreign-origin products (hardware, software, and technology) that are the “direct product” of certain US technology.

There have been developments in the following five proposed amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

The Massachusetts economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 23, 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered the mandatory shutdown of non-essential businesses, curtailed essential business operations, restricted the size of gatherings, and advised citizens to stay at home.

The new bill, which follows April 23, 2020 legislation aimed at opening COVID-19 emergency response funding to cannabis businesses, offers a previously unclear path forward for financial services to the cannabis industry by amending the current restrictive regulatory framework on banking.

Notable developments involving eligibility under the Paycheck Protection Program and the PPP’s loan forgiveness process have occurred in recent days.

Your employees may be “essential,” but do they have to work? The answer is, of course, it depends.

On April 4, 2020, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13913, “Establishing the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector.” 

On May 12, the House Democrats introduced an aspirational tax package within the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (the “HEROES Act”), which lays out their starting point in negotiations with the Senate and provides insight into the top Democratic legislative tax prioritie

Arent Fox San Francisco Managing Partner Richard L. Brand spoke with Business Insider on the sports-media industry and how COVID-19 is impacting TV network deals.

After nearly six weeks of requiring California residents to shelter in place, on April 28, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new four-stage plan for reopening California, however, he did not provide specifics on when each phase would begin.

According to a multi-country comparative graph created by The Johns Hopkins University, the United States seemingly has more months to go before we can return to normal activity — like conducting elections.

Thousands of businesses nationwide are trying to reopen after shutting their doors because of statewide stay at home orders due to COVID-19. Without question, this has created a significant burden on employers whose financial obligations.

Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the CARES Act and administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury Department, to provide relief to small businesses in dire need of financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Testing, Testing, Testing” is the new mantra. The politicians and the press are full of the few reports of testing successes and the many reports of testing failures throughout the country and around the world.

The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) recently confirmed that the deadlines for reporting adverse actions against licensees have not been extended, despite the COVID-19 emergency.

Through an array of legislative and administrative measures over the past couple of years, the US Government has made significant strides in its effort to limit, and perhaps end altogether, the proliferation of Chinese-origin telecommunications technology in US infrastructure.

The workers’ compensation system was created to ensure that employees who suffer work-related accidents or illnesses are compensated while, at the same time, protecting employers from lawsuits by these employees. 

We previously reported on how the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and its state law equivalents would apply to layoffs, furloughs, and closings during the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 8, 2020, the FDA announced that it had authorized the first COVID-19 diagnostic test that can be used to collect saliva in the home.

On May 6, 2020, Judge Richard G. Stearns of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts put the brakes on an attempt by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to alter the relationship between collectors and consumer debtors during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What one hand giveth, the other can taketh away. That adage comes to mind when reviewing FDA’s most recent action with respect to the importation and distribution of KN95 and other respirator masks manufactured in China. 

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

In response to public feedback to the initial terms of the Main Street Lending Program, the Federal Reserve Board announced on April 30, 2020, an expansion of the loan options available to businesses and an increase in the maximum size of businesses that are eligible to borrow under the Program.