All Perspectives

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.

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.

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). 

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.

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.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

Tom Abendroth will present at the American Bankers Association webinar on October 6, 2022.

Health Care Partner Stephanie Trunk will present twice at the Informa Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Summit on October 12-14.

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.

Dan Jasnow was quoted on the current privacy practices, or lack thereof, in the Metaverse to address consent laws regarding biometrics and other personal data.

Sal Patel will host a roundtable discussion at the RVIA General Counsel Meeting on October 5, 2022.

ArentFox Schiff Chairman Anthony V. Lupo was featured on News Nation’s “Morning in America” program as part of a special television news series called “Surveillance State” about privacy and personal security issues in the Metaverse.

Partner Francis Lyons, a former US Department of Justice environmental enforcement attorney and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator, was quoted on the EPA’s launch of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR).

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to welcome Partner D. Reed Freeman Jr. to the firm’s Trademark and Copyright practices in Washington, DC. With nearly 30 years of experience in privacy, data security, and Federal Trade Commission defense, Reed brings a deep understanding of the law.

Michael Showalter and his co-host will lead a panel discussion on citizen suits under environmental laws, on October 4, 2022.

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.

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

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).

Partner Jane E. Montgomery was quoted on how the Inflation Reduction Act’s 30% energy storage tax credit could bolster large-scale battery manufacturers’ appeal to investors in renewable energy technology.