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Navigating the Regulatory Maze: Hemp Industry Calls for Additional Federal Action

The hemp industry wants additional regulation. Yes, you read that correctly, and stakeholders are coalescing to push for action from the federal government. The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill provided momentum for the retail cannabidiol (“CBD”) industry, and the lack of complete regulatory clarity from the federal government has led many in the industry … Continue Reading

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): What We Know and What Comes Next

In September 2023, select leaders participating in the G20 Summit announced plans to develop the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The project aims to develop two integrated corridors – one connecting India to the Arabian Gulf, and one connecting the Arabian Gulf to Europe – with new ship-to-rail transit networks, undersea telecommunication cables, and a … Continue Reading

“Buy American” in the Biden Era

Recent modifications to regulations and federal government acquisition policies portend big change for contractors across the US, and their suppliers around the world. We anticipate an increasingly complex legal terrain with respect to the Made in America laws which will undoubtedly affect the global supply chain. Are you prepared?… Continue Reading

Looking Ahead at the US Economy and Transatlantic Relations Under Biden-Harris Administration – Conversation with EU AmChams

In early December 2020, former US Speaker of the House John Boehner (Republican-Ohio) and former Chairman of the US House Democratic Caucus Joe Crowley (Democrat-New York) spoke to a group of EU AmChams, representing Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, on their views of the Biden-Harris economic agenda, how … Continue Reading

Transition 2020 | Biden Pledges to Expand Buy American Policies, Promote Domestic Supply Chains

Businesses of all sizes should consider how the Biden Administration’s “Build Back Better” economic plan would affect international supply chains. His strategy to revitalize the American economy rests on two pillars: strengthening Buy American provisions and reforming the tax code to incentivize domestic production.… Continue Reading

Election 2020 Puts Cannabis Center Stage

  Americans from all walks of life are seeing the benefits and potential of cannabis for healing and changing lives for the better. The cannabis industry was center stage on Tuesday, collecting a trove of wins making recreational marijuana legal now in 15 states and approved it for medical use virtually nationwide. The overwhelming nods … Continue Reading

Legal Cannabis and Hemp Get Spotlight in US Elections

Deemed essential during the coronavirus in every state with regulated cannabis in some form speaks volumes with how impactful this industry has become on a national level and how powerful it could be in the upcoming election. With eleven states and the District of Columbia that have legalized recreational cannabis or adult-use and 33 states … Continue Reading

COVID-19: US State Policy Report – September 17-18, 2020

This report captures the shifting state, territorial and local government policies and guidance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and reopening of the economy in the US by tracking public information from official sources, such as gubernatorial comments, executive actions and guidance. The following states have new or updated information: Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – August 6, 2020

Pressure is mounting on Republican and Democratic negotiators in the US Capitol to reach an agreement on a COVID-19 response package that can pass both chambers of a divided Congress and be signed into law by President Donald Trump in the coming days. But evidence persists that the March 27 enactment of the massive CARES … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – August 4, 2020

Bipartisan talks in Washington continue with the aim of producing a significant COVID-19 response and economic “stimulus” measure that can be signed into law by President Donald Trump this summer. Republicans and Democrats remain far apart in the negotiations, according to sources on both sides of the talks. But discussions continue as pressure mounts on … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – July 30, 2020

Talks among party leaders in Washington about a future COVID-19 relief package are at an impasse, with Democrats still adamant about enacting legislation that injects trillions of additional dollars into the American economy, and Republicans seemingly trying to run out the clock in hopes Democrats will consent to passing a “skinny” deal that temporarily addresses … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – July 28, 2020

Bipartisan negotiations aimed at producing the next major federal COVID-19 response legislation – delayed by more than a week of infighting between congressional Republicans and the White House – are finally underway. The baseline for the talks: HEROES vs. HEALS, pitting the US$3.5 trillion HEROES Act passed by the US House of Representatives in May … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – July 23, 2020

The enhanced unemployment benefits created by the March 27 CARES Act are set to expire in eight days. The US Congress will need more time than that to determine a path to passage of the next major bipartisan pandemic response legislation – assuming Republicans and Democrats in Washington are able to eventually reach agreement on … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – July 21, 2020

The US Congress has returned to Washington, DC, and bipartisan negotiations to produce the next significant federal coronavirus response legislation have officially begun. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, representing President Donald Trump, are scheduled to meet this afternoon on Capitol Hill with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and … Continue Reading

In Full Campaign Mode, Biden Focuses on Energy and Infrastructure in Second Economic Policy Speech

Former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced this week the second plank of his economic policy: a clean energy and infrastructure plan, encompassing some of his most progressive policies yet. In a July 14 speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Vice President Biden announced plans to create “millions of high-paying union jobs by building … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – July 16, 2020

Coronavirus cases in the US are surging. States are closing bars and restaurants. States, local governments, schools and private enterprises are calling upon the federal government for aid, and the US Congress is preparing to craft bipartisan emergency legislation of US$1 trillion or more. It’s March 2020 all over again – only this time, legislators … Continue Reading

Biden’s Plan for Economic Recovery Post-COVID and Beyond

After months on hold responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 US elections are heating up, as Democrats seek to take control of the White House from President Donald Trump.  On Thursday, July 9, former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden released a broad economic plan during a speech in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. … Continue Reading

Public Policy Briefing – July 9, 2020

The House and Senate will not return to Washington until July 20, but discussions among the “four corners” in the US Congress are underway with the intent of crafting a bipartisan COVID-19 relief measure that can be signed into law by President Donald Trump by the end of July. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and … Continue Reading

Public Policy Daily Briefing – July 2, 2020

An extension of the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authored by a Democratic member of the US Senate is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law. The US House of Representatives has approved a US$1.5 trillion national infrastructure bill loaded with Democratic priorities for climate change, clean energy … Continue Reading

Public Policy Daily Briefing – July 1, 2020

Senate Republican leaders have begun to lift the veil on their plans for the next coronavirus response package, acknowledging in a news conference Tuesday that they will support opening the coffers next month to provide another round of aid. The timetable set by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other Senate GOP leaders means … Continue Reading

Public Policy Daily Briefing – June 30, 2020

Congress is facing renewed pressure to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in “stimulus” money to states, territories, counties and municipalities and to allow such entities the option of using the money to offset revenue lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives has begun floor consideration of a … Continue Reading

Public Policy Daily Briefing – June 29, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has reclaimed headlines in America as new cases spike in states that some national health authorities say reopened their economies too swiftly. The US House of Representatives and US Senate are both in legislative session this week in advance of the Independence Day work period, but bipartisan talks to hammer out the … Continue Reading

Public Policy Daily Briefing – June 26, 2020

With the House of Representatives and Senate deadlocked over competing versions of police reform legislation, a divided Washington has failed, at least for the moment, to heed the national call for action on racial injustices that emerged from the killing of citizen George Floyd. The division could portend failure ahead on other urgent matters of … Continue Reading
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