Government Affairs & Legal

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990 and its primary focus is Title III, which concerns accessibility for those with disabilities in public accommodations and commercial “brick and mortar” facilities. But the ensuing arrival of the internet and its new platform for selling products was seized upon by trial lawyers as a “target rich environment” for ADA…

Three workforce regulations from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could have a big impact on IHA members and employers across the country.  All of them are controversial and could be challenged in court by business organizations. On Oct. 27, the NLRB published a final rule addressing the Standard for…

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program was created to encourage economic development for emerging economies in qualifying countries by reducing tariff burdens on U.S. companies to encourage investment and partnerships in those places. The program has been regularly renewed but lapsed in 2021 and Congress has not been able to reach an agreement on renewal for a…

In 1986, California voters approved Proposition 65 (the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Exposure Act), a ballot initiative to address concerns about exposure to toxic chemicals. It requires California to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, and for businesses with 10 or more employees to provide warnings when they knowingly and intentionally…

In 2017, the Republican-led Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) using budget reconciliation to avoid a Senate filibuster and its 60-vote threshold. But the tradeoff for this process is that tax breaks benefiting IHA members and other businesses had to be temporary in order to meet budget reconciliation rules. The TCJA boosted the IRC Sec. 168(k) Bonus…

On June 2, Americans for Free Trade (AFT) sent a letter to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) signed by IHA and 145 other organizations for the May 17 hearing Leveling the Playing Field: How to Counter the Chinese Communist Party’s Economic Aggression.  Despite the enmity between Capitol Hill Republicans and Democrats, the Select Committee on the…

On April 6, President Biden issued the Executive Order (EO) “Modernizing Regulatory Review” that will change the process by which federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Departments of Transportation and Labor promulgate their regulations. The White House says these changes will improve the process, but administrative law experts believe the new…

On April 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811) to suspend the federal government’s debt ceiling through either March 31, 2024, or a $1.5 trillion increase when the current $31.4 trillion ceiling runs out, whichever comes first. It’s not unusual for Congress to raise the debt ceiling so Treasury can continue to sell U.S. bonds…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to set maximum levels for certain polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in public drinking-water systems, and to designate certain PFAS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act or CERCLA (the Superfund law). PFAS are chemicals that have…