Following the inaugural ceremonies for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the president is set to implement 17 executive actions through executive orders, presidential memos and agency directives, affecting a range of federal policies, including immigration, economic relief, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Jan. 15, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration issued its final rule amending the agency's 2016 final rule to allow the operation of small unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, at night and over people under certain conditions without obtaining a waiver.

Following the approval of an additional $284 billion in funds for the Paycheck Protection Program in December, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, has reopened the PPP for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers.

On Dec. 23, ABC and several other organizations submitted comments in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed revisions to its regulations implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Protection Act. These revisions will reflect recent legislation, modernize the environmental review process, improve DOT’s NEPA review efficiency and provide enhanced customer service to stakeholders while ensuring meaningful public involvement.

On Dec. 31, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued additional guidance to address whether workers who did not use their leave entitlement under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in 2020 may use such leave after Dec. 31, 2020. The FFCRA’s paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements expired on Dec. 31. 

On Dec. 14, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule providing additional information to labor organization members and the public about the financial activities of labor organizations under the Labor-Management Reporting and D

On Dec. 9, the Small Business Administration published FAQ Number 53, addressing why certain borrowers will receive Paycheck Protection Program Loan Necessity Questionnaires. The SBA also publicly released for-profit and nonprofit qu

On Nov. 16, ABC submitted comments as part of the Waters Advocacy Coalition to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Army Corps of Engineers on its proposal to reissue and revise the agency’s nationwide permits under the Clean Water Act. WAC expressed support for the proposed rule, which would continue to carry out Congress’ intent to allow mo

On Nov. 9, the U.S. Treasury issued a proposed regulation on state and local income taxes imposed on and paid by a partnership or S corporation on its income. The rule would allow states to permit individually and family-owned business to continue to deduct state and local taxes, just like larger corporations can. This would be an important win for smaller businesses and a significant incentive for more states to provide this critical tax relief.

On Nov. 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued two opinion letters addressing specific compliance issues related to compensability of time under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The DOL encourages the public to submit requests for opinion letters to WHD to obtain an opinion or to determine whether existing guidance already addresses their questions.