On Jan. 23, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a district court’s nationwide injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act’s Beneficial Ownership Information reporting requirements, following the U.S. Department of Justice’s request. The nationwide injunction had blocked enforcement of the CTA’s BOI reporting requirements. However, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s website, a separate national injunction issued earlier this month by a different federal judge still remains in place, and thus reporting companies are not currently required to file BOI with the FinCen despite the Supreme Court’s action.

On Jan. 20, ABC celebrated a court decision in favor of ABC members that filed bid protests challenging former President Joe Biden’s policy requiring anti-competitive, inflationary, union-favoring project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more. “As a result of this decision, ABC federal contractors should continue to file bid protests against individual federal agency PLA mandates on a case-by-case basis and expect similar outcomes,” said ABC’s Ben Brubeck.

On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president and quickly issued a sweeping set of executive orders aimed at reversing Biden administration policies related to national security, immigration, climate and more. The orders require enactment through the regulatory process and will not take immediate effect; some have already been subjected to lawsuits that may delay implementation.

On Jan. 14, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on its Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule, urging the agency to withdraw the current rule as proposed and revise it to allow greater flexibility for affected industries, and at a minimum develop a separate standard for the construction industry.

On Jan. 17, ABC sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee emphasizing the significance of making permanent the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for America’s working families as the committee held a hearing focused on the family and business provisions included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

In a win for federal contractors, on Jan. 13, the Federal Register published notification of the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s withdrawal of a controversial ABC-opposed proposed rule, Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk.

In a win for ABC and its members, on Dec. 26, a 5th Circuit Court panel reinstated the nationwide injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership information reporting requirement.

According to a notice from the S-Corp Association posted on Dec. 23, an appellate court ruled in favor of the federal government in reversing a nationwide injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act. The decision means that the CTA’s reporting requirements are now back in full effect, giving the approximately 20 million entities who have not yet submitted their filings just a few days to do so.

On Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced its final rule on Personal Protective Equipment in Construction, which adds specific language requiring that employers provide PPE that properly fits construction industry workers. The change aligns the construction industry standard with the standard already in place for general industry. The final rule is effective on Jan. 13, 2025. To learn more about the final rule read OSHA’s Frequently Asked Questions.

On Dec. 2, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it has extended the public comment period for its Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule until Jan. 14, 2025, from the original deadline of Dec. 30. ABC will be submitting comments on the proposal, and public stakeholders can submit comments as well.