Archive for January 2021

President Biden’s $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package Last Thursday, January 14, 2021, President-Elect Biden announced his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 Relief Package to fund state and local governments, health initiatives, schools, child care, workers, and more.  The proposal would include $350 billion to help state and local governments, including to support first responders, expand testing, and…

The Biden Administration’s Immediate Action on Immigration Reform President Biden immediately signed a memorandum instructing the Homeland Security Secretary to preserve and bolster the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created under President Obama, which shields from deportation individuals brought to the country illegally as children. Also, President Biden plans to call on Congress to…

Biden Administration Immediately Rolls Back Environmental Provisions After being sworn in on Wednesday, President Biden announced that the U.S. will rejoin the 2015 Paris climate accords and revoke the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline.  Also, the Biden Administration will direct federal agencies to review more than 100 federal environmental regulations and agency decisions by…

President Trump’s 2nd Impeachment Trial Last Friday, Speaker Pelosi said that the House impeachment managers were preparing for the trial, but she declined to say when the article of impeachment would be sent to the Senate, or when the trial would begin.  Another unknown is whether Chief Justice Roberts will preside, or if that role will…

Small Business Administration (SBA) Obsoletes Non Deductible PPP Loan Expenses On Monday, January 11, 2021, Charles Jeane (SBA Office of Advocacy) informed ASA that Revenue Ruling 2021-2 obsoletes IRS Notice 2020-32 and Revenue Ruling 2020-27, which provided that taxpayers could not deduct otherwise deductible business expenses that were paid with forgiven or forgivable PPP loans. …

The Impact of the Senate’s Budget Reconciliation Process on Construction The Senate’s budget reconciliation process is arcane, but a powerful tool that could advance or inhibit President-elect Biden’s agenda on Capitol Hill over the next two years.   In short, budget reconciliation allows the Senate to circumvent the traditional 60-vote threshold and pass legislation with a…

50-50 Senate Senate leadership is beginning to discuss specifics of committee assignments and Senate chamber operations for this session.  In 2001, when the Senate was split 50-50, Republican Majority Leader Lott (R-MS) and Democratic Minority Leader Daschle (D-SD) reached an agreement on committee membership and provided equal resources for both parties.  The majority held committee chairmanships…

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as Labor Secretary President-elect Biden selected Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Labor Secretary, who was the former Business Manager of the Boston Building and Construction Trades.  Walsh has a reputation for being a listener and consensus builder, which will be important as he confronts his upcoming Senate confirmation.  As we learn…

The 117th Congress: Labor and Employment Bills In the 117th Congress, it’s expected that some labor and employment bills could be reintroduced with the expectation of better prospects in the Senate, but the filibuster will allow Republicans to effectively require 60 votes to pass legislation. That will force Democrats to work with Senate Republicans, creating…

This week, Health and Human Services announced changes to the vaccine distribution program:  Recommending that states open the vaccination process to everyone older than 65 and to adults of all ages who have a pre-existing condition that puts them at greater risk for serious infection. Expanding the venues where people can get vaccinated to include…