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Washington, D.C., for example, was using nearly 30 automated decision-making systems to surveil, screen, and score District residents in areas such as public benefits, health care, policing, and housing, according to an investigation by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in 2022. “Automated decision-making is threaded throughout a wide variety of public services in D.C.,” EPIC points out in its report “Screened and Scored in the District of Columbia.”

The Department of the Interior has revealed a significant investment of $71 million to assist Tribal communities in electrifying their homes. This funding, part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, aims to transition all homes in Indian Country to clean energy sources, aligning with the administration's objective of achieving a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035.Secretary Haaland expressed the department's commitment to supporting Tribes in enhancing their electricity infrastructure, stating, “As the Interior Department implements this new program, we...

Insight Global LLC, headquartered in Atlanta, has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to implement adequate cybersecurity measures to protect health information obtained during COVID-19 contact tracing.According to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, "The resolution announced today reflects our continuing commitment to ensure that government contractors fulfill their cybersecurity obligations. Failure to do so can compromise sensitive...

May 1, 2024Established in 1999 by the Council of Europe, the Group of States against Corruption, or GRECO, is a multilateral body that monitors member states’ compliance with its anti-corruption standards. The United States joined GRECO in 2000 and is one of only two non-European member states.The United States commends the important work of GRECO over the last 25 years in mobilizing international action in countering corruption. According to a statement, "The United States commends the important work of GRECO over the last 25 years in mobilizing international action in...

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Health and Human Services have announced an extension of the comment period for the Request for Information on Consolidation in Health Care Markets (RFI) by 30 days. The new deadline for submitting comments is now June 5.According to the announcement, the extension aims to gather more insights into how health care mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions could potentially impact competition in the industry. The agencies are particularly interested in understanding how such...

The Federal Trade Commission has taken decisive action against digital marketing and data aggregator InMarket, finalizing a settlement that prohibits the company from selling or sharing precise location data. This move follows allegations of unlawful collection and use of consumers' location data for advertising and marketing purposes.According to the FTC, InMarket was found to have collected location information about consumers without fully informing them of how it would be used. This data, which includes sensitive details about where individuals live, work, and...

The Center for Democracy and Technology's Chief Technology Officer, Mallory Knodel, recently presented an important statement on behalf of the Global Encryption Coalition Steering Committee (GEC-SC) and other civil society organizations at the United Nations regarding the Secretary General’s Global Digital Compact (GDC).In the statement, Knodel expressed, "We welcome the sturdy human rights framework upon which you have built the GDC. Strong, ubiquitous encryption protects human rights, especially the right to privacy, as well as free expression, free association, and...

"Chris Baumohl, a law fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said in an interview this new section is particularly worrisome. In an era when digital information swirls throughout daily life, there’s a difference between what private technology companies and the U.S. government can do.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against Aqua Finance, Inc. (AFI), resulting in a settlement that will provide significant financial relief to consumers affected by deceptive sales tactics. The settlement includes $20 million in refunds and $23.6 million in debt forgiveness for consumers harmed by AFI's misleading financing practices.According to Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, AFI and its dealers employed deceptive tactics, including the use of misleading teaser rates, to entice consumers into signing up for loans,...

Washington, D.C. — In a recent announcement, the Biden administration finalized new rules affecting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to safeguard disabled individuals from discrimination in healthcare and human services. Mia Ives-Rublee, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, commended this development, stating, "Disabled people have faced significant discrimination when receiving health care services and when interacting with human service programs. The Biden administration’s new Section 504 rules will decrease the barriers...

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has concluded an investigation into the death of a licensed practical nurse, Joyce Grayson, during a home visit in Willimantic, Connecticut. The investigation found that Elara Caring, one of the nation's largest home-based care providers, failed to protect its employees from workplace violence.OSHA cited Jordan Health Care Inc. and New England Home Care Inc., both operating as Elara Caring, for not implementing adequate measures to safeguard employees from the dangers of workplace...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have jointly called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to consider the competitive risks associated with common ownership. This call comes as part of their assessment of acquisitions that involve less than a controlling interest in competing firms. Currently, FERC is inviting public comments as it reviews its existing policy on investment company ownership of electric utilities.

The Department of Commerce announced that in Fiscal Year 2023, more than half of its federal contract dollars were awarded to small businesses, totaling $2.8 billion. Additionally, over 25% of contract dollars were directed to Small Disadvantaged Businesses, amounting to $1.4 billion. This achievement led to the Department of Commerce receiving an “A+” rating from the Small Business Administration for its small business contracting efforts, marking the 8th consecutive year of such recognition."Small businesses power America’s economy and are a crucial driver of employment...

Washington, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced it has approved a final rule that amends the capital and financial reporting requirements of Swap Dealers (SDs) and Major Swap Participants (MSPs).According to the announcement, "The amendments make changes consistent with CFTC Staff Letter No. 21-15 regarding the tangible net worth capital approach for calculating capital under CFTC Regulation 23.101, as well as CFTC Staff Letter No. 21-18, as further extended by CFTC Staff Letter No. 23-11, regarding the alternate financial reporting...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expanded its efforts to combat the improper listing of patents in the Food and Drug Administration’s Orange Book, targeting over 300 questionable listings for diabetes, weight loss, asthma, and COPD drugs. One of the drugs under scrutiny is Novo Nordisk Inc.’s popular weight-loss medication, Ozempic.FTC Chair Lina M. Khan emphasized the negative impact of bogus patent listings on drug prices, stating, “By filing bogus patent listings, pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of prescription drugs, forcing Americans to...

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior, under the Biden-Harris administration, has unveiled plans for offshore wind energy auctions off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine. These proposals, announced by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), have the potential to generate over 18 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power more than six million homes.Secretary Deb Haaland expressed the administration's commitment to green energy, job creation, and community resilience, stating, "Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department...

The Department of Labor is encouraging employers and stakeholders in North Carolina’s highway construction industry to participate in a statewide survey to help establish prevailing wage rates for construction workers on federally funded and assisted projects. According to the department, the prevailing wage rates should reflect the actual wages and fringe benefits paid to construction workers in the county where the work takes place."This survey requests information about wages paid by employers on highway construction projects in North Carolina where construction...

Washington, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced approval of final rules to amend its large trading reporting regulations for futures and options. These regulations require futures commission merchants, clearing members, foreign brokers, and certain reporting markets (reporting firms) to report to the Commission position information for the largest futures and options traders.The final rules replace the data elements currently enumerated in the CFTC’s regulations with an appendix specifying applicable data elements. The final rules also provide...

The Department of Labor will host an information session in Overland Park, Kansas, on May 8, 2024, for current and former nuclear weapons workers and their families employed at covered facilities on the benefits available under the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Director Rachel Pond emphasized the importance of the event, stating, "The Department of Labor encourages all current and former nuclear weapons workers and their families in the Kansas City area to attend this...

Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has voiced its concerns regarding a proposed rulemaking by the Commerce Department aimed at addressing cyber and security threats. In its filing, CCIA expressed reservations about the effectiveness of the proposed Customer Identification Program (CIP).CCIA urged the Commerce Department to reconsider its approach, highlighting that the NPRM could potentially hinder the private sector's efforts to prevent and combat the misuse of their services. According to CCIA, the proposed requirements could prove to...

Former defense contractor John Murray Rowe Jr. has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted espionage, admitting to attempting to deliver national defense information to a foreign government. According to court documents, Rowe, who held various national security clearances and worked on sensitive defense projects, disclosed classified information to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian government agent.During a meeting with the undercover agent, Rowe revealed specific operating details of electronic countermeasure systems used by U.S. military fighter jets. In...

Washington, D.C. — Recent research has revealed that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) did not deliver the promised benefits to workers, families, and the nation's economy. The TCJA, which was costly and heavily favored corporations and the wealthy, failed to live up to its proponents' claims during the initial debate over the bill.According to a new issue brief by the Center for American Progress, the corporate changes under the TCJA disproportionately benefited the wealthy, with the top 1 percent of the income distribution receiving a third of the benefits from the...

WASHINGTON—Ahead of the Senate Commerce Committee’s planned markup of the bipartisan Future of AI Innovation Act (S.4178), the Center for Data Innovation's Senior Policy Manager Hodan Omaar has voiced strong support for the legislation. Omaar stated, "The Future of AI Innovation Act is a refreshing example of how policymakers can and should steer AI toward positive outcomes. The bill doesn’t just dangle a carrot of progress, it paves a path forward for achieving it."Omaar further emphasized the significance of the Act, highlighting its potential to position the United...

Representative Chris Smith and Senator Jeff Merkley led a hearing this week on the effectiveness of social compliance audits in uncovering forced labor in supply chains in China. The hearing, titled “Factories and Fraud in the PRC: How Human Rights Violations Make Audits Impossible,” shed light on the shortcomings of social audits in identifying labor abuses in major industries.In his opening statement, Representative Chris Smith criticized social audits as "another fig leaf…to signal their virtue to consumers [and] a near fiction when it comes to accurately portraying...

The Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement with Sunrise Senior Living Management Inc., the operator of Sunrise at Fox Hill in Bethesda, Maryland, to address allegations of employment discrimination. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the department's commitment to upholding the law regarding discrimination based on citizenship, immigration status, or national origin, stating, "The Justice Department will continue to hold employers accountable for unlawfully discriminating against workers because of citizenship, immigration status or national...