01.25.2022 Poligage Top of Mind Report

By Poligage

January 25, 2022

The Poligage Top of Mind Report offers actionable insights on a wide range of policy and government affairs issues that all have a connection to the Poligage Experts Network. Read this week’s report below and engage our Experts through private consultations on these issues and more:

Meet the Newest Members of the Poligage Experts Network

Tyler Norvell

Tyler Norvell serves as the President of Norvell Consulting, a lobbying and consulting firm that focuses on the agriculture, energy, healthcare and business sectors in the state of Oklahoma. Tyler previously served as Vice-President of Public Policy for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, where he directed the lobbying efforts for the state’s largest grassroots agricultural organization.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TYLER NORVELL

Keith Walmsley

Keith Walmsley is the Principal of Walmsley Strategies who spent fifteen years as a trusted advisor to the Chair of the Ways & Means Committee at the Maryland General Assembly. Keith has faced some of the most complex legislative and regulatory issues facing the state of Maryland. His policy expertise extends to gaming law, business development, state revenue policy and K-12 education.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KEITH WALMSLEY

U.S. Congress

Build Back Better Legislation

Jon Deuser

President & CEO, The Smith-Free Group

Democrats are still moving the stages of (legislative) grief dealing with the collapse of the Build Back Better package. President Biden’s press conference last week indicated he might have reached “acceptance”, but others on the Hill are still mired in anger, denial or depression. For instance, we saw how some on the political left balked over the president discussed passing “chunks” of the BBB, obsessing over a simple word. Because congressional Democrats were so invested in BBB, until they are able to move on, perhaps to a slimmed down package or a piecemeal approach, their emotions will hang over (and hinder) other legislative efforts on the Hill. What’s Next for Biden’s Social Spending Plan

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH JON DEUSER

Crypto/Blockchain Regulation

Juanita Duggan

Founder, CLARIFYD

More than a baker’s dozen of federal agencies and congressional committees are considering digital asset regulation. In this must-read WSJ article, Makan Delrahim, former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, writes insightfully about the role of competition policy in regulating crypto currency and the blockchain. Regulation Will Be Good for Crypto

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH JUANITA DUGGAN

Tech Policy & Regulation

Katie Harbath

Founder & CEO, Anchor Change

It’s practically a given that potential regulation of tech companies will remain a dominant issue in 2022 around the world – both in terms of actual regulation and as a key campaign issue for candidates up for election. It is important to keep an eye on how regulation in the states and other countries can impact what is happening in Congress. The more fragmented the regulations are the more we’ll likely see platforms just shut down efforts/products altogether, change their products for everyone based on one region’s laws (ie, like how Facebook instituted GDPR across all its users), or entrench only those platforms who have the resources to comply. 2022: The Regulatory Road Ahead

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH KATIE HARBATH

U.S. Federal Government

U.S. Courts & Litigation

Susan Markham

Co-Founder & Partner, Smash Strategies

This weekend marked the 49th birthday of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S., expanding women’s freedoms and ushering in an era of progress for gender equality. However, this may be the last year with Roe as the Supreme Court heard a Mississippi case that may allow the court to reverse itself and overturns decades of precedent on abortion rights. What to Know About the Mississippi Abortion Law Challenging Roe v. Wade

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH SUSAN MARKHAM

U.S. Department of Treasury

Ken Kies

Managing Director, Federal Policy Group

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Biden administration is aiming to boost U.S. economic capacity by focusing on issues like labor supply and public infrastructure, an approach she called “modern supply-side economics.” The administration’s approach is a departure from traditional supply-side economics, which seeks to promote economic growth through tax cuts and deregulation,” Ms. Yellen said in a speech Friday to the World Economic Forum. Janet Yellen Views Biden Policies as Modernized Supply-Side Economics

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH KEN KIES

Global Trade & Economics

Trade & Labor

Julie Dunne

President, Dunne Strategic Solutions, LLC

Under existing U.S. law, there is a prohibition on importing goods to the United States made with forced labor (19 U.S.C. 1307). On December 23, 2021, the President signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) (P.L.117-78). The law establishes a rebuttable presumption that any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region benefit from forced labor and may not be imported. The new law directs the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to issue a federal register notice to solicit comments to inform implementation of the new law. The federal register notice is expected to be published on January 24, 2022. There is a related provision impacting DOD government contractors in the National Defense Authorization Act. Companies Prepare for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH JULIE DUNNE

Geopolitical Intelligence & National Security

Russia-Ukraine Tension

Andy Keiser

Principal, Navigators Global

Policymakers are on the edge of their seat this week to see what Russian President Vladimir Putin has next in store for Ukraine. His actions in the coming days could roil global financial markets, upend energy and other supply chains, drag the United States and/or allies in direct military confrontation with a nuclear power – or potentially none of the above. Executives should prepare to mitigate against these potential threats to their bottom line or business operations. A Russia-Ukraine War Could Ripple Across Africa and Asia

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH ANDY KEISER

Canada

Andre Albinati

Principal, Earnscliffe Strategies

In early 2021, former Conservative backbench Canadian MP Kenny Chiu introduced Bill C-282, the Foreign Influence Registry Act. The bill’s objective was transparency: it would require individuals acting on behalf of a “foreign principal” to report “when they take specific actions with respect to public office holders.” Ensuring transparency remains a cornerstone of solid ethics and lobbying regimes that guide both policy makers and practitioners. Surely transparency should extend to foreign actors when they engage in propaganda campaigns that would be subject to regulation if conducted by domestic lobbyists. Lobbying Needs Transparency in the Face of Foreign Threats and Disinformation

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH ANDRE ALBINATI

Sectors & Industries

Chemicals & Industrials

Nancy Beck

Director of Regulatory Science, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

On December 29, the chemicals program at EPA closed out 2021 by proposing revisions to its risk determinations for the Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster (HBCD), a solvent used as a flame retardant and wetting agent which has not been manufactured in the United States in nearly five years. The draft “revisions” represent a significant shift from EPA’s prior approach to existing chemical risk evaluation and foreshadow increased regulatory and litigation risk for all companies—not just those whose operations may have historically involved HBCD. Why EPA’s Announcement About a Chemical No Longer Manufactured is Big News for Your Business

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH NANCY BECK

Global Health

Ryan MacFarlane

Director, Crowell Moring International

Despite challenges, key developments in vaccine research and commitment to improve healthcare by a range of stakeholders foreshadow continued innovation and public health impact in 2022, highlighted by the following:

Consistent messaging will drive vaccinations rates – and more;
Public-private partnerships will speed change;
New vaccines will emerge – and not just for COVID-19; and
COVID-19 will move from pandemic to endemic in future years

Global Health: What’s Ahead for 2022

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH RYAN MACFARLANE

U.S. State Government & Municipalities

California

Gareth Elliott

Partner, Sacramento Advocates

The $286.4-billion spending plan Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled this month builds on the state’s recent efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness and a worsening drought while surpassing K-12 school funding records set just last year. In all, the governor’s plan lays out close to $10 billion in new spending on what a fact sheet from his office calls “five of California’s biggest challenges: COVID-19, climate change, homelessness, inequality, and keeping our streets safe.” COVID-19, Children, Climate Change are Focal Points in Newsom’s Budget Plan

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH GARETH ELLIOTT

Texas

Thomas Ratliff

Founder, The Ratliff Company

The U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers has approved $403 million in funding to finish the Trinity River Vision/Central City Flood Control Project, U.S. Reps. Kay Granger (R-TX 12th District) and Marc Veasey (D-TX 33rd District) announced Wednesday. Once the bypass is finished, the new channel will create a mixed-use island north of downtown Fort Worth dubbed Panther Island. $403 Million Coming to Fort Worth to Finish Trinity River Vision Flood Control Project

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION WITH THOMAS RATLIFF

01.25.2022 Poligage Top of Mind Report

01.25.2022 Poligage Top of Mind Report

Meet the Newest Members of the Poligage Experts Network

Tyler Norvell

Keith Walmsley

U.S. Congress

Jon Deuser

Juanita Duggan

Katie Harbath

U.S. Federal Government

Susan Markham

Ken Kies

Global Trade & Economics

Julie Dunne

Geopolitical Intelligence & National Security

Andy Keiser

Andre Albinati

Sectors & Industries

Nancy Beck

Ryan MacFarlane

U.S. State Government & Municipalities

Gareth Elliott

Thomas Ratliff

Poligage

The Poligage Experts Network

Poligage

The Poligage Experts Network

About Poligage

Resources

01.25.2022 Poligage Top of Mind Report

Meet the Newest Members of the Poligage Experts Network

Tyler Norvell

Keith Walmsley

U.S. Congress

Jon Deuser

Juanita Duggan

Katie Harbath

U.S. Federal Government

Susan Markham

Ken Kies

Global Trade & Economics

Julie Dunne

Geopolitical Intelligence & National Security

Andy Keiser

Andre Albinati

Sectors & Industries

Nancy Beck

Ryan MacFarlane

U.S. State Government & Municipalities

Gareth Elliott

Thomas Ratliff

Poligage

The Poligage Experts Network

Poligage

The Poligage Experts Network

About Poligage

Resources

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Juanita Duggan