PIA joined a coalition of allies earlier this week in sending a letter to the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (DOL), asking the DOL not to withdraw the final rule revising its interpretation of Independent Contractor Status, which was published on January 7, 2021 in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards …
Author: Lauren Pachman, Counsel & Director of Regulatory Affairs
Counsel & Director of Regulatory Affairs
Temporary Paycheck Protection Program Limits Imposed by Biden Admin
As we mentioned last month, the December 2020 COVID relief package, formally known as the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act[1], has reanimated the previously-dormant Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), originally created by the CARES Act nearly a year ago. Last week, the Biden administration announced that the PPP will be available only to the nation’s …
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Resurgent Paycheck Protection Program Prompts Regulatory Action
As we mentioned earlier this month, the December 2020 COVID relief package, formally known as the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act, reanimated the then-dormant Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), originally created by the CARES Act nearly a year ago. Since its inception, the program has lent over $600 billion. The Economic Aid Act extends the …
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Paycheck Protection Program Returns
The December 2020 COVID relief package was one of the final acts of the 116th Congress and, among other actions, it breathed new life into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was originally created by the CARES Act nearly a year ago. Ten months and countless federal regulations later, the PPP is back with a …
NAIC Adopts Rebating Changes to Unfair Trade Practices Model
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Executive Committee has adopted language that would allow for some types of “rebates” to be offered to consumers, unanimously approving amendments to Section 4(H) (“Rebating”) of the NAIC Unfair Trade Practices Act (Model #880) (UTPA). The revised language permits insurers or producers to “[o]ffer or give non-cash gifts, …
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SBA Simplifies Forgiveness Process for Some PPP Loans
On October 19, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Treasury Department issued interim final rules (IFR) revising the process for some businesses to seek Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness and lender evaluation of loan forgiveness applications submitted in accordance with the new process. These IFR offer additional guidance to further simplify …
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Commissioner Spotlight: South Carolina Director Ray Farmer
In the latest entry in our Commissioner Spotlight series, we are focusing on the head of the South Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI), Director Ray Farmer. Dir. Farmer served as vice president of the American Insurance Association (AIA, now APCIA), a trade association for insurance carriers. He spent the early part of his regulatory career as …
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Loan Forgiveness and the Paycheck Protection Program
Earlier this year, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued an interim final rule (IFR) regarding the process for appealing SBA loan decisions under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This IFR sets forth the process for a PPP borrower to appeal certain SBA loan review decisions made in connection with a PPP loan to the …
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NAIC Makes Progress on Rebating Revisions
State interpretation and application of anti-rebating laws varies, and, about a year ago, those variations prompted the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Innovation and Technology Task Force, led by Commissioner Jon Godfread (ND), to further investigate the section of the Unfair Trade Practices Act (Model #880) that addresses rebating. Prompted by that investigation, the Task Force tasked a …
Regulatory Update on Executive Actions
Although the House is poised to return early to address issues related to Postal Service funding, Congress is no closer to a deal on a new coronavirus package than it was last week, when the Senate recessed with plans to return in September. However, the creaky wheels of the administrative state have continued to turn …