Policy Matters

Policy issues often have long term widespread and pervasive impact on businesses. Not only can new governmental policies significantly affect the climate for business innovation and growth, they create precedents that affect future legislation and potentially spread across jurisdictions. Each installment of the Policy Matters Podcast will provide timely updates regarding potential adverse impacts...

Policy issues often have long term widespread and pervasive impact on businesses. Not only can new governmental policies significantly affect the climate for business innovation and growth, they create precedents that affect future legislation and potentially spread across jurisdictions. Each installment of the Policy Matters Podcast will provide timely updates regarding potential adverse impacts...

On this episode of the Immigration Lens, Seyfarth attorneys Dani Mayer, Mahsa Aliaskari, and Alison Silveira will discuss the challenges and opportunities for international student athletes in college sports amidst evolving immigration laws and recent changes in compensation regulations in Name Image Likeness (NIL) deals. Tune in to catch up on the status of the shifting landscape of immigration f...

On this episode of The Immigration Lens, Seyfarth attorneys Mahsa Aliaskari and Jake Campbell will discuss the changes to visa stamping, travel, and re-entry, and how to prepare for this shift. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/PolicyMatters_ImmigrationLens_Episode5.pdf

Join Seyfarth Immigration attorneys Leon Rodriguez and Dani Mayer as they unpack the complexities of F-1 visas. Learn more about F-1s, SEVIS records, the lifecycle of students, and the impact of SEVIS termination or visa revocations on students and employers. Tune into the discussion on how employers can prepare for impact on their employees and understand the background of the F-1 visa classifica...

On this episode of the Immigration Lens, Seyfarth attorneys Leon Rodriguez and Dani Mayer will discuss the background of sensitive locations, who is impacted by the recent policy changes, and how employers should prepare for this shift. Tune in to catch up on the status of the policy shift around sensitive locations. Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/...

On this episode of the Immigration Lens Podcast, Seyfarth attorneys Leon Rodriguez and Dani Mayer will discuss the background of birthright citizenship, who is impacted by the recent Executive Order, the constitutional challenges playing out in court, and how employers should prepare. Tune in to catch up on the status of the Birthright Citizenship Executive Order. Read the full transcript of today...

On this episode of the Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth attorneys Daniela Mayer and Leon Rodriguez are joined by special guest Stephanie Oestreich, Managing Director, Myeloma Investment Fund, to discuss international political economy and business immigration implications– how national policy impacts economic growth, and how business immigration plays a role in corporate strategy.

In this episode, host Leon Rodriguez is joined by Lauren Parris Watts to discuss the potential impacts of President-elect Trump’s administration on corporate DEI initiatives. Leon and Lauren explore how past policies may resurface, the challenges businesses could face in compliance and reporting, and the strategies employers can adopt to advocate for robust DEI programs amidst shifting political l...

In this episode of the Policy Matters podcast, Seyfarth attorneys A. Scott Hecker and Bradley D. Doucette delve into expected wage and hour priorities in the next presidential administration, depending on which candidate takes office. Scott and Brad provide insights into what these priorities could mean for employers, particularly regarding the Department of Labor’s enforcement activities. Their d...

Last year on the Policy Matters podcast, the team explored the fundamentals of non-compete agreements and examined what the adoption of the FTC’s proposed non-compete rule could mean for employers. Today, host Leon Rodriguez is joined by Daniel Hart and Dawn Mertineit to discuss the groundbreaking rule set to shake up non-compete agreements in the workplace, slated for enforcement starting Septemb...

On this episode of the Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth partner and former Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Leon Rodriguez, delves into the ever-evolving landscape of U.S. immigration regulations, focusing on the H-1B, H-2A, and H-2B visa classifications. Discover the proposed regulations’ latest requirements and how these changes might impact skilled professionals seek...

On this episode of the Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth attorneys Leon Rodriguez and Scott Hecker share strategies for responding to congressional invitations to provide information and discuss hot Labor & Employment topics Congress has been investigating lately. Tune in to hear the latest.

On this episode of the Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth attorneys Scott Hecker and Ariel Fenster discuss the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division’s (“WHD”) resource limitations, and how those are impacting WHD priorities, like child labor law investigations and various significant rulemakings. The low number of investigators leads to high stress and low morale for those remaining, and WHD workers may f...

Recent government activity at the federal and state levels has led to enhanced focus on child trafficking laws, with both the Biden Administration and Congress signaling interest in the ongoing and potentially increasing use of child labor in the U.S. and global economies. STOP THE TRAFFIK [stopthetraffik.org]’s Director of Intelligence Neil Giles joins host Scott Hecker on this episode of the Pod...

With Jenny Yang suddenly departing the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) for a position in the White House, the Biden Administration must contend with another open leadership role at the Department. Scott Hecker sits down with expert Christy Kiely to discuss Yang’s legacy at the OFCCP; what the transition to a new director could mean for employers; pres...

Although we typically focus on federal policy in this podcast, in a nod to our system of federalism, this episode takes a look into policy on the state level, specifically the sweeping New Jersey Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights. This new law carries a host of new requirements for staffing firms and employers, and could set a precedent for similar policies in other states, and eventually, Congres...

Legislation and regulation of the use of artificial intelligence tools in employment are moving at a furious pace, with no signs of slowing. Robert T. Szyba returns (for the third time!), joining host Scott Mallery to discuss how New York City intends to regulate in this evolving space, and Andrew Scroggins also joins to examine the EEOC’s AI initiative. In the first part of our AI in Employment s...

On this episode of the Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth Senior Counsel Scott Hecker and Counsel Scott Mallery discuss the Senate HELP Committee’s recent inability to advance U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Administrator nominee Jessica Looman out of committee, this time due to a procedural hiccup that will likely be remedied. The Scotts discuss what this means for Looman’s nomination specifically, as well...

In this episode, Scott, Dan, and Robert discuss the FTC’s authority to issue such a broad proposed regulation, and what constitutional challenges to that authority will likely look like. In addition, we discuss legislation that has been introduced in Congress that would not only do essentially the same thing the FTC’s proposed rule would do, but it would also increase the FTC’s ability to regulate...

In an unprecedented move, the FTC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would render unenforceable all non-compete agreements currently in existence (with limited exception), and would bar employers from entering into any contract that that could conceivably prevent a worker from seeking or accepting certain employment, or operating certain businesses, after the conclusion of the worker’...

On December 7, 2022, President Biden signed the "Speak Out Act," which immediately rendered unenforceable blanket non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses entered into before any allegation of sexual assault or sexual harassment. Join our Policy expert Scott Mallery, with special guest Rob Szyba, as they break down the content of the Speak Out Act, and explore the potential repercussion for em...

On this episode of Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth Partner Leon Rodriguez discusses the Biden Administration’s recent announcements on the SW border. Leon discusses the number of enforcement measures to increase security at the border, measures to expand legal pathways for safe orderly and humane migration, while also providing guidance for employers who wish to sponsor asylum seeking migrants in...

As the dust settles following the 2022 Mid-Terms, including the Senate run-off in Georgia, we now have a clearer picture of the new Congress’s composition and what its make-up means for the 2023 Congressional session. In this episode of the Policy Matters Podcast, Seyfarth’s Government Policy gurus - Leon Rodriguez, Scott Hecker, and Scott Mallery - discuss how the chambers’ party alignments will...

Americans recently went to the polls (or to ballot drop boxes) to cast their votes in the 2022 Mid-Terms. Following the November 8 elections, Congress’s exact composition remains up in the air and may remain so until the dust settles on Georgia’s December 6 Senate runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock and challenger Herschel Walker. In the meantime, Seyfarth’s Government Policy wonks - Leon Rodrigue...