ESG—environmental, social, and [corporate] governance—is the focus of socially responsible investing, reflecting the notion that corporations should serve the interests of not only their shareholders, but of all their stakeholders. This paper suggests NEPA’s EIS process provides a possible go-by for corporate decision-makers to use in ensuring that their ESG policies consider the big picture--the cons as well as the pros of their ESG policies ...
On March 31, 2022, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Staff) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (SAB 121). SAB 121 applies to businesses that provide an operating platform that allows users to transact in crypto-assets coupled with a service to safeguard the platform users’ crypto-assets, including maintaining the cryptographic key information necessary to access the crypto-assets, crypto-asset trading platforms ...
Effective May 9, 2022, Native tribes, workers, and businesses may face fewer hurdles when competing for federal construction projects due to several revisions the Department of the Interior has published to its Department of the Interior Acquisition Regulations (DIAR), codified at 48 CFR parts 1401-1499, to better comply with the Buy Indian Act and policies from the Biden Administration ...
Following its initiative to encourage investment in the electric vehicles (EV) sector in 2017, the Office of the Board of Investment (“BOI”) anticipates the expansion of the domestic market for EV manufacturing in Thailand, as it encourages consumers to embrace utilizing EVs ...
Introduction Prior to the implementation of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (the CREATE Act), the Philippines adhered to the "cross-border doctrine", under which ecozones and freeport zones were considered foreign territories, even if they were situated within the Philippines ...
Dear valued clients, colleagues and friends, On 30 March 2022, the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2021 (“Amended Bill”) was passed in Dewan Negara (Senate). In this update, Vijayan Venugopal and Nur Najehah will outline the key changes and upcoming issues which employers should be aware considering this recent development. At the outset, before diving into the issues, it is important to first understand the present status of the Amended Bill ...
Apple Inc. v. Zipit Wireless, Inc., Appeal No. 2021-1760 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 18, 2022) In its only precedential patent case this week, the Federal Circuit addressed the extent to which a party exposes itself to personal jurisdiction for a declaratory judgment action when it accuses a party of patent infringement in that forum ...
A summary of the key takeaways from a recent webinar on reducing scope 3 investment-related emissions. Shoosmiths is delighted to be sponsoring United Nation Global Compact Network (UNGC) UK’s series of webinars on ‘Reducing Scope 3 Emissions’ ...
Economic sanctions (also called restrictive measures) are an instrument of influence of states or international organisations (EU, UN) on states and individuals whose activities violate international law and pose a threat to peace and security. Sanctioning states impose certain restrictions on sanctioned entities (e.g ...
Under a new bill adopted by the Ohio General Assembly, school boards, governmental bodies, and other third parties will be prohibited from filing complaints to increase the value of others’ Ohio real property for tax purposes, except under certain limited conditions. Am. Sub. H.B. 126 is expected to largely eliminate the practice of retroactive tax increases as a result of complaints filed based on a sale in the year currently subject to appeal. On its effective date, Am. Sub ...
Kudun and Partners team headed to the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park in Cha-am, Phetchaburi province earlier to participate in a mangrove forest planting activity in honor of Earth Day, which is observed worldwide on April 22nd to raise environmental awareness and encourage environmental protection. According to the Earth Day Network, each year between 2015 and 2020, 10 million hectares of forest were cleared throughout the world ...
The government announced several new business immigration routes to be launched in 2022 which consolidate and reform existing routes. The aim is to provide more opportunities for businesses to attract talent from overseas as well as to provide opportunities for growing businesses and recent graduates from international universities. The new Global Business Mobility Visas comprise of five different categories: 1 ...
On 6 April 2022, Shoosmiths hosted the second in a series of webinars about the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry. The webinar focussed on the current status of the inquiry and gave practical tips for potentially interested parties. Hosted by Hayley Saunders (Partner), the webinar included talks by Charles Arrand (Partner), Alex Friston (Associate) and Hannah Frost (Associate) ...
By Weiss Hamid Continuing the growing trend, Utah has become the fourth state to enact a comprehensive state privacy law, entitled the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (“UCPA”). Utah’s Senate passed the UCPA unanimously on February 25, 2022, and was followed by a unanimous vote by Utah’s House on March 2. On March 22, Governor Spencer Cox signed the UCPA, officially making it the law of the land ...
Telework is not a new phenomenon. According to the International Labour Organization, its rise dates back to the 1970s when a major oil crisis prompted many companies to keep their employees at home to reduce their energy consumption1. That said, since the Covid pandemic, teleworking has become widespread. Now, nearly a quarter of Canadian companies (22.5%) expect that 10% or more of their workforce will continue to telework after business is back to normal2 ...
The pandemic has not slowed down the arrival of self-driving vehicles on our roads. This technological advancement is becoming more and more commonplace, giving rise to a need for deep reflection, especially in the automobile insurance industry ...
April 19, 2022 By: T. Mark Tubis The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has renewed the January 31, 2020 determination that a public health emergency (“PHE”) exists nationwide. Each determination renews the PHE for 90 days, so all HHS/CMS waivers and flexibilities applicable during the PHE will continue until at least July 15, 2022, unless the PHE is terminated sooner ...
Until recently government enforcement and regulatory scrutiny of fraud and other misconduct relating to COVID-19 relief programs were generally limited to end recipients of the relief. These efforts have mostly been directed to fraud in connection with the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, a nearly $1 trillion business loan program administered by the U.S ...
Gov. Kate Brown on March 10, 2020 issued Executive Order 20-04, which directs state agencies to take actions to reduce and regulate greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Oregon Legislature’s goal of achieving greenhouse gas levels at least 75 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 ...
On March 28, 2022, buried within a 200-page proposed rule ostensibly meant to redefine “dealer” and “government securities dealer” under Sections 3(a)(5) and 3(a)(44) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a seemingly innocuous footnote: "Proposed Rule 3a5-4 would apply to securities as defined by Section 3(a)(10) of the Exchange Act, and proposed Rule 3a44-2 would apply to government &
The 2022 tax assessment of real and personal property have been determined by the local Assessor and a Notice of Assessment was issued and mailed to property owners. Property owners should make sure to check the mail for a copy of the Notice in order to determine whether an appeal of their taxable value should be filed ...
On February 24, 2022, the Supreme People’s Court (“SPC”) issued its Decision on Revising the Interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court on the Specific Application of Law in the Trial of Criminal Cases involving Illegal Fundraising (Fa Shi [2022] No. 5, the “New Rules”) ...
