If you take on a federal contract, does that make you a state actor? No, according to a unanimous Sixth Circuit panel in Ciraci v. J.M. Smucker Company.

The Facts

During World War II, the Army included Smucker’s apple butter in its ration kits, resulting in a federal contractor relationship that has “stuck” ever

Questions about COVID-19 vaccines are hard, particularly if you contract or want to contract with the federal government. The scenario is familiar: You run a business that has or seeks to contract with the federal government. You read about the Biden administration’s Executive Order mandating that your employees be fully vaccinated for you to qualify

New Tennessee Law Prohibits Many Employers from Requiring Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination Status, Creates Exemption Process for Federal ContractorsEmployers in Tennessee need to hold off on requiring COVID-19 vaccine proof from employees because they might run afoul of a newly minted law. On November 12, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an omnibus COVID-19 bill into law and as a result, most Tennessee employers cannot mandate their employees and applicants show proof of COVID-19

President Biden Calls His Shot: The New Federal Vaccine Mandate — What Does It Mean?Yesterday, President Biden announced that he is entering two Executive Orders requiring COVID-19 vaccines for federal workers and contractors and that administrative agencies (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) will be issuing requirements establishing vaccine protocols for large employers and healthcare providers. President Biden expressed his

What’s Your Vax Status? New Requirements for Federal Employees and ContractorsWith Delta variant infections on the rise, the Biden administration recently announced that “every federal government employee and onsite contractor will be asked to attest to their vaccination status,” and that anyone who “does not attest to being fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location,

Department of Labor Announces Proposed Rulemaking to Raise Minimum Wage for Federal ContractorsOn July 21, the DOL announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to enforce the Biden Administration’s Executive Order raising the minimum wage for workers under federal contracts to $15 per hour. The proposed rule would go into effect on January 30, 2022. This announcement begins a comment period that will end on August 23, 2021. 

Discarded blacklist

President Obama and his EO’s

Remember the Blacklisting Order that required federal contractors to provide a rap sheet with a proposal? No? Well, President Obama issued 275 Executive Orders during his two terms on various subject matters, some of which were fairly controversial, the Blacklisting Order included. Back in 2014, he issued several high-profile executive

The White HouseEmployers that contract with the federal government are about to face a whole new ballgame with the Trump Administration. In Trump: The Art of the Deal, Mr. Trump explained that deals are his “art form” and that making big deals is how he gets his “kicks.” President Obama issued many executive orders and presidential

Court Grants ABC’s Preliminary Injunction Request in Case Challenging “Blacklisting” Executive OrderWe recently reported on a lawsuit, filed by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), challenging the “blacklisting” Executive Order and the implementing regulations. As we noted in our article, a ruling by the Court on ABC’s request for a preliminary injunction should be issued in short order, given that the effective date for the implementing