Congress Enacts Appropriations Restriction Relating to Felony Convictions
Client Alert | 1 min read | 01.18.12
As is discussed in more detail in a blog posting, the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 includes provision in five of the nine individual bills covered in the Act prohibiting the use of funds “to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation” with a felony conviction within the preceding 24 months, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment and made a determination that no further action is necessary. This provision is almost sure to create uncertainty because Congress did not create a uniform standard, but instead included language in only certain individual appropriation acts, with substantial variances between the different provisions (e.g., some provisions only apply if the corporation is convicted while other also include officers or agents of the corporation).
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Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.25.26
Twin Executive Orders Seek to Spur Quantum Leap in Technology and Cybersecurity
On June 22, 2026, President Trump signed two executive orders, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” (Quantum Security EO) and “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation” (Quantum Innovation EO), marking the most significant federal action on quantum technology since the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act of 2022, which directed agencies to harden their information systems against quantum-enabled hacking. The orders seek to speed the development of quantum computers, which are advanced processors that can calculate multiple possibilities simultaneously and thus solve problems exponentially faster than traditional computers. At the same time, the orders look to protect against the danger that quantum technology can “break” traditional encryption by easily decoding it. Of particular note for government contractors, the Quantum Security EO directs agencies to update federal acquisition regulations to require contractors by 2031 to adopt information processing standards that resist quantum-enabled codebreaking.
Client Alert | 7 min read | 06.24.26
Client Alert | 3 min read | 06.24.26
Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.23.26
EPA Hands Over AI Data Center Regulation to States and Communities to Develop Best Practices
