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Congress Pressures DHS To Expedite Safety Act Approvals

Client Alert | 1 min read | 10.06.06

During House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearings on DHS implementation of the SAFETY Act, C&M's David Bodenheimer testified that the new regulations (71 Fed. Reg. 33147) and application kit (available at https://www.safetyact.gov/) have simplified the process, but further improvements are needed to (1) assure confidentiality of SAFETY application data, (2) encourage breakthrough technologies, (3) synchronize procurements and SAFETY Act approvals, (4) extend the duration of protection, and (5) establish an appeals process. In these same hearings, the new DHS Under Secretary (Science & Technology) identified additional initiatives to encourage new anti-terrorism technologies by reducing the application cycle to 120 days and identifying more technologies suitable for block approvals.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.05.26

DOL’s Proposed Independent Contractor Rule Reverts to Prioritize Two Core Factors – Likely Limiting Misclassification Claims by Contractors

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed another revision to independent contractor regulations, one that would provide for more leeway in classifying workers as contractors. DOL’s proposed rule, published on February 26, 2026, would rescind the Biden DOL’s March 2024 independent contractor regulation and reinstate a framework substantially tracking the prior Trump rule of January 2021. The proposed rule would also apply the narrower analysis to worker classifications under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). The comment period closes in late April 2026; until then, the 2024 rule remains in effect for purposes of private litigation....