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New Zealand Companies Out of the 'Chillybin'

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 08.19.15

On August 12, the U.S. in a Federal Register notice confirmed that it "has agreed to waive discriminatory purchasing requirements for eligible products and suppliers of New Zealand beginning on August 12, 2015," due to the WTO's approval of New Zealand as a member of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). Joining the 43-member GPA will provide new access to the U.S. federal marketplace for New Zealand-based companies, including "designated country" status under the Trade Agreements Act, and will open immediate doors to federal government contracting opportunities, including GSA and VA Schedule contracts, that generally limit  acquisition to end products that are manufactured or substantially transformed in the U.S. or a "designated country."

 

Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 08.19.26

CMS’s Final Rule Bans Federal Medicaid Funding for Youth Gender-Affirming Care

On August 13, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final rule banning the use of federal funds — through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — to pay for gender-affirming care for children and youth. The final rule takes effect October 13, 2026 (“Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children”). While CMS finalized several key elements of its late-2025 proposed rule (Client Alert December 24, 2025), the proposed Medicare hospital Condition of Participation rule remains in proposed form....