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Veterans Affairs Snubs GAO?

Client Alert | 1 min read | 10.24.11

In Aldevra, GAO held that the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 and implementing regulations required the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct procurements as service-disabled, veteran-owned, small-business set-asides (if market research first showed that two or more SDVOSB’s could perform the work), before purchasing from the Federal Supply Schedule.  In a rare instance of an agency defying a GAO recommendation, the VA has reportedly decided that, because “Executive Branch agencies are not bound by GAO's legal advice,” the GAO decision should not be followed, advising VA acquisition and procurement professionals “to continue using the Federal Supply Schedules Program.”

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.31.25

Raising the Bar: New York Expands Consumer Protection Law with FAIR Business Practices Act

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law the most significant update to New York’s consumer protection law in 45 years — the Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable Business Practices Act, or FAIR Business Practices Act — expanding the scope of the state’s authority to now challenge unfair and abusive business practices. The measure, backed by New York Attorney General (“AG”) Letitia James and signed on December 19, 2025, amends New York’s General Business Law § 349, giving regulators new tools to protect consumers and promote fair marketplace practices....