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Using Available Funds For Other Purposes No Excuse For Breach

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.22.05

The Supreme Court in Cherokee Nation of Okla. v. Leavitt (Mar. 1, 2005) sustained breach actions by several Indian tribes against the Department of Interior, which had tried to avoid its contractual obligations by saying that it didn't have enough appropriated funds to meet all of its various responsibilities. In so doing, the Court reaffirmed the long-established rule for procurement contracts that, if Congress has not earmarked funds specifically for a program and "if the amount of an unrestricted appropriation is sufficient to fund the contract, the contractor is entitled to payment even if the agency has allocated the funds to another purpose or assumes other obligations that exhaust the funds," even if the contract has language such as "subject to the availability of funds."

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.25.26

NAIC Intensifies AI Regulatory Focus: What Health Insurance Payors Need to Know

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is intensifying its oversight of how insurers use AI — and the pace of regulatory activity shows no signs of slowing. Over the past several months, the NAIC has published a formal Issue Brief staking out its position on federal AI legislation, launched a multistate AI Evaluation Tool pilot aimed at examining insurers’ AI governance programs, and continued to expand adoption of its AI Model Bulletin across state lines. These developments continue a trend towards enhancing regulation; the NAIC adopted AI Principles in 2020 and a Model Bulletin in 2023 clarifying that existing insurance laws apply to AI systems and establishing expectations for governance, documentation, testing, and third-party oversight. That Model Bulletin has now been adopted in approximately 24 states....

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