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  3. |Can an Intelligible Distinction Between Legislative Rules and Guidance be Articulated?

Can an Intelligible Distinction Between Legislative Rules and Guidance be Articulated?

Webinar | 04.26.18, 8:00 AM EDT - 9:30 AM EDT

The difference between a legislative rule, i.e., a rule that creates binding obligations with legal consequences for non-compliance, and an interpretative rule, i.e., a rule that interprets but does not itself legislate, is an important one. Among other things, agencies must typically give public notice of the former and allow the public an opportunity to comment before issuing them in the final form; not so of the latter. But in application the distinction is sometimes difficult to discern, especially where an agency issues "guidance" that it portrays as "interpretative" of existing authority but which, practically speaking, creates new binding norms. So-called "policy statements" sometimes give rise to the same mischief. This D.C. Bar program will address this topic and the not-entirely-consistent federal jurisprudence surrounding it.


Partner Dan Wolff will participate as a speaker.

For more information, please visit these areas: Litigation and Trial, Administrative Law

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Webinar | 03.12.26

On-Going Government Audits of Small Business Programs: Why the Federal Government’s Focus on ‘Waste, Fraud, and Abuse’ Impacts Both Large and Small Contractors

The federal government has identified purported ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ in small business programs as a major focus of its current enforcement efforts. As it relates to federal procurement, we have seen audits and investigations rolled out not only of active participants in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program but also reviews of various types of small business contracts (such as 8(a) sole source and set-aside awards, preference-based awards, and small business set-aside awards over particular values). Join Crowell & Moring as we discuss what aspects of contract performance and teaming arrangements are being scrutinized (e.g., size/status eligibility, limitations on subcontracting compliance, reasonableness of market rates, etc.) and how these considerations can impact both small government contractors holding the prime contracts under review and their subcontractors. ...