Bona Fide Needs with Arnold & Porter and the PubKGroup

Ep. 3.05: Is Congress About to Enact a National Data Privacy Law?

Last month, Congress began considering the American Privacy Rights Act, or the APRA. The bill has rare bipartisan support and could pass this year.  If Congress enacts the APRA, it will establish the first national privacy and data security standard for the United States.
 
In this episode of Bona Fide Needs, Ron Lee, Amy Davenport, James Courtney, and Jami Vibbert from Arnold & Porter discuss what’s in the APRA, whether it can pass, and what it means for government contractors.

Ep. 3.04: Is Your Business Ready for the Corporate Transparency Act?

Enacted in 2021, the Corporate Transparency Act is intended to reduce illicit activity, including tax fraud, money laundering, and the funding of terrorist activity. 
What does this mean for government contractors? 
In this episode of Bona Fide Needs, co-host Mike McGill sits down with his Arnold & Porter colleague Naomi Hartman, a partner in the firm's corporate and finance practice group. Mike and Naomi discuss the intention of the CTA, which entities are covered, and what information companies may need to provide the government.
Show notes
Arnold & Porter: Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting
FINCEN: Beneficial Ownership Information

Ep. 3.03: DOJ's False Claims Act Recoveries for 2023

The Department of Justice has released its report on False Claims Act enforcement for fiscal year 2023. Did recoveries increase? What's the story behind the numbers?
In this episode of Bona Fide Needs, Pub K Group Managing Editor Bill Olver speaks with Arnold & Porter Partners Tirzah Lollar and Christian Sheehan about DOJ's FCA recoveries, as well as developments following the Supreme Court's decision in Polansky, which raised questions about the constitutionality of the qui tam provisions of the FCA.
 
Show notes
DOJ’s FY23 FCA Stats Show Bounce Back From Last Year’s Low With Record Number of Cases Initiated by DOJ | FCA Qui Notes | Blogs | Arnold & Porter (arnoldporter.com)

Ep. 3.02: The FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act

Each year, Congress takes up the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets out budget and policy priorities for the Department of Defense. This bill is one of very few pieces of legislation that must pass every year.
In this episode, defense and policy experts from Arnold and Porter discuss the passage of this year's NDAA and some important policy considerations for defense contractors. The firm's Chuck Blanchard, Adrienne Jackson, and Yuvaraj Sivalingam will discuss:
Notable provisions related to contracting and procurement, including new disclosure requirements and small business matters
Contracting restrictions on doing business with “covered countries”, including China, Russia, and Iran
Language governing supply chain and critical minerals issues
Buy America provisions
Artificial Intelligence, cyber, and quantum information science and technology directives and investments

Ep. 3.01: Breaking Down the CMMC Proposed Rule

At the end of December, the Department of Defense published its proposed rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. This long-anticipated issuance answered many - but not all - of the questions about how the department will implement the program. In this episode of Bona Fide Needs, Arnold and Porter's Ronald Lee and Tom Pettit discuss the proposed rule and address some of those questions contractors may be asking:
What should contractors focus on immediately?
What did the rule resolve and what was left uncertain?
How should subcontractors approach the proposed rule?
Can a contractor (or DIDBCAP for Level 3) ever affirm compliance if the contractor IT system is not in full compliance?
How can a contractor lose a self-certification or certification assessment?
Show Notes
Department of Defense Issues CMMC 2.0 Proposed Rule | Advisories | Arnold & Porter (arnoldporter.com)
Pub K’s Government Contracts Annual Review 2024

Ep. 2.12: Hear Our Predictions for 2024!

What's in store for contractors in 2024? Arnold & Porter legal and policy experts pull out their crystal ball to forecast developments in many important topics.
Christian Sheehan and Jayce Born on False Claims Act constitutionality
Ron Lee on the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification implementing regulations
Tom Pettit on a recent proposed rule on cyber incident reporting and information sharing
Chuck Blanchard on supply chain regulations and Federal Acquisition Security Council removal orders
Stuart Turner on nontraditional bid proposal evaluation processes and how to challenge them
Show Notes1:20 - False Claims Act constitutionality11:00 - CMMC implementing regulations17:30 - Proposed rule on cyber incident reporting and information sharing24:15 - Supply chain regulations and FASC removal orders28:30 - Nontraditional bid proposal evaluation processes and how to challenge them
Pub K’s Government Contracts Annual Review 2024

Ep. 2.11: What Does Ultima Services Mean for Your Small Business?

In Ultima Services v. the Department of Agriculture, a federal district court held that the Small Business Administration’s reliance on the rebuttable presumption of disadvantage for its 8(a) business development program violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection clause. That decision created a cascade of developments, as SBA froze new 8(a) applications, and then issued clarifying guidance to 8(a) participants.
To examine this and other developments, Arnold & Porter partner Mike McGill is joined by Senior Associate Tom Pettit.
For additional reading on these topics, please visit Pub K Group online. 

Ep. 2.10: The House Has a New Speaker, but Will Old Conflicts Derail 2024 Spending?

After weeks of drama and legislative inaction, the House of Representatives finally has a new speaker as Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana unexpectedly rose to the highest office in the chamber. As Congress faces fast-approaching deadlines for FY2024 appropriations and the National Defense Authorization act, how will Speaker Johnson move this must-pass legislation through a contentious House and Democratic Senate?
In this episode of Bona Fide Needs, Arnold & Porter Partner Mark Epley and Policy Advisor Jessica Monahan discuss how we got here, the prospects for FY2024 spending bills and the NDAA, reactions from the Senate, what contractors should be doing, and how the 2024 election may impact further legislation.
 
0:00 - Introduction0:45 - Headlines11:30 - Interview13:00 - How Mike Johnson ascended to the Speakership16:45 - The must-pass bills before Congress21:00 - The Speaker's plan for moving legislation29:00 - Action in the Senate34:00 - What contractors should be doing36:30 - The impact of the 2024 election on upcoming legislation43:30 - Wrap-up
For links to articles and blog posts discussing the topics in this month's podcast, visit Pub K online.