Brownstein Podcast Series

Infrastructure’s name appears to have been finally called in Washington, D.C., as congressional Democrats and the Biden administration set their sights on passing a multi-trillion dollar plan. In this podcast, Brownstein’s government relations team provides real-time analysis on where negotiations stand and deliberates potential sticking points to passing such legislation.

A unified Democratic government will recalibrate the focus of state attorneys general. Alissa Gardenswartz joins Stan Garnett and a recent addition to the Brownstein team, former U.S. Senator and Arkansas Attorney General Mark Pryor, to discuss new issues state AGs are likely to focus on and how heightened partisanship in Washington, D.C. may influence the agendas of state AGs across the country.

In 2021, more than 17 states so far have introduced some form of privacy-related legislation, and there’s likely more to come. Shareholders Alissa Gardenswartz and David Hale discuss Virginia’s imminent Consumer Data Protection Act and other state laws poised for passage, the legislative volley over a federal privacy statute, lessons learned from other consumer protection laws and the potential frustration for businesses and consumers alike. When this podcast was recorded, Virginia had not yet passed its new privacy law.

With the tumultuous 2020 election season behind us, a panel of Brownstein's Health Care group and additional experts from the health care industry discuss potential changes to key health care laws, the future of health care cost containment and telehealth, policy updates on COVID-19, and how these elements will impact the health care industry and businesses generally. Panelists: Moderator: Mike King, shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Emily Felder, senior policy advisor and counsel at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Alex Geier, senior health care banker at GLC Advisors & Co. Dr. Elizabeth Hawk, faculty at Stanford School of Medicine and president at Ampersand Intelligence

The past year brought privacy and data security issues into sharper focus for many companies. Shareholders Alissa Gardenswartz and David Hale discuss the privacy and cybersecurity landscape and what’s on the horizon for companies in 2021. They cover how companies should approach privacy compliance in the wake of developments around the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act, what new state and federal privacy laws may be coming this year as well as what privacy enforcement may look like at the FTC, and the most important thing companies should be doing right now related to cybersecurity.

Upon President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, there will be a Democrat-controlled government for the first time since 2011. Mark Begich moderates a conversation with Al Mottur, Greta Joynes and LaKeitha Anderson to unpack how the 117th Congress, controlled by the narrowest of margins, and new administration will change policy, politics and process in Washington, D.C.

Climate policy was an integral part of President-elect Joe Biden's campaign platform, and his administration will evaluate an unprecedented number of issues through an environmental lens. Brownstein’s government relations team provides insight into which decision-makers in Biden’s orbit will play a key role on climate issues, what immediate actions the new administration is likely to take and the level of appetite in Congress for energy and environmental reform.

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to expand “Buy American” policies, but what balance will Biden strike between domestic manufacturing and U.S. trade policy? In this segment, former Sen. Mark Begich moderates a discussion between Lori Harju and former Rep. Ed Royce to discuss how trade policy under Biden will compare to President Trump, and what Congress’ role will be in influencing the Biden administration’s approach to trading with nations such as China.

When President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2021, there will be immediate and long-term implications for U.S. policy across the board. From potential day-one executive actions to Biden’s near-term legislative priorities, the Brownstein team discusses how the first 100 days of the new government may unfold and what opportunities will exist for private-public collaboration as fresh policies are developed.

The impact of the pandemic on states is very real as state legislatures across the country experience budget shortfalls. Sarah Mercer, Kristina Kleist and Kristin Lee from the firm’s State Government Relations practice discuss how Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming have navigated federal and state relief funding so far and what to expect going forward.

There’s been no shortage of interest in the top of the ticket in the 2020 election, but there’s much at stake down ticket as well at the state level. Shareholders Sarah Mercer and Brin Gibson from the firm’s State & Local Legislation & Policy Group break down races to watch at the gubernatorial, attorney general and state legislature level that could also have a big impact.

California continues to break new ground in consumer protection regulation, having just established the new Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, or “mini-CFPB,” as well as being poised to pass yet another sweeping data privacy law on Nov. 3. Shareholders Jonathan Sandler, Alissa Gardenswartz and Sarah Auchterlonie break down these developments and discuss what they mean for businesses, and how California is shaping future regulation in these areas for the entire country.

The House China Task Force recently issued a report with hundreds of policy recommendations to counter current and emerging threats from China. In this segment, the Brownstein government relations team analyzes which recommendations are likely to be prioritized next cycle, and advises on the significant impact new policies may have on companies and their supply chains.

With a number of reauthorization bills outstanding, a potential omnibus appropriations bill on the horizon, and economic stimulus negotiations ongoing, the days and months following Nov. 3 will be active and consequential. Drew Littman moderates a conversation with Bill McGrath, Brian Wild and Nadeam Elshami to provide informative analysis on possible policy outcomes during this year’s “lame duck” session.

Both candidates in the upcoming presidential election have indicated changes to tax policy will be a priority, yet there is a stark contrast in their proposed approaches to altering corporate, international and individual provisions in the tax code. In this podcast, Brownstein’s National Tax Policy Group, in the style of The McLaughlin Group, forecasts the sequence of tax-related developments likely to occur under each potential landscape in 2021.

On October 8, Brownstein’s Health Care industry group hosted a panel discussion with industry experts about what the election, the Affordable Care Act challenge before the Supreme Court and policy trends mean for the future of health care and industry transactions. The discussion includes a pre-election assessment on further COVID aid legislation, the likely result of the ACA challenge, potential Trump and Biden presidential priorities on health care policies and responses to ACA Supreme Court scenarios, and the environment for health care businesses and dealmaking.

With ballots printed and the election less than a month away, Sarah Mercer and David Meschke unpack what’s on the Colorado ballot and the current political climate. They cover the strength of the state’s mail-in ballot process, Congressional races and judicial retention elections and the details of all the initiatives and measures that made it on the Colorado ballot.

Any one U.S. senator can prevent a bill from receiving a vote. The procedure that grants that ability, known as the filibuster, has a well-documented history in the Senate of preserving the rights of the minority party. Should there be a Democratic majority in the next Senate, many political analysts speculate the filibuster could be in jeopardy. Our team of Democratic and Republican strategists dive into the likelihood the filibuster is removed and the significant impact its elimination would have on the legislative process.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) are officially the Democratic nominees for president and vice president. In this segment, Drew Littman talks with Al Mottur, Carmencita Whonder and Brian McGuire to discuss the importance of the vice presidential pick historically and its significance this year. The team also covers the impact Sen. Harris will have on the race at large and whether she is likely to inspire voters and move the needle in battleground states.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joins Brownstein shareholders Alissa Gardenswartz and Sarah Mercer for a discussion about the future of antitrust enforcement, ensuring consumer protection while supporting innovation and issues arising from the pandemic, including price gouging and evictions.