The Washington Report
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June 23, 2021
Note to subscribers: Due to the current environment, information is changing at a rapid rate. While we do our best to provide timely updates, it is possible that the information shared in the newsletter may change or be revised after our publication deadline. Stay healthy and safe! ~The Washington Report team
Executive/Judicial
President Biden Declares Juneteenth a Public Holiday
On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed into law S. 475 (the “Juneteenth National Independence Day Act”), which designates Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday. The House and Senate approved the bill early last week.
The White House news release is available here.
The full text of S. 475 is available here.
Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge to ACA; Preserves Coverage and Availability
On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge (California v. Texas), to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The justices, voting 7–2, threw out the lawsuit, citing the states backing the complaint lacked the legal right to challenge the law. This is the third decision from the Supreme Court rejecting challenges to the health care law.
For additional information, see the Aon bulletin titled Out at Third—SCOTUS Dismisses Latest ACA Challenge, Holding Plaintiff States Lacked Standing to Bring Case in the Publications section of the newsletter.
The Supreme Court opinion is available here.
Other HR/Employment
EEOC Announces Two New Resources About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Workplace Rights
On June 15, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the release of new resources to educate employees, applicants, and employers about the rights of all employees, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers, to be free from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment. The materials include a new landing page on the EEOC website that consolidates information concerning sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination and a new technical assistance document to help the public understand the Bostock decision and established EEOC positions on the laws the agency enforces.
The EEOC news release is available here.
The new Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination landing page is available here.
The new technical assistance document is available here.
Aon Publications
Out at Third—SCOTUS Dismisses Latest ACA Challenge, Holding Plaintiff States Lacked Standing to Bring Case
The U.S. Supreme Court threw out the latest legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), holding that the plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the lawsuit. The plaintiffs—18 states and two individuals—had challenged the constitutionality of the ACA after Congress zeroed out the individual mandate tax penalty in 2017.
The case, captioned California v. Texas, was the third major legal challenge to the ACA since its passage in 2010, following the challenges to the individual mandate in NFIB v. Sebelius in 2012 and to federal subsidies for the public Exchange in King v. Burwell in 2015.
The Aon bulletin is available here.