The insights industry scored important legislative victories in the last month for pharmaceutical MR in Pennsylvania, data security in Utah, and more COVID-19 small business loans and grants at the federal level and in California. At the same time, we’re staring down lots of problematic legislation, including a new comprehensive data privacy law in Virginia and a complex excise tax on data collection in New York. Meanwhile, advocacy continues on issues like: California A.B. 2257; worrisome legislation in Congress that would allow for the unionization of research subjects; limitations on coronavirus-related exposure liability; the census; and restrictions on exit polling.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued intensive new Loan Necessity Questionnaires for recipients of forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans that the Insights Association (IA) warned could inadvertently make the forgiveness process even more confusing and cumbersome for small businesses in the insights industry who received PPP loans to “preserve as many jobs as possible, despite the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

August is normally quiet in Washington, DC, but in keeping with the theme of 2020, this month has been more frenetic. While we beat back new taxes on the insights industry, the Insights Association has had to tangle with the demise of the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield for data transfer, further pandemic relief, some new threats to pharma MR, the finalization of CCPA, and an attempt to rush the 2020 Census that threatens the statistical viability of most marketing research and data analytics in the U.S.

The past month has seen significant developments on CCPA, COVID-19, data taxes, small business-crippling legislation in California, immigration work visas, and TCPA. The Insights Association is grateful for your membership and support in combatting these tough issues. Check out what we’re up to!

The Paycheck Protection Program, the U.S. Small Business Administration's program offering forgivable loans to small businesses that keep workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 crisis, has been extended until August 8.

The U.S. Small Business Administration released revised rules and EZ forms for its forgivable small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The rules implement changes made by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (H.R. 7010), a bill backed by the Insights Association which was signed into law on June 5, 2020.

The Insights Association has been racking up advocacy wins for our members in the areas of pharmaceutical research, small business loan forgiveness, telephone research, and jury trial research.

President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (H.R. 7010), legislation advocated by the Insights Association, into law on June 5, 2020. It improves the ability of small businesses to utilize the Small Business Administration (SBA)'s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to offset the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

As a result of the April 24th signing of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act into law, the Small Business Administration's loan/grant programs aiming to ameliorate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis reopened for business at 10:30am on Monday, April 27, 2020.

President Donald Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 226) into law on April 25, 2020, providing $484 billion in financial assistance and funding for various programs in response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the small business loan programs launched and expanded by the March 27th CARES Act.