The Cotney Brief

State and Federal Regulatory Changes Tennessee Adopts New Noncompete Limits Tennessee has enacted a new statute limiting the use of noncompete agreements. The law took effect July 1, 2026, and […]

State and Federal Regulatory Changes Florida Changes Building Permit and Inspection Rules Florida recently enacted CS/CS/HB 803, a construction-related law that changes several building permit and inspection rules. The law

State and Federal Regulatory Changes NLRB Restores Narrower Joint-Employer Standard: What Contractors Should Know The National Labor Relations Board has formally withdrawn its 2023 joint-employer rule and restored the prior,

State and Federal Regulatory Changes Ohio’s New E-Verify Law Raises Compliance Stakes Ohio has enacted a new E-Verify requirement aimed at the nonresidential construction industry. House Bill 246, known as

DOL Proposes Return to a Narrower Independent Contractor Test The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a significant change to the federal independent contractor test. On February 27, 2026, the

Illinois Rooftop Safety for First Responders Act: New Compliance Issues for Roofers Illinois’ Rooftop Safety for First Responders Act, commonly referred to as the Drew Price Act, is now in

California Tightens Home Improvement Contract Requirements: Email Cancellation Now Mandatory California’s AB 1327 (Aguiar-Curry) adds new consumer-protection requirements for home improvement contracts. Contractors must now include a valid email address

Federal: Fallout from 2025 Government Shutdown The 2025 federal government shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, spanning 43 days. It disrupted routine operations of federal agencies, including those that

Rethinking OSHA’s Multi-Employer Site Doctrine On most construction projects, more than one company works on the same jobsite. Under OSHA’s multi-employer site doctrine, the agency can issue safety citations not

State and Federal Regulatory Changes New DOT Rule Rewrites DBE Certification Standards for Contractors DOT issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that took effect Oct. 3, 2025. It removes the