Washington Wire
Did Obscure Rule Cripple Economy?
In the wake of Lehman Brothers' collapse and the financial turmoil that roiled Wall Street in late September and early October, a federal accounting rule,...
Unions Draw Ire of Hotel Owners
Will the proposed Employee Free Choice Act destroy the hotel industry's profitability by driving up workers' wages, as some owners argue? Or will it level...
Climate Bill Turns into Heated Controversy
Though President George Bush has opposed the U.S. Senate's bipartisan cap and trade climate control legislation and Senate Republicans blocked the bill...
FCC Ban Gets Bad Reception
Less than two months after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pulled the plug on exclusive contracts between property owners or developers and...
1031s Under Scrutiny
If you're alarmed by newspaper headlines announcing that the Internal Revenue Service plans to tighten the rules on 1031 tax-deferred exchanges and audit...
Battle Ends Over Terrorism Insurance
The U.S. House and Senate spent the last month of 2007 trying to show each other who's the boss of terrorism risk insurance legislation. The Senate won...
Property Owners Dodge Bullet in Immigration War
Property owners may be breathing a sigh of relief now that a federal judge has barred the U.S. government from enforcing regulations requiring them and...
Tax Witch Hunt Against Private Equity?
Keep your eyes on the Congressional proposal to increase taxes on partnerships commonly used by private-equity and hedge-fund firms. Legislators are positioning...
SOX Auditing Rules Eased
REITs may find complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) easier since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously May 23 to ease some of its more restrictive requirements....
Mold Issue Under the Microscope
Two events have put the issue of mold right back in the spotlight again. The first was the January publication of an article calling into question two scientific studies heavily relied on by defendants in mold cases. The second is the expected introduction of new mold legislation in Congress....
