drowles@sgrlaw.com Archives

May 13, 2019

House Bill 311 – Seeking Limitations on Sovereign Immunity

House Bill 311, sponsored by Rep. Andy Welch (R-McDonough) and passed by both the House and the Senate, was recently vetoed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Generally speaking, the purpose of the Bill was to reduce the government’s ability to claim sovereign immunity and allow Georgia citizens the ability to seek judicial relief against public entities and officials that they believe have committed unconstitutional and unlawful acts. House Bill 311 was the General Assembly’s response to a 2017 abortion rights case in which the Georgia Supreme Court held that Georgia citizens could not seek injunctions or declaratory judgments against a… Read more

Sep 27, 2017

President Trump’s Buy American and Hire American Order

On April 18, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (the “Order”) entitled “Buy American and Hire American,”[1] intended to, among other things, strengthen public procurement policies promoting domestic preferences for construction materials used on public projects. Technically, the Order does not make or change any existing law. Rather, it establishes “the policy of the executive branch to maximize, consistent with the law . . . the use of goods, products and materials produced in the United States.” By issuing the Order, President Trump has sent a clear message that his administration will seek broader enforcement of federal procurement… Read more

Jun 27, 2017

Responding to False, Inaccurate, and Misleading Statements in Business Letters

Authored by Darren Rowles and Scott Cahalan Most contractors have received letters, e-mails, invoices, and other forms of correspondence in the ordinary course of business from owners, architects, and others that contain false, inaccurate, or misleading statements. Does the contractor need to respond to the letter? A contractor should always respond to false, inaccurate, and misleading statements in letters and other correspondence within a reasonable period of time, even if the contractor is rushed for time, or wants to avoid a confrontation, or believes that the statements are so ridiculous that they don’t warrant a response. Ignoring such statements is… Read more