Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives voted to permanently block implementation of the Fair Pay & Safe Workplaces Rule, also known as the contractor “Blacklisting Rule.” With a 236-187 vote, the joint resolution disapproving the Rule easily passed in the House and will now head to the Senate.

As we discussed earlier this week, Congress can use the Congressional Review Act to overrule regulations issued at the end of President Barack Obama’s presidential term. Although the CRA had previously been used only once to successfully overturn a regulation, it appears to be the tool of choice for the new administration, as Congress has also voted this week to block several other Obama-era regulations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of the Interior. The disapproval resolutions have been moving quickly so far, so we expect the “Blacklisting Rule” to be up for a vote in the Senate in the very near future. Stay tuned . . .