While the objective of waiving the provisions of the TRIPS agreement is admirable, it should be readily apparent to policymakers in Washington and the WTO that loosening intellectual property protections will not expedite vaccine manufacturing or distribution in economically developing countries. These countries do not possess the facilities to manufacture and distribute vaccines themselves. To […]
covid-19
Misguided Proposal in Indianapolis Would Undercut Food Delivery Services
The Following is a Statement From ACI Director, Krisztina Pusok, Regarding Misguided Proposed Legislation That Would Undercut Food Delivery Services: “We are very concerned with the repercussions that the proposed Indianapolis General Ordinance could have on consumers and restaurants in Indianapolis. The proposal, which temporarily caps the fees third-party platforms can charge restaurants for deliveries to 15%, […]
New Stimulus Package Makes Americans a Second Priority
The American Rescue Plan (ARP), a $1.9 trillion stimulus package backed by President Biden and recently passed in the House of Representatives, goes beyond its primary intention of providing direct economic relief for American workers. Besides Covid-19 relief measures, the bill contains a bundle of other programs lumped in the package that have little to […]
Town Hall: Hero Pay Hurts the Workers it is Supposed to Help
By artificially mandating wages for grocery store employees, city officials are not doing workers any favors. The pandemic has already added extra operational costs to businesses that must be paid to keep customers safe. New minimum wage requirements increase labor prices substantially for grocery chains, and companies have been forced to make big adjustments due to their […]
Real Clear Health: Make the COVID-19 Telehealth Reforms Permanent
Despite the overwhelming popularity of telehealth among patients and providers, and its overwhelming growth over the past decade, most of the reforms to telehealth are only temporary, with barriers to access once again erected once individual states declare the public health emergency over. To combat this, and ensure patients can continue to access telemedicine, states […]
Congress: Taking Aim at Vaping Will Not Solve the COVID Problem
On December 27, 2020, and after threatening a veto, President Donald Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) into law. Despite the headline element of the bill being direct payments of $600, the spending package also contained a bill entitled the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act (POSEC). This bill, hidden on […]
America is at the Forefront of COVID Vaccine Research for a Reason
When global public health authorities first noted cases of COVID-19 outside of China in January 2020, one of the first questions the public began to ask is when will a vaccine be available to treat a virus that, at the time of writing, has infected over 55 million people and killed over 1 million. An […]
COVID-19: Mitigating Worker and Consumer Risk
As the country slowly regains its economic footing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers, employees, and their employers are working to develop the ‘new normal’ for essential and re-opened businesses. As part of this process, labor groups, such as the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, are pushing to make temporary pay increases […]
Real Clear Policy: Congress Needs to Empower Gig Economy Workers
For many millions of Americans who work in the gig economy, connecting to customers through platforms like Uber and Airbnb, the COVID pandemic has brought severe financial hardship and uncertainty. On top of that, employment laws — which deter gig companies from providing hazard pay, cleaning supplies, or other benefits to their contractors — aren’t helping. Congress […]
Coalition Letter Supports Efforts to Help in the Economic Recovery from COVID
ACI joined a large coalition of groups in support of the expansion of full expensing provisions in the U.S. tax code. The CREATE JOBS Act proposes to allow business investments, Research and Development, and capital expenditures in rental and commercial structures to be fully expensed, rather than depreciated. That provision will act as an bold […]