The United Kingdom Parliament on Oct. 22 voted to approve the broad outlines of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new transition deal for exiting the United Kingdom. The 329-299 vote on the implementation bill’s “second reading” in Parliament would normally move the bill forward to a detailed examination of the bill at committee stage and then a final vote on the “third reading,” though U.K. lawmakers in a second vote rejected Johnson’s proposed three-day timetable for considering the bill and a new schedule has yet to be proposed, according to a report from the BBC.

Senate Judiciary Committee staff is meeting with tech industry officials and others about a child safety-related Section 230 bill, Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told us (see 1907090062). “We’ve had some discussions with the tech community, and with some people on the committee. I don’t want to destroy the social media companies, but they’ve got to be more accountable.”

Senate Judiciary Committee staff is meeting with tech industry officials and others about a child safety-related Section 230 bill, Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told us (see 1907090062). “We’ve had some discussions with the tech community, and with some people on the committee. I don’t want to destroy the social media companies, but they’ve got to be more accountable.”

The House plans to pass a “strong, bipartisan” sanctions package this week in response to the Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Turkey in exchange for a ceasefire in Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Pelosi’s comments came after the Trump administration announced last week it would be suspending further sanctions on Turkey and plans to lift recently announced sanctions in exchange for the ceasefire.

Two stalwart Republican supporters of the president joined with three Democratic senators to say that Congress is united in a push to levy sanctions on Turkey for its invasion of Syria.

Mexican officials presented a letter from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to House Ways & Means Chairman Richard Neal Oct. 17 that he is asking the national legislature and state legislatures to increase what they are spending on labor reform in the coming year, including an additional $18.8 million for federal labor courts, $18 million for local conciliation center, $13.5 million for local labor courts and $10 million for training, public education and verification related to the new contracts. The federal government will provide a property worth $23 million to the new labor center, he said,

Mexican officials presented a letter from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to House Ways & Means Chairman Richard Neal Oct. 17 that he is asking the national legislature and state legislatures to increase what they are spending on labor reform in the coming year, including an additional $18.8 million for federal labor courts, $18 million for local conciliation center, $13.5 million for local labor courts and $10 million for training, public education and verification related to the new contracts. The federal government will provide a property worth $23 million to the new labor center, he said,

The Commerce Department’s Oct. 9 blacklisting of several Chinese technology companies may not impact trade negotiations this week but could lead to significant retaliation against U.S. companies, trade experts said. And while the Trump administration insisted the Entity List decisions were unrelated to trade talks with China, the move unnerved U.S. companies impacted by the trade war that fear Commerce’s announcement could expedite the release of China’s so-called "unreliable entity list."

Ex-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler hopes California and other states “rush through” the door opened by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruling the FCC can’t pre-empt state net neutrality policies with its 2018 order, he emailed Wednesday. Vacating the pre-emption declaration “in and of itself doesn’t mean California and Vermont can ignore parallel judicial process,” countered Wilkinson Barker's Raymond Gifford. California and Vermont AGs agreed not to enforce their net neutrality laws while the D.C. Circuit decision was pending, in exchange for challengers of the state laws pausing lawsuits against the states. “It is clear, based on judges’ language in the California and Vermont cases, that neither state can enforce their legislation (or, in Vermont’s case, its parallel Executive Order) yet -- regardless of any potential desire,” emailed Gifford, a former Colorado Public Utilities Commission chairman. The judge in the Vermont case stopped the state from enforcing or directing enforcement of the law and EO “in any respect until 30 days after the expiration of the stay,” and Gifford said the “stay doesn’t lift until either the period for seeking further review from the D.C. Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court expires, or the D.C. Circuit or Supreme Court issue a final decision.” In California, the judge’s “stay is predicated on the state of California, in a stipulation, agreeing to ‘not take any action to enforce, or direct the enforcement of, Senate Bill 822 in any respect, including through participation in private action seeking to enforce Senate Bill 822,’” he said. California and Vermont AG offices confirmed Wednesday they must wait (see 1910020028).

Ex-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler hopes California and other states “rush through” the door opened by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruling the FCC can’t pre-empt state net neutrality policies with its 2018 order, he emailed Wednesday. Vacating the pre-emption declaration “in and of itself doesn’t mean California and Vermont can ignore parallel judicial process,” countered Wilkinson Barker's Raymond Gifford. California and Vermont AGs agreed not to enforce their net neutrality laws while the D.C. Circuit decision was pending, in exchange for challengers of the state laws pausing lawsuits against the states. “It is clear, based on judges’ language in the California and Vermont cases, that neither state can enforce their legislation (or, in Vermont’s case, its parallel Executive Order) yet -- regardless of any potential desire,” emailed Gifford, a former Colorado Public Utilities Commission chairman. The judge in the Vermont case stopped the state from enforcing or directing enforcement of the law and EO “in any respect until 30 days after the expiration of the stay,” and Gifford said the “stay doesn’t lift until either the period for seeking further review from the D.C. Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court expires, or the D.C. Circuit or Supreme Court issue a final decision.” In California, the judge’s “stay is predicated on the state of California, in a stipulation, agreeing to ‘not take any action to enforce, or direct the enforcement of, Senate Bill 822 in any respect, including through participation in private action seeking to enforce Senate Bill 822,’” he said. California and Vermont AG offices confirmed Wednesday they must wait (see 1910020028).