Photo of Robert Y. Maples˘

Robert Y. Maples is experienced in the Washington, D.C. federal, state and public affairs arenas. He has also been an advocate for building pragmatic alliances to resolve major social issues and has pioneered strategies for addressing complex public affairs crises in collaborative versus confrontational contexts. He continues his advocacy of pragmatic alliances in furtherance of client/government collaborations among the Congress and federal agencies, and serves as state counsel on complex client public policy matters. He is experienced in complex problem solving in regulatory and legislative environments and his client interests have led to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) activities and cybersecurity representation.

˘ Not admitted to practice law.

On Jan. 9, 2020, USCIS posted a Notice in the Federal Register announcing the implementation of the H-1B registration process for H-1B cap-subject petitions. USCIS notes:

The initial H-1B petition

Continue Reading Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking to File H–1B Petitions on Behalf of Cap-Subject Aliens

On Dec. 20, 2019, President Trump signed H.R. 1865, an eight-bill appropriations bill that extends the vital EB-5 program until Sept. 30, 2020, among other things. The president also signed
Continue Reading President Trump Signs Appropriation Packages Extending Vital Programs Like EB-5 and Preventing a Government Shutdown

On Dec. 16, Congressional leaders negotiated and debuted a $1.37 trillion spending package to fund the operational needs of the country and extend vital programs such as EB-5.

The massive
Continue Reading Congress Releases 12-Bill Funding Package to Extend Vital Programs Such as EB-5 and to Prevent a Government Shutdown

As we previously reported here, USCIS published a notice of proposed rulemaking for an adjustment of fees to meet operational needs. Today, USCIS announced an extension of the comment
Continue Reading USCIS Announces More Fees and Fee Increases—UPDATE: Extension of Comment Period

Twice a year, the Office of Management and Budget, in concert with the General Services Administration and its own Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, publish the Unified Regulatory Agenda (Unified Agenda). The Unified Agenda is a transparency program that publishes federal agency rulemakings in process. It is not a process set in concrete but rather a snapshot in time to inform the public of rulemakings and regulations being developed by federal agencies.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) postings, released Nov. 21 for Fall 2019 are here. In addition to enabling the searching of regulations by agency and content, the agencies offer a regulatory “plan” which sets out regulatory principles. The DHS statement can be found here.
Continue Reading OMB Releases Fall 2019 Unified Regulatory Agenda; DHS & USCIS Expect Active Rulemakings

On Nov. 18, Congressional Appropriation leadership introduced a 26-page Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund government and extend vital programs such as EB-5 through Dec. 20, 2019. Leaders hope to use
Continue Reading House Introduces Continuing Resolution Funding Government, Including Vital programs Such as EB-5