The General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced changes to procedural guidance that may affect contractor eligibility for GSA contracts. GSA issued the IT Security Procedural Guide: Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations Process CIO-IT Security-21-112, which set out a cybersecurity framework for protecting CUI that is similar to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for DoD contracts. 

Recent developments suggest a potential inflection point in the proxy advisory landscape. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s decision to discontinue the use of proxy advisory firms in favor of an internal, AI-driven voting platform, combined with escalating regulatory, legislative, and enforcement activity targeting the industry, signals heightened scrutiny of the role and influence of proxy advisors in U.S. capital markets. In this alert, we examine JPMorgan’s move, the broader regulatory and political backdrop, and what these developments may mean for plan fiduciaries, asset managers, and public companies navigating proxy voting and governance decisions in a rapidly evolving environment.