Michael Best launches procurement practice

From: POLITICO Influence - Tuesday Jun 21,2022 09:41 pm

Jun 21, 2022

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With Daniel Lippman

FIRST IN PI — MICHAEL BEST LAUNCHES PROCUREMENT PRACTICE: The law and lobbying firm Michael Best Strategies has launched a procurement practice spanning its government relations and legal branches. Partner Sarah Helton, who will lead the new practice, told PI that the practice was born out of strong demand from clients. “We have been contacted by a number of our clients and other companies that were really looking to find opportunities and solutions with the federal government,” Helton said in an interview.

— That demand has been boosted by sweeping legislation like Covid relief packages and the bipartisan infrastructure bill. “There's a lot of companies that haven't contemplated the business opportunity that is there, especially with an expanding federal market,” she said.

— The new practice will combine lobbying and legal services to provide clients with “one place [they] can go for all of their procurement needs.” Denise Bode , who leads Michael Best’s federal policy practice, will also be involved in the procurement practice, as will Lucia Alonzo, who’s got experience with appropriations issues.

— Monument Advocacy is bulking up its federal procurement credentials, as well. The firm has hired Julie Dunne , a former commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, as a principal in its federal sales and cybersecurity practices, focusing on Monument’s technology and cybersecurity clients.

— Before serving at GSA, Dunne also spent time on the Hill working for House Oversight’s Government Operations Subcommittee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and at Commerce and DHS. In a statement, Dunne said that she is looking forward to advising companies on procurement matters, “particularly when it comes to modernizing information and operational technology, and enhancing cybersecurity.”

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

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HOUSE OVERSIGHT STAFFER DECAMPS FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRM: Rich Feuer Anderson has hired Ben Harney, one of the top Democratic staffers on the House Oversight Committee, away from the Hill. Harney has worked for Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) since 2013, serving as her counsel and designee for House Financial Services’ investor protection and capital markets subcommittee and most recently as deputy staff director on the Oversight Committee.

— Rich Feuer Anderson represents major names in the financial services sector, including JPMorgan Chase, American Express, the American Investment Council, Amazon and BlackRock. The firm has also signed on several major players in the crypto sector, like the exchanges Coinbase and FTX.

WHO’S SHAPING THE GUN BILL: “To many people, the only name that springs to mind when it comes to gun rights and influence on Capitol Hill is the National Rifle Association,” The Wall Street Journal’s Lindsay Wise and Julie Bykowicz report. “But a different outfit has ratcheted up federal lobbying and is working closely with lawmakers to shape the Senate negotiations now under way toward new legislation to curb gun violence: the National Shooting Sports Foundation.”

— “Like the NRA, the group is a powerful force in representing gun rights. But it is backed by gun manufacturers and retailers, while the NRA’s potency comes from its membership of gun owners. And it takes a less confrontational approach to lawmakers who favor gun-control, a stance that has given it clout as Congress seeks to enact new gun measures in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, according to members of Congress and aides.”

— The NSSF, which “represents 8,000 gun makers, distributors, retailers and shooting ranges, including AR-15 rifle maker Colt,” hasn’t publicly weighed in “on the bipartisan framework announced by Senate negotiators earlier this month because there is no legislative text yet. But the trade group has been involved in setting the deal’s general parameters and has been helping with technical details, members of Congress and aides said.”

— “Capitalizing on both its own legislative relationships and the NRA’s struggles, the NSSF has stepped up its Washington presence, spending almost $1.1 million in the first three months of this year on federal lobbying, compared with the NRA’s $620,000, records show. Since 2019, the NSSF has invested about $5 million more than the NRA in federal lobbying, records show.”

RECONCILIATION ADS WITH AN AUDIENCE OF ONE ARE BACK: “ AARP, the advocacy group for Americans over fifty, is launching new cable and broadcast TV ads in West Virginia urging centrist Sen.Joe Manchin, (D-W.Va.), to support a budget reconciliation bill that includes a major prescription drug savings policy,” NBC News’ Sahil Kapur reports.

— “The new TV ad, first reported by NBC News, is slated to run in West Virginia starting this Wednesday through at least July 5. An AARP spokesperson said it is part of a multi-million-dollar ad campaign that will include radio and print ads.”

— “‘Everybody knows Joe Manchin cares about West Virginians. And he knows too many of us are struggling to pay for our medicine. That’s why he supports letting Medicare negotiate lower drug prices,’ says a narrator in the ad, which ends with: ‘Joe Manchin, keep fighting to lower drug prices.’”

— “It focuses on a priority of AARP’s: allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which Manchin has publicly endorsed. And it comes at a crucial stretch: In recent weeks, the senator has held private negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer about a bill that can bypass Republicans, who oppose the idea of allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.”

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FLY-IN SZN: The Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition is kicking off a virtual fly-in today with more than 100 meetings scheduled with members of Congress and their offices, including the offices of Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosito discuss issues affecting diabetes patients, like legislation to cap the price of insulin. They’ll also push for stronger regulation of pharmacy benefit managers and rebate pass-through legislation.

— Advocates from the National Organic Coalition will also hold a virtual fly-in this week to urge lawmakers to increase technical assistance and transition support in the upcoming farm bill for farmers who want to shift acreage to organic production. They’ll ask for increased funding for organic research in the farm policy bill and for a crackdown on fraud in the organic supply chain. The coalition is set to meet with the offices of around three dozen lawmakers, and has member-level huddles slated with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Reps. G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.).

— On Wednesday, more than 200 members of the American Society of Travel Advisors from 47 states will be on the Hill. The group will be educating lawmakers on the pandemic’s ongoing impact on the travel industry and will call on lawmakers to reinstate the Employee Retention Tax Credit, and another bill to boost tourism. The group has 175 meetings on the books, including with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Carper (D-Del.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Reps. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.).

— The American Truck Dealers are also holding a fly-in this week, primarily to push for the repeal of the 12 percent federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks. They’ll meet with the offices of Grassley and Reps. Val Demings (D-Fla.) and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), the latter of whom co-sponsors legislation to repeal the World War I-era tax, which the industry argues increases costs and disincentivizes the purchase of cleaner, safer and more fuel-efficient trucks.

IF YOU MISSED IT OVER THE WEEKEND: “Crypto’s growing influence in Washington is in danger of fading as the market collapses and the industry shrinks,” POLITICO’s Sam Sutton reports. “ Coinbase, a publicly traded exchange and one of the largest global crypto marketplaces, slashed 18 percent of its workforce this week to brace for the slide.”

— “Billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss said they would lay off one-tenth of the workforce at their exchange. Even Crypto.com , which signed a $700 million deal to put its name on Los Angeles’s NBA arena just seven months ago, has cut 260 of its staff through ‘targeted reductions.’ ‘We grew too quickly,’ Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong wrote in a company blog post.”

— “That could be said for the entire digital asset market, which has seen more than two-thirds of its value evaporate since peaking at $3 trillion last fall. … The market’s plunge is likely to temper expectations around a two-year lobbying campaign that has made digital assets one of the most visible industries on Capitol Hill.”

— “Crypto’s shrinking footprint could weaken a bid by top exchanges and developers to push for new laws and light regulations that they argue would allow blockchain-based businesses to thrive. And it could damage any trust the industry has accrued in Washington — particularly amid growing scandals on popular lending platforms where customer accounts have been frozen or wiped out.”

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Jobs Report

— Scott Matus has joined EV company Lucid Motors as a policy manager. He most recently worked for Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) as a senior policy adviser handling energy, environment and transportation issues.

— Elevate Government Affairs has added Steve Schultz as vice president and Joe Sansone as a communications associate. Schultz most recently served as Legislative Counsel for Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) and was shared staff with the House Transportation Committee. Sansone was most recently communications director for Massachusetts State Sen. Michael Moore.

— The Levinson Group has added Will Southworth as a director. He recently returned to D.C. after earning his law degree and previously worked at Definers Public Affairs and Crier Media Group.

— Daleep Singh is now chief global economist and head of global macroeconomic research for PGIM Fixed Income . He previously was deputy national security adviser for international economics and deputy director of the National Economic Council, the administration’s top sanctions coordinator.

— The ERISA Industry Committee is promoting James Gelfand, currently executive vice president, to co-lead the association as president. Annette Guarisco Fildes , ERIC’s president and chief executive since 2015, will remain the organization’s CEO. Kathleen Carr-Smith, vice president of membership and strategic partnerships, will become ERIC’s first chief operations officer.

— Darren Webb is now the senior government relations director for Vizient. He was previously an associate with Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz, and is a Sam Johnson alum.

— United States of Care has hired Lisa Hunter as its new senior director for policy and external affairs. She most recently led strategic partnerships at Families USA and is a Better Medicare Alliance alum.

— Sophia Templin has been promoted to be a director in the New York office of strategic advisory firm FGS Global.

— The American Trucking Associations has hired Ryan Bowley as the executive director of the moving and storage conference and Mike Matousek as director of ATA’s government freight conference. Both Bowley and Matousek previously worked with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and on Capitol Hill. ATA also promoted Paul Ruiz to director of energy and environmental affairs.

— Neel Maitra has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a corporate partner in the D.C. office. Neel joins the firm’s securities regulatory and complex transactions group after serving as a senior special counsel at the SEC, where he focused on fintech and cryptocurrency issues.

— Christina Hayes will start as Americans for a Clean Energy Grid’s first permanent full-time executive director next month. She is a board member for the group and comes from Berkshire Hathaway Energy, where she is currently vice president for federal regulatory affairs. Rob Gramlich has served as ACEG’s executive director since 2020 and will work as its senior policy director.

— Erin Pressley was named senior vice president for education, training and events at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. She comes from the National Association of Convenience Stores, where she has been vice president of media and education.

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New Joint Fundraisers

Finstad Victory Committee (FINSTAD FOR CONGRESS, Field of Dreams PAC)
Nevada New Hampshire Victory Fund 2022 (Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Maggie Hassan, Nevada Democratic Victory)
Team Ogles (Andy Ogles for Congress, It Matters Who Leads PAC)
Ted Budd Majority Committee (Rep. Ted Budd, North Carolina Republican Party, NRSC)

New PACs

BOG-PAC (Leadership PAC: Jim Bognet)
DOSE OF REALITY, OPTIMISM AND ZEAL PAC (DR OZ PAC) (Leadership PAC: Mehmet Oz)
Field of Dreams PAC (Leadership PAC: Brad Finstad)
Grassroots America PAC (Hybrid PAC)
KILEY ELECTION VICTORY PAC (KEVPAC) (Leadership PAC: Kevin Kiley)
Montana Freedom PAC (Super PAC)
Our Hawaii PAC (Hybrid PAC)
RINO PAC (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

Council Of State Administrators Of Vocational Rehabilitation: Council Of State Administrators Of Vocational Rehabilitation
Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, LLC: Mozilla Corporation

New Lobbying Terminations

Beyond Type 1: Beyond Type 1
J M Burkman & Associates: Gauntley Holdings
Stonington Global: Maimonides Medical Center
Welsh Rose, LLC: Bluestone Strategies (On Behalf Of Pharmaceutical Care Management Association)

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