AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION for AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
What was lobbied
15 issue areas, each in the filer's own words, with who lobbied on it and where.
Health Issues HCR
Communications regarding implementing a Guardianship Court Improvement Program. Support for legislation that would allow a private right of action for people with disabilities harmed by air carriers.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| DAVID EPPSTEIN | — |
Indian/Native American Affairs IND
Research and policy discussions regarding Indian and Native American Affairs as they relate to current tribal policy and potential legislative concerns.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
Banking BAN
H.R. 2891, S. 1323 - the Safe Banking Act
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| DAVID EPPSTEIN | — |
Bankruptcy BNK
Draft legislation that would make the temporary Subchapter 5 and Chapter 13 threshold adjustments in the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and Technical Corrections Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-151, S. 3823) permanent.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
Budget/Appropriations BUD
S. 2321, FY 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations - funding for the Legal Services Corporation; funding for the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review's Legal Orientation Program. H.R.4664, S.2309, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations - funding for judicial security. H.R. 4665, FY 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations - funding for democracy, human rights, and rule of law programs. H.R. 4364, S. 2362, FY 2024 Legislative Branch Appropriations - funding for the Library and Law Library of Congress.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| DENISE A CARDMAN | — |
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
| KRISTI GAINES | — |
| KENNETH GOLDSMITH | — |
| JAMES MICHAEL O'NEILL | — |
Civil Rights/Civil Liberties CIV
H.R.17, S. 728 - Paycheck Fairness Act
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| DENISE A CARDMAN | — |
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
Education EDU
Support for student loan debt forgiveness, reforming and strengthening the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, reduced student loan interest rates and ability to refine loans, and the continued suspension of federal student loan payments.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| JAMES MICHAEL O'NEILL | — |
Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities FIN
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Statement of Policy Regarding Prohibition on Abusive Acts or Practices; Docket No CFPB-2023-0018; 88 Fed. Reg. 21883 (April 12, 2023)-provisions that could require creditor attorneys and law firms to act in the interests of consumers instead of their creditor clients in violation of the lawyers' existing ethical obligations or that would conflict with other existing state court ethical obligations ENABLERS Act - draft legislation regulating certain attorneys and law firms as financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act and requiring them to report certain attorney-client privileged and other protected client information to the Treasury Department. Restoring Court Authority Over Litigation Act - draft legislation clarifying that attorneys engaged in litigation should be regulated and disciplined solely by courts, federal agencies have no authority to regulate attorneys litigation activities, and parties in litigation have no federal private right of action against their opponents attorney for alleged litigation misconduct. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards, and Use of FinCEN Identifiers for Entities; Docket No. FINCEN-2021-0005; RIN 1506-AB49/AB59, 87 Fed. Reg. 77404 (December 16, 2022). Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Final Rule on Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirements; Document No. 2022-21020; RIN 1506-AB49, 87 Fed. Reg. 59498 (September 30, 2022). Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Real Estate Transactions; Docket No. FINCEN-2021-0007; RIN 1506-AB54, 86 Fed. Reg. 69589 (December 8, 2021). Financial Action Task Force Public Consultation Paper, Proposed Updates to Risk-Based Guidance to the Real Estate Sector-provisions requiring attorneys to submit suspicious transaction reports on their clients high-risk real estate transactions even when the information is protected by the attorney-client privilege. Financial Action Task Force White Paper for Public Consultation, Potential Amendments to Recommendation 24 (Transparency and Beneficial Ownership of Legal Persons)-provisions considering requiring attorneys to hold their company clients' beneficial ownership information and disclose it to government authorities.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
Foreign Relations FOR
Communications regarding increased support for investigation and prosecution of atrocity crimes, particularly crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. Draft legislation to amend U.S. law to extend domestic jurisdiction over crimes against humanity. Support for U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (Singapore Convention on Mediation). Issues relating to facilitating U.S. support and engagement with the International Criminal Court. Support for increased funding for democracy, human rights, and rule of law programs.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
| KRISTI GAINES | — |
| THOMAS MICHAEL SUSMAN | — |
Government Issues GOV
H.R. 927, S. 325 - Supreme Court Ethics Act H.R. 926, S. 359 - Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2023 Support for authorizing new and filling existing vacant federal judgeships. Legislation regarding diversity jurisdiction - to treat unincorporated and incorporated entities the same. H.Res.314 - to end the territorial incorporation doctrine. Support for permanently establishing/forming within the Department of Justice, the Office for Access to Justice. Proposed federal laws/ regulations related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data security, digital/personal privacy, intellectual property, in addition to how these issues could impact the legal profession, such as undermining the attorney-client privilege, the lawyers ethical duty to protect client confidentiality, the work product doctrine, and access to justice, as well as questions related to the federal courts longstanding authority to regulate and oversee the legal profession. Support increasing administrative law judge independence through establishing a code of ethics for them along with merit-based hiring practices and an independent decision making body. Proposed federal laws/ regulations related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data security, digital/personal privacy, intellectual property, in addition to how these issues could impact the legal profession, such as undermining the attorney-client privilege, the lawyers ethical duty to protect client confidentiality, the work product doctrine, and access to justice, as well as questions related to the federal courts longstanding authority to regulate and oversee the legal profession. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Duty of Candor; Docket No. RM22-20-000, 87 Fed. Reg. 49784 (August 12, 2022)-provisions regulating certain attorneys engaged in the practice of law and requiring them to disclose certain attorney-client privileged and other protected client information. Draft Model Rules of Representative Conduct to be developed by an Administrative Conference of the United States working group that would regulate the conduct of attorneys and non-attorneys who represent parties and other interested persons in administrative adjudicative proceedings. Administrative Conference of the United States study on Regulation of Representatives in Agency Proceedings to explore how federal agencies regulate the conduct of attorneys and non-attorneys who represent parties and other interested persons in administrative adjudicative proceedings, and related best practices for federal agencies. Proposed Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel legal opinion further clarifying the ability of government attorneys and other employees to participate more fully in outside organizations, including legal professional associations. Revised Department of Justice ethics guidance (Representations Before the Government) further clarifying the ability of government attorneys and other employees to participate more fully in outside organizations, including legal professional associations.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| DENISE A CARDMAN | — |
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| DAVID EPPSTEIN | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
| KRISTI GAINES | — |
| JAMES MICHAEL O'NEILL | — |
Immigration IMM
S.1885, the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act. S.2327, H.R.4627, the Afghan Adjustment Act and other measures to facilitate permanent legal status for certain Afghans present in the U.S. Recommendations on implementation of the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule and other issues related to the asylum system. Comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys Draft Indigenous Languages Plan. Issues relating to access to counsel for individuals in immigration removal proceedings and increasing funding for the Legal Orientation Program. Issues regarding the operations of the immigration courts, including establishing an independent Article I immigration court system. Issues relating to decreasing the use of detention and expanding alternatives to detention.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| KRISTI GAINES | — |
Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice LAW
H.R. 2400, the Reentry Act, which would make persons eligible for Medicaid starting 30 days before their release from prison. H.R. 3074, the Due Process Continuity of Care Act, which would provide continued Medicaid eligibility for persons held in pretrial detention. H.R. 3479, S. 1753, the RESTORE Act, which would end the federal permanent lifetime ban on SNAP assistance for those with a past drug conviction and allow persons to apply for SNAP within 30 days of their release from prison. H.R. 3758, the EQUAL Defense Act, which would make a series of improvements to the work conditions and concerns of public defenders. S. 1247, the Terry Technical Amendments Act, which would ensure that sentence reductions for crack cocaine related offenses authorized under the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 apply retroactively to sentences that were not a mandatory minimum. S. 1248, the Safer Detention Act, which would improve access to compassionate release for the elderly. S. 1251, First Step Implementation Act, which would do several things including the authorization of second look sentence review for those who were sentenced under age 18 once they had served at least 20 years of their sentence; the bill also provides for automatic sealing and expungement of certain juvenile records. S. 1677, the Democracy Restoration Act and other activity in support of restoring the right to vote in federal elections for those leaving prison. Activity in support of ending gay and trans panic as a defense to the commission of a crime. Activity in support of a health approach to combating criminal activity involving fentanyl analogs in lieu of increased criminalization and harsh mandatory minimum sentences for even nonviolent offenses. Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act - draft legislation applying the same attorney-client privilege protections to electronic messages between individuals held in Bureau of Prisons facilities and their attorneys that already apply to all other forms of communication. Proposed changes to Customs and Border Protection Directive No. 3340-049 (Border Search of Electronic Devices Containing Information, dated August 20, 2009), Customs and Border Protection Directive No. 3340-049A (Border Search of Electronic Devices, dated January 4, 2018), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Directive No. 7-6.1 (Border Searches of Electronic Devices, dated August 18, 2009) to prevent border officials from reading, duplicating, seizing, or sharing attorney-client privileged or confidential client documents or information contained on attorneys laptop computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices at U.S. border crossings unless the officials first obtain a subpoena based on reasonable suspicion or a warrant supported by probable cause.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| DAVID EPPSTEIN | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
| KENNETH GOLDSMITH | — |
Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR
H.R. 20 and S. 567, Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act-provisions in Section 202 that would amend Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, 29 U.S.C. 433(c), to require attorneys to report certain confidential client information to the Department of Labor.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| LARSON FRISBY | — |
Medicare/Medicaid MMM
Support reintroduction of legislation that would establish clear criteria for when a Medicare set-aside may be reviewed by Medicare, provides a time frame for CMS to review set-aside submissions and provides an optional direct payment of set-aside amounts to Medicare.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| DAVID EPPSTEIN | — |
Trade (domestic/foreign) TRD
Communications regarding international trade in legal services and overseas market access for U.S. firms and lawyers.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY O'GRADY COOK | — |
| KRISTI GAINES | — |
Shown as published by the Senate Office of Public Records and the House Clerk under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The official filing is the record; open it for the full form.