Government Relations
Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer's professionals have a long and proud history of representing a wide variety of commercial clients, both in the Vermont legislature, and before Vermont administrative and regulatory agencies. The firm's experience, knowledge of the issues, and understanding of the political, regulatory and economic conditions under which its clients operate enables it to identify and respond effectively to legislative and regulatory opportunities and hazards. The firm also draws upon the resources of the State Capital Global Law Firm Group to provide clients direct access to the latest information and developments in legislatures across the United States.
- Full Service Lobbying and Legislative Representation. The firm provides full-service lobbying to advance, oppose or improve legislation impacting its clients. It provides strategic and technical legislative support, and works closely with clients to develop legislative action plans. Depending on a client's objectives, the firm can take full or shared responsibility for drafting bills and amendments, testifying, and networking with legislators and lobbyists to achieve optimal results. The firm regularly consults with its clients to determine which bills are appropriate for active lobbying and to ensure active participation in the legislative process.
- Bill Tracking and Monitoring. The firm tracks the progress of specific bills relevant to the concerns of its clients. In this effort, the firm identifies and reports on bills which do not require immediate, active lobbying. Committee schedules and up-to-date bill drafts are forwarded to the client on a regularly scheduled or as-needed basis, and legislative updates provide information on a bill's status, committee location, floor activity, committee reports and amendments. The firm consults with its clients to determine which issues, if any, should be followed more closely. In effect, it serves as a client's eyes and ears at the State House. When more than tracking is needed, the firm will begin to monitor legislation by attending committee hearings on specific bills of interest to its clients, and by engaging in discussions with other involved partners, including legislators, officials and other lobbyists.
- Administrative Lobbying. The firm serves as regulatory counsel for many of its clients on a year-round basis. Through many years of experience, the firm has developed a productive working relationship with regulators and state officials. This practice provides effective advocacy for clients in a wide array of contexts, including contested administrative cases, formal administrative rule-making procedures and informal resolution of many minor regulatory matters.
- Recent Legislative Efforts. The firm routinely participates in the development of legislation dealing with complex subject matter and works with its clients to seek prompt and successful action on such legislation. Recent examples include: revisions to Vermont's telecommunications law that resulted in more streamlined regulation of certain telecommunications companies, restructuring of Vermont's captive insurance laws and premium tax structure, comprehensive revisions to Vermont's Securities Act, recodification of Vermont's Banking Code, and a major overhaul of Vermont's Investment Code for insurers. The firm also has been actively engaged in the promulgation and implementation of regulations related to assisted living residences, Vermont's civil union regulation on behalf of insurance companies, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley privacy regulatory effort, and a pole attachment regulation for utilities.
Primary Contacts:
James F. Feehan - Government Relations Director
Jeffrey P. Johnson
Anne E. Cramer
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