We understand the federal legislative and regulatory issues that impact organizations and we know the paths to resolution. Our deep bench and legal strength complement our reputation and relationships in Washington, DC, giving clients a seat at the table and access to our powerful government network.
Venable's bipartisan Legislative and Government Affairs Practice includes registered lobbyists, attorneys, and policy advisors who came to the firm from distinguished careers in federal and state government. This team has an extensive network of active contacts from both major political parties on Capitol Hill, the executive branch, and a plethora of key government agencies. We leverage our relationships and political insight to go beyond making introductions to helping clients foster and maintain productive, results-driven partnerships with policymakers. This advantage enhances our ability to craft effective arguments and devise legislative and regulatory strategies that yield positive outcomes.
Our federal policy representations include:
- Providing direct advocacy to key congressional and agency leadership and staff
- Drafting of legislation and regulatory policy solutions as well as collateral supporting advocacy materials, such as issue briefs, fact sheets, and congressional testimony
- Developing and implementing lobbying and advocacy strategies
- Monitoring and analyzing Capitol Hill and executive branch activity
- Preparing committee report language and congressional testimony
- Creating and supporting coalitions and developing third-party stakeholder alliances
- Identifying and obtaining sources of federal funding via appropriations and authorizations, including helping secure Congressionally Directed Spending (aka earmarks)
- Coordinating congressional meetings and "fly-ins"
- Providing counsel in all aspects of congressional oversight and investigations
Our practice is bolstered by Venable's full complement of attorneys practicing before federal agencies and the courts. Our Legislative and Government Affairs professionals draw on the knowledge and experience of attorneys across practice groups, and deliver precise answers and workable solutions, no matter the challenge.
Aerospace and Transportation
Our experience in civil, commercial, and national security space and transportation policy enables clients to influence the debates and discussions on industry challenges. Our team, including a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, collaborates with policymakers to drive legislative developments in these fields. We work on a wide array of civil, commercial, and national security space issues. We also bring creative solutions to our transportation industry clients across various industries, advising them on every aspect of federal government affairs and successfully advocating on their behalf before relevant congressional committees.
Appropriations
Venable's lobbying team has a long record of success when it comes to securing appropriations for clients and increasing programmatic funding across the spectrum. Our extensive experience with the appropriations process—including relationships with members of the Appropriations Committees and key congressional staff—enables our team to identify applicable funding sources and garner support for funding requests. We also have extensive experience and success in using the appropriations process to influence agency action through bill and report language.
Energy
Relying on our combined decades of experience on Capitol Hill, Venable represents clients in the full spectrum of energy issues. We often work in tandem with the firm's top-tier Energy practice to forge public policy on matters relating to the energy transition, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction, and Department of Energy (DOE) programs before the key energy committees of the House and Senate. Our client work often involves cutting-edge energy matters, such as advanced nuclear power and hydrogen, in addition to traditional oil and gas and utility work.
Environment
Members of Venable's Legislative Affairs team have been involved in every major environmental debate on Capitol Hill for the last three decades – either through work for congressional committees or on behalf of clients in private practice. We represent clients based on our substantive expertise on the full range of environmental statutes, including CERCLA, RCRA/SDWA, the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and the Clean Water Act (CWA). As with our Energy work, we benefit from a first-class Environmental practice at the firm, which is involved daily in regulatory and litigation work in these areas. Our practice includes extensive work on PFAS matters, energy permitting debates, and matters connected to the energy transition, as well as age-old controversies such as coal ash disposal.
Financial Services
With experience navigating federal agencies and congressional committees with jurisdiction over financial services issues, our team represents payment processors, fintechs, trade associations, global financial institutions, insurance companies, and alternative lenders at every level. Many of our attorneys have previously served as senior officials at key financial regulatory agencies and industry groups and are adept at helping clients manage regulatory compliance challenges, government investigations, and business transactions.
Healthcare
Our bipartisan health policy team boasts a long and successful track record of shaping the outcome of federal legislative and regulatory health policy. We bring keen insight into and sharp understanding of the myriad ways in which federal health policy impacts the nation's economy and practically every industry. Our team works closely with clients, such as hospitals and health systems, provider associations, start-up healthcare companies, patient advocacy organizations, research entities, trade associations, global health organizations, and others in the healthcare arena to proactively engage in the federal public policy process to secure legislation, regulatory changes, and federal funding to achieve their goals. Our team practices across the spectrum of federal health policy issues, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, discretionary federal health funding, FDA policy, telehealth, digital health, behavioral health, healthcare workforce and global health, and preparedness matters.
Privacy and Data Security
Venable is widely regarded as the legal industry leader in privacy and data security policy discussions. We offer counsel on such topics as location tracking, drone privacy, and autonomous vehicles at the federal and state levels. Our team provides comprehensive legislative advocacy in front of the U.S. Congress, state attorneys general, and relevant federal agencies on privacy, data security, and cybersecurity matters. We coordinate legal and policy research on congressional and regulatory developments, lobby Congress, and advise on public policy communications and grassroots efforts. We also participate in rulemakings, draft congressional testimony, convene coalitions, and lead trade associations to draft and implement self-regulatory programs.
Tax Policy
Venable's tax policy professionals include former staff of the congressional tax-writing committees and the Joint Committee on Taxation. We develop and execute strategies to further our clients' interests in specific legislation and broad-based tax reform proposals. We assist clients whose interests may be affected by tax legislation already enacted, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as organizations in need of a voice on pending legislation being considered by Congress.
Telecommunications
We advocate on behalf of our telecommunications clients on matters related to privacy, cybersecurity, consumer protection, and telemarketing legislation. Our attorneys have participated in the drafting of virtually every federal telemarketing regulation implemented in recent decades, including Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulemakings related to the full range of telecommunications and mass media issues. Our work on these issues dates to the inception of the current telemarketing era. Venable attorneys represented a leading trade association and several telemarketing companies in a challenge to the national "do not call" (DNC) registry and related telemarketing regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). We also helped to shape the legislation enacted in the wake of that challenge.
