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LOBBYING REPORT |
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page
2. Address
Address1 | 9928 Stone Wood Court |
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City | Burke |
State | VA |
Zip Code | 22015 |
Country | USA |
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5. Senate ID# 400861526-63
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6. House ID# 419010005
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TYPE OF REPORT | 8. Year | 2024 |
Q1 (1/1 - 3/31) | Q2 (4/1 - 6/30) | Q3 (7/1 - 9/30) | Q4 (10/1 - 12/31) |
9. Check if this filing amends a previously filed version of this report
10. Check if this is a Termination Report | Termination Date |
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11. No Lobbying Issue Activity |
INCOME OR EXPENSES - YOU MUST complete either Line 12 or Line 13 | |||||||||
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12. Lobbying | 13. Organizations | ||||||||
INCOME relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period was: | EXPENSE relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period were: | ||||||||
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Provide a good faith estimate, rounded to the nearest $10,000, of all lobbying related income for the client (including all payments to the registrant by any other entity for lobbying activities on behalf of the client). | 14. REPORTING Check box to indicate expense accounting method. See instructions for description of options. | ||||||||
Method A.
Reporting amounts using LDA definitions only
Method B. Reporting amounts under section 6033(b)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code Method C. Reporting amounts under section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code |
Signature | Digitally Signed By: Maria Freese |
Date | 4/22/2024 4:56:08 PM |
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code RET
16. Specific lobbying issues
Older Americans Act Reauthorization. (No bill): Proposals to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965 and to increase the authorization of appropriations for OAA programs, which is the major federal discretionary funding source for home and community-based services for older adults and their caregivers. Programs supported through the OAA include home-delivered and congregate nutrition services, in-home supportive services, transportation, caregiver support, community service employment, health and wellness programs, the long-term care ombudsman program, services to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults, and other supportive services.
Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The Fair COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 716) and Social Security Cost of Living Increase Act (H.R. 1688): Proposals to adopt the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) for the purpose of determining COLAs for Social Security beneficiaries; Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act (S. 3974): Proposal to calculate COLAs using the current Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) or the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), whichever is greater.
Social Security Expansion. The Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 4583, S. 2280): Proposals to improve benefits and to strengthen Social Security's financing by altering the payroll tax cap, among other changes. The Social Security Expansion Act (S. 393 and H.R. 1046): Proposals to enhance Social Security benefits and ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program. The Safeguarding American Families & Expanding Social Security Act (No bill): Various provisions updating and modernizing Social Security benefits and extending solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds. Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (No bill): Proposals to adopt the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) for the purpose of determining COLAs for Social Security beneficiaries and to ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program by altering the payroll tax cap. Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act (H.R. 3926): Proposals to improve benefits for widows and widowers in two-income households; Surviving Widow(er) Income Fair Treatment Act (SWIFT Act) (S. 2741): Proposal to increase survivors benefits for disabled widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses.
Social Security Funding. Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act (H.R. 4535, S. 1174): Legislation to close the loophole for wealthy individuals who bypass paying the net investment income tax (NIIT) and directing the revenue to the Social Security Trust Funds and to the Hospital Insurance Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A that covers inpatient care in hospitals.
Social Security Privatization and Benefit Cuts. (No bill): Proposals to borrow funds to invest in the stock market, to raise the Social Security retirement age and to cut Social Security benefits for future retirees promoted by Senator Bill Cassidy and Senator Angus King.
Caregiver Social Security Credits. The Social Security Caregiver Credits Act (S. 1211 and H.R. 3729): Proposal to provide Social Security wage credits for individuals who reduce their participation in the workforce or leave the workforce to provide care to specified family members and relatives.
Social Security Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82 and S. 597) and the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act (H.R. 4260): Proposals to repeal or modify the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision.
Fairness in Social Security Act (H.R. 4348): Proposal to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude the portion of a lump-sum Social Security benefit payment that relates to periods prior to the taxable year from the determination of household income.
Social Security Notch. (No bill): Proposals to ensure that Social Security benefits for individuals born in 1960 and 1961 are not reduced as a result of the coronavirus-related drop in the average wage index.
Protecting Seniors from Garnishment. (No bill): Proposal to protect Social Security beneficiaries from having their Social Security benefits garnished to recover unpaid student loans.
Social Security Disability Insurance Claim Adjudication. (No bill): Proposal to nullify the rule finalized by the Social Security Administration on November 16, 2020, that outlines when its administrative appeals judges may hold hearings and issue decisions on individual cases. Currently, these judges serve an appellate function where they review, at the request of Social Security claimants, the decisions of the administrative law judges who issue decisions in individual cases.
Social Security Overpayments. (No bill): Proposals to protect retirees, survivors and people with disabilities from being forced to repay extra Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits they received through no fault of their own.
Strengthening Beneficiaries Rights. (No bill): Various proposals relating to the protection and rights available to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries.
Social Security Benefit Statements. The Know Your Social Security Act (No bill): Proposal to implement section 1143 of the Social Security Act by clarifying the Social Security Administration is required to mail annual benefit statements to all workers over age 25.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. The Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act (H.R. 7138, S. 2767): Legislation to strengthen and restore the SSI program.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S. 2767 and H.R. 5408): Proposal to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update the resource limit for supplemental security income eligibility.
Retirement Plan Distribution: IRS Notice relating to Use of an Electronic Medium to Make Participant Elections and Spousal Consents (RIN 1545-Bq50).
House Committee on Aging. (H. Res. 1029): A Resolution amending the Rules of the House to reestablish a Permanent Select Committee on Aging.
Retirement Plan Fiduciary Rule: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Regulations and Interpretations - RIN 1210-AC02; Application No. D-12057; Application No. D-12060. Department of Labor proposed regulation to modernize the fiduciary rule to strengthen protections for retirement investors who seek professional investment advice.
Social Security Administration. The Improving Social Securitys Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act (H.R. 3765, H.R. 3784): Proposal to improve Social Security's service to victims of identity theft by requiring the Social Security Administration to provide a single point of contact for any individual whose Social Security account number has been misused.
Social Security Administration. Comments in support of Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations, Docket No. SSA-2021-0014; Comments in support of Expanding the Rental Subsidy, Docket No. SSA-2023-0010; Comments in support of Intermediate Improvement to the Disability Adjudication Process Including How We Consider Past Work, Docket No. SSA-2023-0024; Comments in support of Rulemaking Expanding the Definition of a Public Assistance Household, Docket No. SSA-2023-0015.
Womens Retirement Security. Womens Retirement Protection Act (S. 2627, H.R. 5060): bill to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide for greater spousal protection under defined contribution plans.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S. SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Administration on Aging, Executive Office of the President (EOP), Justice - Dept of (DOJ), Labor - Dept of (DOL), Treasury - Dept of
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Maria |
Freese |
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Staff, U.S. House of Representatives; Staff, U.S. Senate Finance Committee |
19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code BUD
16. Specific lobbying issues
Appropriations. Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024, and other Extensions Act (H.R. 5860); Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Act (H.R. 5525): Providing appropriations for the Social Security Administrations (SSA) operating budget including the funding level requested by the SSA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supporting the Presidents funding level, including appropriation of SSA requested funding anomaly in any Continuing Resolution, restoration of Social Security statement mailings to all workers, providing sufficient funds for SSA field offices, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Older Americans Act programs, State Health Insurance Assistance Program funding, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and opposing the establishment of an entitlement or fiscal commission.
President Bidens Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget (No bill): Proposals in the Biden Administrations FY 2025 budget proposal submitted to Congress, specifically supporting the Presidents commitment to protect the Social Security benefits that Americans have earned by opposing policies that cut benefits or privatize Social Security, supporting extending solvency by asking the highest-income Americans to pay their fair share, supporting improvements to Social Security as well as Supplemental Security Income benefits for seniors and people with disabilities. Proposals to ensure that Americans can access the benefits they have earned by supporting provisions pertaining to Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations for the Social Security Administrations (SSA) operating budget including the funding level requested by the SSA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supporting the Presidents funding level, restoration of Social Security statement mailings to all workers, providing sufficient funds for SSA field offices. Proposals to support funding for Older Americans Act programs. Proposals to strengthen the solvency of the Medicare Part A trust fund, expand Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS), improve nursing home accountability, including mandatory funding for State Survey and Certification inspection programs, and stable funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Republican Study Committee (RSC) Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Proposal (No bill): Opposition to proposals in the RSC budget blueprint, representing 80 percent of the House Republican Caucus, especially provisions outlining $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security and $1 trillion in cuts to Medicare. The Social Security proposals include raising the full Social Security retirement age, flattening retirement benefits and eliminating auxiliary benefits for workers with average lifetime earnings of only $85,000 per year (in todays dollars), flattening and privatizing the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program (as outlined in the budget summary) and placing both the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds on budget. The proposal also suggests repealing automatic Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) in favor of ad hoc, discretionary COLAs, and replacing the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) with an index that results in smaller COLAs. The health care policy suggestions include proposals to transform Medicare into a capped voucher program that would erode traditional Medicares guarantee of services and shift the focus to privatization via for-profit insurance plans. Medicaid funding would be deeply cut and the program carved into a series of fixed capped block grants.
Appropriations. Making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 (No bill): Providing appropriations for the Social Security Administrations (SSA) operating budget including the funding level requested by the SSA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supporting the Presidents funding level, restoration of Social Security statement mailings to all workers, providing sufficient funds for SSA field offices, establishment of fiscal commissions to make recommendations that would likely include cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and would be fast-tracked through Congress outside of the regular legislative process, funding for Older Americans Act programs, State Health Insurance Assistance Program funding, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Executive Office of the President (EOP), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Treasury - Dept of, Social Security Administration (SSA)
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Maria |
Freese |
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Staff, U.S. House of Representatives; Staff, U.S. Senate Finance Committee |
19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code CIV
16. Specific lobbying issues
Age Discrimination. The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) (S. 1030, H.R. 6581): Proposal to restore the standard of proof in age discrimination cases to the pre-2009 level and treat age discrimination as unjust as other forms of employment discrimination; The Protecting Older Job Applicants (POJA) Act (H.R. 3491): Prohibits employers from limiting, segregating or classifying job applicants based on an applicants age.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Maria |
Freese |
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Staff, U.S. House of Representatives; Staff, U.S. Senate Finance Committee |
19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code GOV
16. Specific lobbying issues
Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund Committees. The Fiscal Commission Act (H.R. 5779), the Fiscal Sustainability Act (S. 3262), the Sustainable Budget Act of 2022 (H.R. 710): Proposals to establish fiscal commissions to make recommendations that would likely include cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and would be fast-tracked through Congress outside of the regular legislative process.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Maria |
Freese |
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Staff, U.S. House of Representatives; Staff, U.S. Senate Finance Committee |
19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
Information Update Page - Complete ONLY where registration information has changed.
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22. New General description of client’s business or activities
LOBBYIST UPDATE
23. Name of each previously reported individual who is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client
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ISSUE UPDATE
24. General lobbying issue that no longer pertains
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AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
25. Add the following affiliated organization(s)
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26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client
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FOREIGN ENTITIES
27. Add the following foreign entities:
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28. Name of each previously reported foreign entity that no longer owns, or controls, or is affiliated with the registrant, client or affiliated organization
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CONVICTIONS DISCLOSURE
29. Have any of the lobbyists listed on this report been convicted in a Federal or State Court of an offense involving bribery,
extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering?
Lobbyist Name | Description of Offense(s) |