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LOBBYING REPORT |
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page
2. Address
| Address1 | 200 Lawyers Road NW #1506 |
Address2 |
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| City | Vienna |
State | VA |
Zip Code | 22183 |
Country | USA |
3. Principal place of business (if different than line 2)
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5. Senate ID# 35627-12
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6. House ID# 327060000
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| TYPE OF REPORT | 8. Year | 2020 |
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. | ||||||||
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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 |
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| Signature | Digitally Signed By: Karen Kerrigan |
Date | 8/12/2020 10:27:41 AM |
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 SMB
16. Specific lobbying issues
Access to Capital and COVID-19
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): SBE Council continued to support changes and more flexibility for PPP including a lifting of the payroll to other essential expenses ratio for loan forgiveness; expanding the 8-week window of usage for loan forgiveness to 24 weeks; expanding the list of eligible forgivable expenses to include personal protective equipment (PPE) and platform-based cloud services costs; and extending the PPP program to year-end or at the discretion of the SBA Administrator.
Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, H.R. 7010: Supported House and Senate passage on the legislation.
Urged the U.S. Treasury to on-ramp and deploy fin-tech companies to provide more rapid and broad access of PPP loans to small businesses.
Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program: Advocated for lifting the arbitrary $150,000 loan cap established by SBA, which was not in authorizing legislation passed by Congress (it was $2 million), and for the SBA to review all loans given to determine if applicants are eligible for additional funds without the caps and to provide such loans funds to eligible small business applicants. Also urged Congress and the SBA to re-open the EIDL application portal to all small businesses, as it was only open to agricultural-related businesses for a period of time.
COVID-19 Recovery Loans: Support efforts in the Congress to create a new long-term, flexible, low-interest rate loan program for small businesses.
Related COVID-19 Issues
Legal Reform and COVID-19: Advocated for a safe harbor for small businesses (not immunity) from litigation that protects businesses when appropriate standards of care have been met to reduce COVID-19 exposure and spread.
Bad Debts Deduction: Advocated for a temporary legislative modification (to Section 166 of the tax code) to account for COVID-19 that would loosen the facts-and-circumstances test on bad debt business deductions and accelerate these deductions into the present taxable year.
The JOBS Credit Act of 2020 (H.R. 6776): Supported the bill and its inclusion in future legislative package addressing COVID-19.
Fuel Tax Relief: Supported efforts to suspend fuel taxes paid by non-commercial operators, which are predominantly small to mid-size businesses, similar to what the commercial airlines received.
New Business Preservation Act (H.R. 6403): Supported the inclusion of this legislation in CARES Act package.
CMS Temporary Regs Made Permanent: Urged that temporary regulatory changes made to telehealth, professional licensing, physician supervision and privacy during COVID-19 be made permanent.
Clarification on PPP Loan Forgiveness: Supported efforts to amend the CARES Act to explicitly include language that waives Code Section 265 from applying to PPP loan forgiveness.
The Small Business Expense Protection Act (S. 3612,): Supported this legislation that would allow the customary deduction of business expenses for small business recipients of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
Net Operating Losses (NOL): Advocated for the preservation of the NOL carryback and suspension of limitation of excess busines loss provisions contained in the CARES Act.
Pandemic Anti-Monopoly Act: Opposed this legislation that would ban all mergers during the economic and public health emergency (the COVID-19 period).
SEC Conditional Rules on Regulated Crowdfunding: Supported Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) conditional rules for small businesses utilizing Regulation Crowdfunding as an option to raise capital during the COVID-19 economic period.
Access to Broadband, 5G and Communications Issues
Advocating for funding of the Broadband Data Act that was signed into law to ensure up-to-date broadband access mapping of underserved areas of the nation.
Infrastructure Spending: In consideration of funding for broadband infrastructure projects currently being considered before Congress, advocated for the continuation of a light regulatory touch and limited restrictions, mandates and conditions, which could slow broadband deployment.
TV White SPACES: Filed joint comments with the Federal Communications Commission to show continued support for the use of TV White Spaces to help improve communications across the country. (ET Docket No. 20-36)
FCCs 5G Upgrade Order: Supported this order advancing modernization of rules that would accelerate the deployment of 5G.
Emergency Purposes Communications Modernization: Supported a petition filed by the American Bankers Association to the FCC to allow for an emergency purposes exemption from the Telephone
Consumer Protection Acts (TCPAs) consent requirement, which would allow banks, credit unions and other customer-facing financial institutions to call or text their customers regarding specific matters that they need to know during the COVID-19 pandemic.
STELAR and the Distant Signal License: Advocated for the preservation of access to vital television programming in rural America through action by the Congress in delaying the expiration of the Copyright Acts distant network signal license to December 31, 2020.
Regulatory Reform and Relief
Supported the Administrations Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery Executive Order.
Establishing Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirements: Continue to oppose efforts in the Congress to impose these new regulatory and reporting requirements on small businesses.
EPA Proposal on Benefit-Cost Analysis: Voiced support for the Environmental Protection Agencys proposal to establish a best-practices framework for regulations promulgated under the Clean Air Act.
Drug Importation and International Pricing Index: Continue to oppose proposal by the Department of Health and Human Services to allow for unsafe importation of drugs and pegging the price of U.S. drugs to countries that impose price controls.
Intellectual Property Protection
Patent Protection and Reform: Submitted comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) supporting the offices proposed changes to PTABs Rules of Practice for Instituting on All Patent Claims and All Ground and Eliminating the Presumption of Institution Favoring Petitions as to Testimonial Evidence (Docket No. PTO-P-2019-0024).
Good Government
U.S. Postal Service Accountability: Voiced continued support of financial reforms at the USPS, and opposed reforms to bailout the agency.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, White House Office, Small Business Administration (SBA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Postal Regulatory Commission, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Treasury - Dept of, Treasury - Dept of, Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS)
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 |
Karen |
Kerrigan |
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Raymond |
Keating |
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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.
20. Client new address
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21. Client new principal place of business (if different than line 20)
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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)
Internet Address:
| Name | Address |
Principal Place of Business (city and state or country) |
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26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
FOREIGN ENTITIES
27. Add the following foreign entities:
| Name | Address |
Principal place of business (city and state or country) |
Amount of contribution for lobbying activities | Ownership percentage in client | ||||||||||
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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
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 |
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) |