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LOBBYING REPORT |
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page
2. Address
Address1 | 5633 Oakland Dr. |
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City | Tampa |
State | FL |
Zip Code | 33617 |
Country | USA |
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5. Senate ID# 400908651-12
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6. House ID# 420050001
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TYPE OF REPORT | 8. Year | 2015 |
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 |
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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: Toni Van Pelt |
Date | 1/23/2016 12:16:47 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 FAM
16. Specific lobbying issues
Dear Attorney General Lynch,
We urge the Department of Justice to investigate the recent attacks on reproductive-health clinics using all appropriate federal statutes, including domestic terrorism. Since the release of the first deceptively edited video from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) intended to vilify Planned Parenthood, and, by proxy, all abortion providers, anti-choice extremists.
Statement Opposing Reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule 2015
We join together as diverse voices from a variety of sectors to oppose any effort to reinstate the harmful global gag rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy. While the Helms Amendment restricts U.S. foreign assistance funding for abortions as a method of family planning, the global gag rule goes a step further by preventing foreign organizations using their own funds to provide information, referrals, or services for legal abortion or to advocate for access to abortion services in their own country from receiving U.S. international family planning assistance.
The global gag rule causes serious harm in countries around the world. The policy interferes with the doctor-patient relationship by restricting medical information healthcare providers may offer, limits free speech by prohibiting local citizens from participating in public policy debates, and impedes womens access to family planning by cutting off funding for many of the most experienced health care providers who have chosen to prioritize quality reproductive-health services and counseling over funding that restricts care and censors information. When in place, the negative impacts of the global gag rule have been broad and severe: health services have been dismantled in a number of communities; clinics that provided a range of reproductive, maternal, and child health care, including HIV testing and counseling, were forced to close; outreach efforts to hard to reach populations were eliminated; and access to contraceptives was severely limited, resulting in more unintended pregnancies and more unsafe abortions.
We write to you to express opposition to Congress continued targeting of Planned Parenthood and womens health care, particularly abortion. The Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for October 8, 2015, is just the latest in a series of coordinated attacks that have taken place since the House returned from its August recess. This myopic and dangerous focus on taking away womens access to critical health care must end.
Dear Members of Congress,
As expectant and parenting youth, the people who are in families and communities with them, and the organizations who work with young parents, we call on members of Congress to support the Young Parents' Dignity Agenda, a commitment to federal legislation and policies that provide expectant and parenting youth the respect, recognition, and resources they need to continue building a successful foundation for their families. Young parents, like all parents, need fair employment, educational opportunities, healthcare, housing, and childcare in order to be successful. Unfortunately, expectant and parenting youth face discriminatory practices and inequities in the workplace, in educational settings, and in access to healthcare, and often struggle with homelessness or lack of affordable childcare. In 2010, only 50 percent of young mothers were able to receive their high school diploma by the time they reached the age of 22.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S. SENATE, Justice - Dept of (DOJ)
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 |
Toni |
Van Pelt |
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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 IMM
16. Specific lobbying issues
We, are writing to express our organizational support for the Health Equity and Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2015.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE
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 |
Toni |
Van Pelt |
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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 EDU
16. Specific lobbying issues
We write to voice opposition to H.R. 10, the reauthorization of the District of Columbia private school voucher program. We oppose this and all private school voucher programs because public funds should be spent on public schools, not private schools. But the D.C. program, in particular, has proven ineffective and unaccountable to taxpayers. Not only have multiple Department of Education (USED) studies concluded that the program has failed to improve educational outcomes for participating students, but two U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports have also identified its repeated management and accountability failures.
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 |
Toni |
Van Pelt |
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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
As Congress continues its attacks on Planned Parenthood, which provides critical, high-‐quality health care services to millions of women,
men, and young people, we write to strongly oppose any consideration in year-‐end funding legislation of ideological policy riders that are
harmful to womens health and to support efforts towards a budget deal that stops sequestration and raises the spending caps that continue to harm womens health.
This year, Congress made history by introducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage (EACH Woman) Act - bold legislation to reverse the Hyde amendment and related abortion funding restrictions. We are asking you to answer this historic call for change by taking a strong stand against the Hyde Amendment and related abortion funding restrictions, and eliminating them
from your Fiscal Year 2017 budget.
Dear Chairman Cochran, Vice Chairwoman Mikulski, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Lowey:
As you complete fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations, the undersigned organizations write to strongly oppose funding cuts for programs that family planning providers rely on to provide quality care to millions of women, men, and young people, as well as to oppose ideological policy riders that are harmful to womens health.
We are encouraged by the recent passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA) and the critical sequestration relief that legislation provides to nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs. Funding for NDD programs including public health remains far too low: even with the passage of BBA, NDD funding for 2016 will be 12% below the 2010 level when adjusted for inflation. But as Congress continues its attacks on publicly funded family planning providers that deliver critical, high-quality health care services to millions people each year, we are concerned the essential public health programs that support providers work, such as the Title X Family Planning Program, will remain targets for politically motivated cuts in FY 2016 appropriations legislation.
Publicly funded family planning providers offer a wide range of services for poor, low-income families.
We urge the President to cement his support for womens health in his final budget proposal and we respectfully request increased funding in fiscal year (FY) 2017 for family planning and reproductive health programs at home and abroad.
Dear Director Donovan:
We the undersigned organizations thank President Obama for the Administrations ongoing commitment to womens health. This Administrations leadership has been vital to sustaining investments in the domestic Title X family planning program, the international family planning and reproductive health program at USAID, and the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). These investments collectively yield strong dividends for women and their health and wellbeing, and advance broader economic and global development goals. We urge the President to cement his support for womens health in his final budget proposal and we respectfully request increased funding in fiscal year (FY) 2017 for family planning and reproductive health programs at home and abroad.
Dear Chairman Cochran, Vice Chairwoman Mikulski, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Lowey:
As you head into the final negotiations on FY 2016 appropriations, we encourage you to fund international family planning and reproductive health at no less than $612.6 million, including $35 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the amounts requested by President Obama and approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. We believe this is an important step toward meeting the United States fair share of global need-calculated at just over $1 billion-for these critical programs which are cost-effective, save lives, and support our broader global health, development, and foreign policy priorities.
December 3, 2015
Dear Senator and Representatives:
As negotiations on tax extenders proceed, we urge you to make permanent the improvements to both the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). These are critical lifelines to millions of families earning low wages.
But as we support your efforts to seek these improvements, we urge you to ensure that they are not achieved at the expense of low-income immigrants who have eligibility for almost no other safety net programs.
In particular, we ask you to protect the CTC/ACTC eligibility of taxpaying immigrant families who file their taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). It is not in our nations interest to further impoverish children, 4.5 million of whom are U.S. citizens, by denying their families eligibility to this most important program.
In addition, we ask you to reject efforts to deny future recipients of deferred action.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Office of Management & Budget (OMB)
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 |
Toni |
Van Pelt |
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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
RE: Guidance Regarding Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Dear Attorney General Lynch:
We write to thank the Department of Justice for its commitment to addressing gender discrimination in policing1 and to urge the Department to issue, without delay, much-needed guidance outlining how flawed law enforcement responses to domestic violence and sexual assault can violate federal law and constitute police misconduct. The undersigned include 88 national groups and 98 state and local organizations that are dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, eliminating gender-based violence, and advocating for survivors. In light of the ongoing attention to policing reform, we believe that issuing guidance that addresses the context of domestic violence and sexual assault- which the Report of the Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing identified as necessitating a coordinated community and law enforcement response - will ensure that survivors are more fairly treated by the justice system.
Re: Request for Guidance Reminding Schools of Obligations Under Title IX and Title VI to Address Sex- and Race-Based Harassment Occurring on Yik Yak and Other Anonymous Social Media Applications
Dear Secretary Duncan and Assistant Secretary Lhamon:
As an organization working to advance womens equality and civil rights, we are writing to request that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) promptly issue guidance to universities and colleges reminding them of their legal obligations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect students from harassment and threats based on sex, race, color, or national origin carried out via Yik Yak and other anonymous social media applications.
Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20531
Attn: Eugene Schneeberg
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: Docket No. OAG 149, Partnerships With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Partnerships With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations1 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that Department of Justice (DOJ) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559. CARD members welcome these proposed regulations as an advancement that increases beneficiary protections and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of both the faith-based provider and the Agency when they partner to provide vital and necessary social services.
Although these proposed regulations are a vast improvement over the current ones, we believe they can be further strengthened in several areas. Below you will find our comments and suggestions in the following areas:
Clarifying prohibited uses of direct federal financial assistance;
Assuring the religious liberty rights of the clients and beneficiaries of federally funded programs by strengthening appropriate protections;
Stating more clearly the distinction between direct and indirect aid;
Improving monitoring of constitutional, statutory, and regulatory requirements that accompany federal social service funds; and
Ending taxpayer-funded employment discrimination.
Director Jocelyn Samuels
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
Re: Comments on Proposed Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Rule, RIN Number 0945-AA02
The Institute for Science and Human Values thanks you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule on Section 1557 (Section 1557) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), clarifying prohibited discrimination in health services and activities. As an organization that works to ensure young people have access to a full range of reproductive and sexual health services, we are especially concerned with the impacts of the rule on youth between the ages of 15 and 25. We appreciate the expanded protections for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning) people, people who speak English as a second language, and people with disabilities. However, we ask the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prioritize young people and LGBTQ youth in the new anti-discrimination rule. We urge HHS to strengthen language prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, and to include young people in prohibited age discrimination. Furthermore, we ask that HHS recognize that religion should not be a basis to perpetuate discrimination.
Director, Regulation Policy and Management (02REG)
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave. NW., Room 1068
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: RIN 2900-AP05, Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations1 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559. CARD members welcome these proposed regulations as an advancement that increases beneficiary protections and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of both the faith-based provider and the Agency when they partner to provide vital and necessary social services.
Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20531
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: Docket No. OAG 149, Partnerships With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Partnerships With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations1 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that Department of Justice (DOJ) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559. CARD members welcome these proposed regulations as an advancement that increases beneficiary protections and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of both the faith-based provider and the Agency when they partner to provide vital and necessary social services.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20250
Attn: Norah Deluhery
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: RIN 0503-AA55, Equal Opportunity for Religious Organizations in USDA Programs: Implementation of E.O. 13559
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Equal Opportunity for Religious Organizations in USDA Programs: Implementation of E.O. 135591 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559.
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Lane SW.
Bldg. 410
Washington, DC 20528-0190
Attn: Scott Shuchart
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: DHS Docket No. DHS-2006-0065, Nondiscrimination in Matters Pertaining to Faith-Based Organizations
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Nondiscrimination in Matters Pertaining to Faith-Based Organizations1 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559. CARD members welcome these proposed regulations as an advancement that increases beneficiary protections and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of both the faith-based provider and the Agency when they partner to provide vital and necessary social services.
Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street SW., Room 10276
Washington, DC 20410-0500
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: Docket No. FR-5781-P-01, Equal Participation of Religious Organizations in HUD Programs and Activities: Implementation of EO 13559
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Equal Participation of Faith-Based Organizations in HUD Programs: Implementation of E.O. 135591 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559. CARD members welcome these proposed regulations as an advancement that increases beneficiary protections and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of both the faith-based provider and the Agency when they partner to provide vital and necessary social services.
U.S. Department of Labor
Frances Perkins Building, 200
Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-2318
Washington, DC, 20210
Attn: Phil Tom
Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov
Re: RIN: 1290-AA29, Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Faith-Based and Community Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Faith-Based and Community Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries1 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
U.S. Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Washington, DC 20523
Attn: C. Eduardo Vargas
Re: RIN: 0412-AA75, Amendment to "Participation by Religious Organizations in USAID Programs" to Implement Executive Order 13559
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The following comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) Amendment To Participation by Religious Organizations in USAID Programs To Implement Executive Order 135591 are submitted by the undersigned members of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD).
We are pleased that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has published this NPRM, which is an important step toward implementing Executive Order 13559. CARD members welcome these proposed regulations as an advancement, insofar as they clarify that providers cannot discriminate against beneficiaries and set out the roles and responsibilities of both the faith-based provider and the Agency when they partner to provide vital and necessary social services.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
Justice - Dept of (DOJ), Education - Dept of, Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS), Veterans Affairs - Dept of (VA), Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), Homeland Security - Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development - Dept of (HUD), Labor - Dept of (DOL), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
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 |
Toni |
Van Pelt |
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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 ECN
16. Specific lobbying issues
We write to express our opposition to the Workplace Advancement Act (S. 2200). This inadequate bill suggests that there is just one solution to address the gender pay gap: a very weak non-retaliation provision that is so narrowly drawn it would do more harm than good. In addition, the bill includes a sense of the Congress that recommits to the legal principles previously passed in the Equal Pay Act of 1963, a law that no longer has the teeth necessary to make meaningful strides in closing the gender pay gap.
Dear Member of Congress,
On behalf of tens of millions of working families we urge you to become a co-sponsor of the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (S. 786/H.R. 1439). The FAMILY Act would create a national family and medical leave insurance program that would strengthen the workforce, families, businesses and our economy. The FAMILY Act is modeled on successful and effective state paid leave laws and would help working women and men meet their caregiving demands while reducing economic inequality and improving economic opportunities for all.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE
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 |
Toni |
Van Pelt |
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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.
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LOBBYIST UPDATE
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AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
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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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