Successes | Successes |
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Examples of Successful Lobbying by Hughes Public Affairs Any legislative success is the result of work done by several people, including legislators, staffers, lobbyists, citizens, and ultimately, the Administration. The list below includes just a few of the many legislative successes in which Lee and/or Amy Hughes played an integral role on behalf of current and previous clients. Gulfstream Aerospace In a year when almost no new tax incentives were passed by the legislature and several were vetoed by the Governor, Lee led the effort to pass legislation enacting a specific tax exemption for Gulfstream that exempted aircraft repair parts from state sales taxes. Governor Perdue signed the bill into law. This legislation was an important strategic objective for Gulfstream to retain their competitive advantage at their Georgia service centers. Lee was commended by legislators for his work on the bill and recognized by his peers in Internet blogs and by nominations for awards. In 2009, legislation was passed to extend the exemption an additional two years. Lee again led the lobbying effort to pass the bill. CSX Transportation CSX invested $22.5 million for improvements to the CSX rail yard in Waycross in 2005 and 2006. Off-site improvements were needed at a cost of $1.5 million. Working with the Ware County Commission and the City of Waycross and with the Regional Vice President of CSX during the 2007 legislative session, we were able to get $1.5 million into the final 2008-2009 budget. Governor Perdue vetoed this line item. By working with his administration throughout the year we were able to convince the Governor to redirect $1.5 million from another project to pay for the work in Waycross. Chatham County Chatham County Mosquito control spends approximately $700,000 a year manipulating and treating the dredge spoils containment area for mosquitoes. HPA coordinated the successful efforts in 2005, 2006 and 2007 to obtain up to annually $450,000 in the budget to help pay for those costs. Chatham County has spent millions of dollars in recent years paying to incarcerate state prisoners in the Chatham County jail. The state has reimbursed the County at less than half the rate of the costs incurred. Lee has worked with local legislative leaders to raise the profile of the issue and seek solutions. The legislature has raised the reimbursement rate, and, more importantly, legislators made aware of the problem successfully compelled the Department of Corrections to expedite the transfer of state prisoners, minimizing the costs to the County to a fraction of previous levels. In 2007, working with lobbyists and legislators representing Gwinnett and Chatham County, legislation was passed to revise retirement legislation to allow for broader investment options for county governments. Also in 2007, local legislation was passed to clarify existing law related to judges' compensation. Herty Advanced Materials Development Center In 2004 under new management, Herty developed extensive legislation to rename the facility and create the ability to spin off subsidiaries. Lee shepherded this bill through the legislative process. He also crafted and inserted into the bill language that effectively exempted Herty from the Open Records laws of Georgia in order to maintain the confidentiality and trade secrets of Herty’s product development clients. This was seen as a huge success in an atmosphere where the Georgia Press Association made strengthening of open record statutes their highest priority. More importantly, the restructuring legislation enabled Herty to strategically reposition from a firm focused on the Georgia paper industry to a leader in the global search for alternative fuels. Previous management at Herty did not obtain funding from the legislature for 7 years leading up to 2006. The Administration’s budget as introduced in 2006 did not include any money for Herty, but Lee was able to direct the effort to get $650,000 for operational funds and capitol improvements. In 2007, the Governor’s budget included $650,000 for Herty, but when legislators shifted it to the supplemental budget for an earlier payout, the Governor vetoed it. With help from Senators Hill and Johnson, $2 million was added back in for Herty for the 2008 budget and the Governor supported the funding. In 2009, Lee led efforts which resulted in a $250,000 appropriation for construction of a new building at Herty. Georgia Forestry Association In 2003, several Atlanta area legislators grew alarmed at some of the developments in their respective districts that had resulted in clear cutting of large tree stands. Multiple bills were introduced that would have enacted what would amount to a statewide tree ordinance that would have drastically impacted the forestry industry in our state. While representing the GFA, Lee identified the potential problems in these bills and was able to defeat the harmful bills and to protect GFA’s interests in one bill that eventually passed. This is an example of successful defensive lobbying. Underground Atlanta In 2003, a group of influential businessmen in Atlanta were able to get local Atlanta laws changed so that many of the Buckhead nightclubs had to close earlier. Those nightclubs formed a coalition and hired lobbyists in an effort to change the state law during the 2004 legislative session in an effort to override the restrictions imposed by the new Atlanta law. Underground Atlanta hired Lee to derail that effort. This is an example of successful defensive lobbying. Consumer Credit Counseling Services In 2004, the CCCS offices in Augusta, Albany, Savannah, Atlanta, Macon and Chattanooga combined resources to hire Lee as their lobbyist. With strong support from Democrats in the Democratic controlled House and from Republicans in the Republican controlled Senate, the Georgia Credit Counseling Reform Act passed in a year memorable for partisan gridlock that resulted in a very low number of bills passing both houses of the legislature. This important legislation enabled the Consumer Credit Counseling Services to charge reasonable fees for their services and it put out of business a number of disreputable businesses that were taking advantage of consumers in need of financial planning and debt management assistance. Matthew Reardon Center In 2005, the Matthew Reardon Center hired Lee to help obtain state funding. In that year, supporters of the Center placed $350,000 in the budget and the annual appropriation has since been raised to $450,000, which is approximately 60% of the Center’s annual operating budget. In 2007, an additional $200,000 was added to the budget for expansion of the Center, although Governor Perdue redirected the money. HPA was able to get the $200,000 appropriated again in 2008. In recent years, Lee and Amy have worked with legislators and state agencies to kepp the Reardon Center funded at a sustainable level. Health Appropriations Since 1999, Amy led the efforts to secure over $53 million in supplemental funding for Memorial Health from federal, state and local sources. Some of the appropriation line items are summarized below: Federal Funding
State Funding
Lee and Amy assisted Waste Management in securing local approval for expansion of the Superior Landfill. |