Government Relations: A Winning Tradition

Program Open Space

We helped the Partners for Open Space Coalition increase state funding to purchase and maintain park and recreation areas from $47 million in Fiscal Year 2005 to $271 million in FY 2007.

Malpractice Reform Compromise

We represented the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians and the Maryland Society of Pathologists in a loose coalition that enacted a compromise malpractice reform law that gives doctors some relief from escalating malpractice insurance premiums.

Draconian Lab Regulations Killed

We helped medical laboratory owners defeat legislation that would have allowed regulators to burst through their front doors and conduct unlimited surprise inspections almost at will, without just cause or even a consumer complaint.

Cigarette Excise Tax Increases/Thornton Commission

We led the fight to increase the state excise tax on cigarettes by 30 cents in 1999 and another 34 cents in 2002. Maryland’s current tax of $1 per pack is one of the highest in the country. The 2002 increase was part of the Thornton Commission education funding package.

Drunk Driving Reduction Package

During the 2001 session, we represented Mothers Against Drunk Driving and helped the group enact two long-sought pieces of legislation that will reduce drunk driving deaths and accidents. One bill lowers the blood alcohol level at which a driver is presumed to be drunk from .1 to .08. The other bill allows prosecutors to admit a defendant’s refusal to take the breathalyzer test as evidence during trial. Existing law did not allow prosecutors to submit the test refusal as evidence.

Gun Safety Act of 2000

Our client, Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse, led the advocacy community’s support of Gov. Glendening’s legislation. The new law requires that all new guns sold in Maryland after Dec. 31, 2002, include an integrated mechanical locking device and have a ballistic “fingerprint” on file with the state police that makes each gun identifiable. The law also increases prison terms for people who commit crimes with guns.

Cancer and Tobacco Control Program

The American Cancer Society and American Heart Association led a coalition of groups to allocate cigarette lawsuit settlement money for a $50 million annual cancer prevention, detection and treatment program and a $30 million annual tobacco control program. Both programs must meet strict guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Automatic External Defibrillators

The American Heart Association wrote and passed a law creating a training and licensing mechanism for businesses that wanted to have automatic external defibrillators on site. By giving properly trained and licensed sites immunity from potential lawsuits regarding use of the equipment, if ordinary care is exercised, we have dramatically increased the number of private workplaces that contain the equipment and trained users.

Marketing Communications: Getting the Message Out

Allfirst Financial Changes Name

When the former First Maryland Bancorp changed its name to Allfirst Financial, Inc., we developed a series of ‘advertorials’ that were placed in The Baltimore Sun. This small business advisor series offered practical information while familiarizing businesses with the new name.

MADD’s .08 Media Blitz

Mother’s Against Drunk Driving wanted to lower the blood-alcohol level at which a driver is presumed to be drunk in Maryland. We developed a media campaign and placed stories on television and radio stations, and in newspapers around the state. This media blitz aroused public opinion about the issue and was a major reason the General Assembly adopted the new standard.

Developing the Message

For many years, the Maryland Society for Sight has provided vision screenings and direct services for the visually-impaired. In the last few years, the organization has stepped up its media advocacy and public education efforts in an attempt to prevent eye injuries and encourage regular eye exams. We have provided ongoing public relations counsel to the Society as it has pursued this course, advising the organization how to contact the media and respond to inquiries. We have also written and edited two annual reports outlining these changes and their importance to the Society’s overall mission.