State Government Affairs

Areas of Focus

At the intersection of law and policy, Holland & Hart brings together exceptional skills, experience, and standing in the community.

Our team consists of savvy lawyers and government relations professionals who provide strategic lobbying, public policy, political, and legal services.

With offices in eight states throughout the West and in Washington, DC, we facilitate active engagement with elected and appointed leaders in the executive and legislative arenas at the local and state levels to help clients solve challenges and seize opportunities. Maintaining trusted connections with trade associations, other politically active business organizations, lobbyists, and legislators, allows us to develop and implement strategies for difficult political issues.

We actively engage state leaders in the executive and legislative arenas , providing sophisticated client services in our dealings with elected officials. We also help candidates and corporations comply with local and state election and lobbying laws.

State

Managing multi-state legislative lobbying and issue monitoring with bill tracking, reporting, and representation on legislative, policy, and regulatory matters and encompassing a full-review state lobbying component.
Advise on political donation strategy to maximize relationship development
Drafting of legislation and testimony as well as issues and position papers. Testify before legislative committees as client’s request.
Utilize relationships and process understanding with elected officials and key staffer to address client concerns.
Legislative, legal, and regulatory counsel before multiple states’ executive branch and attorney general’s offices
Provide legal and technical support for regulatory and administrative matters before local, state, and federal government bodies
Formation of and compliance counsel to corporate and nonprofit entities engaged in political activities
Campaign counsel to U.S. Senate, gubernatorial, congressional, and state legislative candidates
Counsel to state house and senate leadership

Federal

Executive Branch and Congressional strategy and advocacy
Policy development
Regulatory and legislative drafting
Association and coalition counsel, coordination, and support
Legislative and regulatory tracking and awareness
Media and communications

State Government Affairs Client Results

Executive Branch Activities

Long-term representation of major energy producers and utilities before State administrative agencies
Represented large electric consumers and telecommunications companies before public utility commissions and legislatures in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico, Minnesota, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah
Cultivated extensive experience in our multi-state region in permitting issues and representing clients before oil & gas commissions and environmental agencies and councils
Achieved a record of success in representing clients on tax issues before boards of equalization and state courts, as well as involvement in ongoing revisions to the tax statutes
Secured federal lease for, and permitting of, a major natural gas power plant on tribal lands in Arizona
Worked to secure appropriated funding for federal agencies' purchase of federal in-holdings
Assisted federal agencies in their implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 including provision of information integral to the regulations involving the development of renewable energy sources and reports on energy rights-of-way

Legislative Branch Activities

Secured research funding for a state university and records management company
Worked with Senate staff and the Base Closure and Realignment Commission staff to secure continued operations of Ellsworth Air Force Base following a Department of Defense proposed closure
Testified before the House Resources Committee on behalf of a coalition of agricultural interests on proposed legislation to clarify that CERCLA and EPCRA do not apply to agricultural operations
Drafted, and successfully advocated Congress to enact, legislation directing a federal land exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada
Participated in the revision of local transient lodging tax ordinances in Nevada
Authorized and passed timeshare legislation in Nevada on behalf of the timeshare industry
Expanded acreage available for mining on federal lands
Led a multi-year effort to create a statutory mechanism for resort areas to form a special taxing district
Secured modifications to state water quality standards
Helped shape extensive modifications to telecommunications statutes and regulations in Wyoming
Represented major coal and trona (soda ash) producers in successful efforts to enact legislation increasing federal allowable lease acreage
Worked with a coalition of coal producers, unions, and conservation interests to enact comprehensive reform of the Abandoned Mine Land Program
Active participant in Congressional development of a comprehensive climate change legislation
Represented a major master planned community developer in amendments to the Nevada Common Interest Ownership Act
Authored CERCLA reform legislative provisions