REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS CLIENTS AND ACTIVITIES

 

• Gilbane Building Company and Shawmut Design and Construction Company (2012-2013)(drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of amendment to existing law to make the procedure for selecting construction management at risk as a form of public works construction procurement more user-friendly to awarding authorities, while maintaining full transparency and accountability).

 

• Rhode Island Associated General Contractors (RIAGC) (2007 to present) (monitored legislation and lobbied on a variety of matters including successfully modifying, opposing, and supporting the passage of various bills often in conjunction with the legislative agenda of BuildRI; in 2010, drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of modifications to the State Purchases Act to improve transparency; in 2011; drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of the Omnibus Fair Contracting Standards Act, which modified existing law to promote and improve prevailing wage contract enforcement; in 2012 drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of four bills designed to facilitate minimum wage enforcement and the detection, investigation and/or prosecution of misclassification violations).

 

• New England Mechanical Contractors Association (NEMCA)(2004 to present) (monitored legislation and lobbied on a variety of matters including successfully modifying, opposing, and supporting the passage of various bills often in conjunction with the legislative agenda of BuildRI).

 

• Harrisville Fire District (1988 to present) (monitored legislation and lobbied on variety of matters at various times; in 1999 drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of bill totally revising quasi-municipal corporate charter, which included the addition of broad powers of eminent domain and state and local tax exempt status; in 2011 successfully lobbied for modification of bill that had broad range of support which would have adversely impacted client revenue source).

 

• Ironworkers, Local 37 (2011)(drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of amendment to existing law to exempt members from strict limitations under state drug testing law to improve competitiveness of signatory contractors employing local union members).

 

• Rhode Island ACLU (2000-2003) (drafted and lobbied for passage of state strip search bill including compromise amendment to address limited but vocal opposition).

 

• Rhode Island Association of Home Inspectors (2000) (co-drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of state home inspector licensing law; although the bill failed to be reported out of the House Corporations Committee in the previous session, a combination of skillful redrafting, compromise and intensive lobbying successfully neutralized all opposition resulting in unanimous approval of bill by House Corporations Committee. P.L. 2000 ch. 140 § 1).

 

• Rhode Island Association of Master Plumbers (1986) (drafted and successfully lobbied for passage of amendment to master plumbers licensing act).

 

 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS PERFORMANCE

 

In the past four (4) years alone, I have co-drafted and successfully lobbied for the passage of six pieces of legislation as well as revised agency regulations on behalf of Governmental Affairs clients:  

 

Relating to Public Property and Works (P.L. 2014, ch. 400, §1; P.L. 2014, ch. 357, §1) R.I.G.L. §§ 37-2-27.1 through 27.4 (amended existing law to make the procedure for selecting construction management at risk as a form of public works construction procurement more user-friendly to awarding authorities, while maintaining full transparency and accountability)

 

Relating to Businesses and Professions -- Contractors' Registration Board (P.L. 2012, ch 293, §1) R.I.G.L. §5-65-10 (amended existing law to require Contractors’ Registration Board to suspend or revoke the registration of a contractor that owes outstanding wages or other sums pursuant to a Department of Labor and Training (“DLT”) determination).

 

Relating to State Affairs and Government -- Department of Labor and Training (P.L. 2012, ch 424, §1) R.I.G.L. §§42-16.1-2 and 44-1-2 (amended existing law to require that the DLT provide to the Department of Administration and that the Division of Taxation provide to the DLT any requested information necessary to promote and facilitate minimum wage enforcement and the detection, investigation and/or prosecution of misclassification violations).

 

Relating to Labor and Labor Relations - Payment of Wages  Training (P.L. 2012, ch 306, §1) §§28-12-19, 28-14-19, 19.1-19.3; 28-50-4. (amended and added to existing law to modify administrative enforcement procedure and create private right of action for wage and hour violations, by substantially increasing penalties and available relief and established misclassification as a violation for which relief may be sought in either an administrative or civil action).

 

Relating to Public Records - Access to Public Records (P.L. 2012, ch 423, §1) §38-2-2 (amended existing law to restore longstanding interpretation that certified payrolls of private contractors completing public works projects are public records).

 

Omnibus Fair Contracting Standards Act (P.L. 2011, ch 396, §1 and ch. 332, §1) R.I.G.L. §37-13-13 (amended existing law to improve prevailing wage contract enforcement).

 

Relating To Labor and Labor Relations - Urine and Blood Tests (P.L. 2011, ch 221, §1 and ch. 324, §1)(amended existing law to exempt a union trade and their signatory contractors from the state’s post employment drug testing laws).

 

Competitive Sealed Bid (P.L. 2010, ch 221, §1) R.I.G.L. §37-2-18 (amended State Purchases Act to promote transparency in the award of competitively bid public works contracts).

 

Apprenticeship Ratio Regulations (Department of Labor and Training 2009)(Lobbied and provided drafting input to achieve the promulgation and approval of regulations by the DLT establishing apprenticeship job site ratios favorable to clients)