Crunch Time for Congress Both Chambers of Congress return to DC this week following a two-week recess, and have only three short weeks left to do business before the month-long August recess which signals the homestretch of this year’s session. The House The House is starting the week with a bang, as it will take […]
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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of June 19, 2023
The House The House returns to DC this week after Speaker McCarthy reached a tentative agreement to reopen floor votes after a handful of lawmakers initially blocked the process due to objections over the debt limit deal passed earlier in the month. Lawmakers will take up several bills under expedited procedures, including those concerning VA […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of June 12, 2023
Congress Back to Business The House returns to Washington this week after Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent Members home earlier-than-expected last week. The Chamber is expected to take up a number of bills under expedited procedures, including those calling for the release of American prisoners in Russia, providing block grants for crop losses, and creating a […]
Read MoreCALL ALERT: Governor Signs Glitch Bill SB 154
Governor DeSantis signed the much anticipated Surfside Glitch Bill, SB 154, into law earlier today. This lengthy law will be the subject of future Becker webinars and classes as well as be featured in our 2023 Legislative Guidebook along with more than a dozen other bills that passed this Session which may impact your community.
Read MoreBecker’s Federal Lobbying Team Secures Millions in Federal Funding to Upgrade Safety at Rail Crossings in Broward County
Becker’s Federal Lobbying team secured more than $15 million in federal funding to upgrade safety at rail crossings on the busy Florida East Coast Railway line throughout Broward County. The grant, from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), was awarded to Broward’s Metropolitan Planning Organization in early June. It is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of June 5, 2023
Congress Clears the Debt Limit Both Chambers of Congress return to Washington this week after swiftly passing the debt limit agreement negotiated by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. With the debt ceiling behind them, Members are returning to regular business. House lawmakers are set to take up a number of market-related bills this […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 29, 2023
Debt Limit Crunch Time All eyes are on Washington this week as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy sell their bipartisan debt limit agreement to Members of Congress for passage before the expected June 5th default date. The text of the nearly 100-page deal was released over the weekend, the key details of which […]
Read MoreCAI National’s 2022 Florida Legislative Action Committee of the Year Award
Robyn Severs accepted the CAI National’s 2022 Florida Legislative Action Committee of the Year award which is presented to a state legislative action committee that has demonstrated organizational excellence, maintained strong member support, successfully managed statewide campaigns, and raised the visibility and effectiveness of CAI. The Becker team was mainly recognized for their work on […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 22, 2023
The House The House is the only game in town this week with the Senate out on recess. The Chamber will take up several bills this week, including the following: A package of veterans-related bills that would expand healthcare and cost of living benefit eligibilities, as well as modify a veterans education and employment program […]
Read More“Lobbying Compensation: Becker Scores $775K in Q1”- Florida Politics
Becker lobbyists Bernie Friedman, Ellyn Bogdanoff, José K. Fuentes, Yolanda Cash Jackson, Max Losner, Nicholas G. Matthews, Cody Rogers, and LaToya Sheals represented about 90 clients in Q1 and brought in an estimated $775,000 last quarter. Florida Politics estimated the lobbying pay based on the middle number of the per-client ranges firms list on their compensation reports. Contracts are reported […]
Read MoreLee Weintraub Returns from P3 Meeting in Kenya
Becker shareholder and Public Private Partnership (P3) head, Lee Weintraub, recently traveled to Kenya at the request of the US Department of Commerce. Lee conducted several days of face-to-face training with the Kenyan government on key P3 issues. Topics included: What are P3s How to set up a P3 Benefits of P3s How to structure the […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 15, 2023
Congress Both Chambers of Congress return to DC this week to take up usual business. First, the House is set to take up a number of bills under expedited procedures, including a bill adding requirements for court orders preventing electronic communications service providers from informing customers if the government searches its electronic database. The House […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 8, 2023
Congress Both Chambers of Congress are back in session this week with the House set to take up several bills, including the following: A bill restricting asylum eligibility, resuming border wall construction, and requiring employers to verify their employees legal status A bill allowing states to reclaim 25% of recovered fraudulent unemployment or pandemic-aid payments […]
Read MoreBecker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 9, May 1-5, 2023
Headliners Sine Die Congratulations!! We’ve made it to the end of the 2023 Legislative Session where both Chambers adjourned sine die on Friday, May 5. This year, the following business was conducted: 1,873 Bills and Proposed Committee Bills (PCBs) filed 2,674 Amendments filed 3,229 Votes Taken 52 Floor Sessions 356 Bills passed both chambers Budget […]
Read MoreBecker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 8, April 24-28, 2023
Headliners 50th Day Rule and Budget Conferences Tuesday, April 25 marked the 50th day of the 2023 Legislative Session. With over 2,000 bills filed by legislators, committee hearings have come to an end per the rules of the Legislature; all bills that have not made it past their committee references have died. As we continue […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 1, 2023
Congress The Senate is the only game in town this week with the House out on recess until next week. Senators will begin this week by holding a confirmation vote on Anthony Johnstone to become a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with additional votes lined up later in the week on three […]
Read MoreCALL ALERT: New Law Limits Premises Liability Related to Criminal Activity
A new law, which became effective on March 24, 2023, is intended to limit the liability of the owner or principal operator of a multifamily residential property for criminal acts that occur on the premises which are committed by third parties who are neither employees nor agents of the owner or operator.
Read MoreFlorida Further Restricts Community Association’s Ability to Bring Design and Construction Defect Lawsuits
Several laws have been passed during Florida’s recent legislative session, and one in particular will have a significant impact for community associations. On April 13, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 360 (“SB 360”) into law. This new law shortens the time period for bringing lawsuits based on design and construction defect claims […]
Read MoreBecker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 7, April 17-21, 2023
Headliners Budget On Friday, April 21, House Speaker, Paul Renner, and Senate President, Kathleen Passidomo, announced that conferencing between the two chambers is likely to start Monday, April 24. The House and Senate passed separate budgets earlier this month and the two chambers are now working on allocating the dollars toward each section of the […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of April 24, 2023
Congress Back in Session Both Chambers return to DC this week to take up usual business. The House will consider several bills this week under expedited procedures, including those concerning the FCC’s oversight of satellites and authorization of spectrum usage to provide expanded emergency alerts. House Members will also take up Speaker McCarthy’s new Debt […]
Read MoreBecker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 6, April 10-14, 2023
Headliners CS/HB 7 – Pregnancy and Parenting Support by Representative Persons-Mulicka SB 300 – Pregnancy and Parenting Support by Senator Grall On Thursday, April 13, after more than seven hours of discourse and more than 50 amendments filed on the House floor, all of which were not adopted, SB 300, passed with a vote of […]
Read MoreBecker’s Washington Weekly: Week of April 17, 2023
The House House Members return to D.C. this week following a two-week recess for Easter and Passover. Lawmakers are hitting the ground running ahead of the next recess in June with a slate of floor votes on various measures. Three bills that will be taken up on expedited procedures include those condemning Russia for taking […]
Read MoreCALL ALERT: Fire Sprinkler/ELSS Update for High-Rise Buildings
If you own a unit in a high-rise condominium or manage such condominiums, you are likely aware that the Condominium Act requires that the condominium buildings must be retrofitted with a fire sprinkler system or an engineered life-safety system (ELSS). The Condominium Act provides that the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) may not require completion […]
Read MoreBecker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 5, April 3-7, 2023
“Heartbeat Protection Act” SB 300 – Pregnancy and Parent Support by Senator Grall HB 7 – Pregnancy and Parent Support by Representatives Persons-Mulicka Both chambers debated SB 300/HB 7 regarding the expansion of the 15-week ban for the termination of pregnancy and other healthcare services this week. SB 300/HB 7 will prohibit a physician from […]
Read MoreCALL ALERT: DeSantis Must Veto SB 360 – Proposed Law Contradicts New Safety Standards and Places Financial Burden on Homeowners
Last year, the Florida Legislature passed SB 4-D with the stated purpose of safeguarding the millions of Floridians living in older multifamily buildings. Known as the Condo Safety Law, SB 4-D requires periodic engineering inspections for buildings three stories and higher and mandates that associations reserve funds to pay for ongoing maintenance and repair projects. […]
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