02.08.2022 Poligage Top of Mind Report
By Poligage
February 08, 2022
Answer at the bottom of this week’s Top of Mind Report
The Poligage Top of Mind Report offers actionable insights on a wide range of policy and government affairs issues that all have a connection to the Poligage Experts Network. Read this week’s report below and engage our Experts through private consultations on these issues and more:
Meet the Newest Member of the Poligage Experts Network |
U.S. Congress |
Upcoming Congressional Agenda |
Jon DeuserPresident & CEO, The Smith-Free Group Because Sen. Lujan is not expected to return to Washington before mid-March, any item — bill or nomination — MUST have bipartisan support. Matters will not necessarily needs 60 votes, although more controversial items will, but Democratic leadership is going to have to work a bit harder now to prioritize votes that have at least the patina of Republican support. Expect A LOT of floor time to be spent on relatively non-controversial nominations in the coming weeks. How Ben Ray Lujan’s Absence Could Affect the Senate’s Agenda |
Cannabis Legislation |
Juanita DugganFounder, CLARIFYD Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer finds himself stuck in China between a bank and a joint. Last week the House included cannabis banking legislation (the SAFE Banking Act) to its “China” bill (the America Competes Act), the House version of Schumer’s priority “China” bill (the USICA) — a maneuver that creates a dilemma for the Senate Leader’s strategy of holding the banking bill hostage in favor a comprehensive cannabis legalization bill, yet to be introduced. Although the House and Senate “China “ bills are different, the effort to reconcile the two bills will force Schumer to make some decisions. The SAFE Banking Act is needed by banks, banking regulators, state cannabis regulators, and thousands of cannabis businesses to have access to banking without funning afoul of federal law. Schumer knows that allowing the SAFE Banking Act to become law as part of the China bill can stop momentum for passing comprehensive legalization reform, which he has vowed to introduce and attempt to pass in the Spring. His draft, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity act, would de-schedule cannabis as a schedule I controlled substance, regulate and tax cannabis, address local option, expunge criminal records, and address social equity issues such as licensing. What’s the catch? There are not enough votes in the Senate to pass comprehensive reform, but there is bipartisan support for the SAFE banking bill. Stay tuned. US House Passes Measure That Includes Cannabis Banking |
U.S. Federal Government |
GSA POLARIS |
Julie DunnePresident, Dunne Strategic Solutions LLC The General Services Administration (GSA) is moving forward on a major government-wide acquisition vehicle (GWAC) to buy emerging IT services (such as AI, DLT, Quantum and Edge computing) from small businesses. This acquisition vehicle is called POLARIS and the final RFP should be coming soon — as evidenced by the January 27, 2022 posting of a preliminary document called the Pre-Solicitation Notice in the System for Award Management. GSA to Issue Solicitations for Polaris IT GWAC Small Business, WOSB Pools |
U.S. State & Municipal Government |
Maryland |
Keith WalmsleyPrincipal, Walmsley Strategies Soaring tax revenue and billions in pandemic aid from the federal government have left many states with an unusual problem — too much money. The result is one of the most broad-based movements in recent memory toward giving consumers and taxpayers a break. In red states and blue, lawmakers and governors are proposing to cut taxes and fees, create tax credits, or delay tax and fee hikes that had been planned before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Income and sales taxes are on the chopping block as are vehicle license fees, gas taxes and more. In Maryland, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has long pushed for a gradual elimination of income taxes for retirees, something he says will reduce the migration of people leaving the state to lower-tax places such as Florida when they’re finished working. He may finally have a window for striking a deal with the Democrat-controlled legislature. Revenue Windfall Pushes States to Consider Range of Tax Cuts |
Key Policy Issues |
Aerospace |
Bob WalkerFounder & CEO, MoonWalker Associates Soon, weather scientists will have an even stronger pair of eyes in the sky once a new advanced weather satellite launches this March. The GOES-T, short for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, is aiming for liftoff March 1 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket thanks to a collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA along with several other partners. GOES-T should be able to help meteorologists determine potential areas of disaster before they occur, said John Gagosian, Director, NASA’s Joint Agency Satellite Division. The satellite will allow scientists to monitor and predict environmental conditions like hurricanes, thunderstorms, floods, dense fog and fire. NASA, NOAA to Get New Weather Eyes in the Sky With March Launch from Cape Canaveral |
Geopolitical Intelligence & National Security |
Canada |
Patrick KennedyPrincipal, Earnscliffe Strategies Who are the prospective leaders and how do their profiles fit in with the needs of today’s national conservative movement? From the federal stage, we will likely hear talk of Peter MacKay, Michael Chong, James Moore and perhaps even Chris Alexander (among others such as Ambrose and Lisa Raitt, who have already publicly declined). From the provincial or municipal scene, we should expect speculation about Ontario ministers Caroline Mulroney and Peter Bethlenfalvy, and Brampton mayor Patrick Brown. To greater or lesser degrees, each of these figures represents the required trans-factional persona, suggesting the party is likely well poised for a positive and productive race, rather than a divisive and disintegrating one. The Tories Need a Uniter, Not a Headwaiter |
Russia-Ukraine Tension |
Lee SlusherCEO & Founder, BT Consulting, LLC President Xi Jinping of China on Friday offered firm support to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in the Kremlin’s showdown with the West over Ukraine, strengthening a relationship that presents a continuing challenge to the United States’ dominance on the world stage. In a highly choreographed display of solidarity, the two leaders met in Beijing ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, the first meeting that Mr. Xi has held in person with a foreign counterpart in nearly two years. It comes at a moment of escalating tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine. Mr. Putin has amassed more than 100,000 troops to his neighbors north, south and east in what NATO allies view as a menacing prelude to an attack. Putin and Xi Proclaim Bond as Russia Deploys More Forces Near Ukraine |
Communication & Reputation |
The Important Role of Government Affairs in the Corporate StructureIn a piece recently published in Corporate Counsel on law.com, it’s next to impossible for the Government Affairs team to know everything it needs to know internally, especially given the growth of what the function is now expected to cover. Executives must identify where there are any knowledge or relationship gaps and figure out the best ways to fill them, whether through staffing or hiring expert consultants. The best Government Affairs teams will seek to understand issues through proactive consultations or other efforts before those issues are “on fire,” and they will seek to get a second or even third opinion to address any blind spots they may not have identified in their strategies. |
Government Relations Strategy |
***Poligage Weekly Trivia Answer:***Harry McAlpin (1906-1985) was the first African American reporter to cover a White House press conference, which featured President Franklin Roosevelt. McAlpin went on to serve as Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Kentucky and head of the Louisville chapter of the NAACP. |