State and Local Advocacy

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BGR Group stands out among Washington, D.C.-based firms with its robust bipartisan state and local government relations offerings. Our State and Local Advocacy team designs, implements, and executes multi-state advocacy campaigns. Its activities include direct lobbying, recruiting local partners, and maximizing participation in state and local government associations, all calibrated to achieve a client’s goals.

As Democratic and Republican-led states take divergent approaches to policy priorities, BGR employs a bipartisan, team-oriented approach to advocate on complex issues at the state and local levels. These include decisions impacting economic development, transportation and infrastructure, artificial intelligence, health care and drug pricing, technology, education, workforce training, energy and environmental standards, cybersecurity, and public safety.

BGR’s bipartisan team directly engages governors, attorneys general, lieutenant governors, secretaries of state, mayors, state legislatures, county, tribal, and public safety officials throughout the country. BGR also works closely with its clients to build and deepen relationships with future candidates on both sides of the aisle. We help clients develop strategic relationships with state and local officials, key business and labor/workforce leaders, and trusted local partners. Our aim is to leverage each audience’s unique voice and political clout so that a coordinated campaign favorably advances the client’s priorities.

BGR Austin Office

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BGR opened an office in Austin, Texas, in 2018 to help advantage clients pursuing business opportunities in a state that produces 9 percent of U.S. GDP and is growing faster than the nation. Drawing upon deep ties and decades of experience within Texas, BGR has a proven track record of helping clients grow market share by leveraging relationships inside state executive agencies and providing expertise on legislative policy. The team is skilled at outreach to every corner of the state, including the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker, State agencies, members of the legislature, county leaders, as well as members of the Texas Congressional delegation on both sides of the aisle in Washington, DC.

The Austin office is led by Jerry Strickland, who served the State of Texas for 15 years, most recently as Governor Greg Abbott’s appointee to lead the Office of State-Federal Relations, where he ran Texas’s federal affairs office and was the lead advisor to the Governor on federal issues. In addition, Halie Daniels, a Senior Associate in BGR’s Austin office, served as a Texas Assistant Attorney General. In this role, Halie represented the State of Texas, including the Governor, Attorney General, and various State agencies.

The team’s work includes representing clients in a variety of industries, including oil & gas, semiconductors, commerce, cybersecurity, transportation, healthcare, mental health, trade, and waterways. Working with a leading international semiconductor company, BGR’s Texas office recently led the location selection, incentives negotiations and infrastructure improvement agreements with state, county, city, and school district officials. The project is approved for a $200+ million tax incentive and is the largest, one-time investment for semiconductor manufacturing in the United States and the largest foreign-direct investment in Texas history.

BGR Atlanta Office

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BGR Group, Washington, D.C.’s premier bipartisan lobbying and public relations firm, expanded its footprint by opening an office in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2024. The Atlanta office is dedicated to providing strategic representation and advocacy for clients across various industries at the local, state, and national levels. The office reflects the firm’s commitment to providing effective and innovative advocacy solutions that are tailored to clients in the dynamic Southeastern region.

The state of Georgia is consistently ranked as a top state for business and Atlanta, with the nation’s third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, is a hub for business and politics. BGR Atlanta is the firm’s second state-based office, complementing its presence in Austin, TX. Leading BGR Atlanta are William Crozer, a Thomasville, Georgia native and a firm Principal and Co-Head of the firm's bipartisan State and Local Advocacy Practice, along with Labriah Lee Holt, a metro-Atlanta native and Vice President and Managing Director of the Atlanta office. Together, Labriah and William, with their extensive experience, adeptly navigate the state and local governments on behalf of the business community, forging connections between clients and policymakers. They focus on representing Georgia-based clients in Washington, D.C., as well as delivering tailored advocacy solutions before the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Governor’s office and state agencies, as well as throughout the rapidly growing Southeastern region.

Offerings / Capabilities

Governors
Attorneys General
Mayors
State Legislatures

Governors

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As CEOs of their states, governors set budget and policy priorities and appoint cabinet agency personnel who shape the state’s business climate and impact critical issues such as transportation, education and workforce, Medicaid, and public safety. Governors are eager to compete with each other, especially when it comes to driving policy innovations and recruiting business to their states. From a political standpoint, many governors are recognized as future national leaders, whether as president, cabinet officials, or members of Congress. BGR’s longstanding reputation provides our clients with direct opportunities to engage governors, senior staff, and executive agencies on legislation, regulations, executive actions, and other priority in-state business issues. BGR’s bipartisan team also helps clients maximize the benefits of membership in organizations such as the National Governors Association (NGA), Republican Governors Association (RGA), and Democratic Governors Association (DGA).

Attorneys General

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As the chief legal advisor of their states, the attorney general focuses on the civil enforcement of state laws, most often in the form of complex antitrust or consumer protection lawsuits. Each attorney general provides legal advice and counsel to state agencies and legislatures. Additionally, their offices often conduct criminal investigations involving white-collar crime, Medicaid fraud, and human-trafficking. Often overlooked or avoided by business leaders, the offices of attorneys general play a vital role in potentially preventing and mitigating expensive litigation. Engagement with these offices requires a robust team with an understanding of how each office operates and a well-developed and targeted engagement plan. The bipartisan BGR State Attorneys General practice specializes in direct and association outreach to help clients build relationships and achieve desired results. Our team has direct relationships with both the AGs and the executive staffs that support the day-to-day workings of their offices. We are also active in the key associations where AGs share policy ideas, such as the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), and Attorney General Alliance (AGA).

Mayors

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Mayors sit at the intersection of policy and politics. They influence local governing, the implementation of federal programs and funding, and the debates taking place in Washington and state capitals across the country. Mayors have also received an uptick in pass-through federal funding, which circumvents the state and sends funds directly to cities to expedite the deployment of broadband, infrastructure projects, and vital local priorities that are clearly seen by the public. Through individual relationships and association engagement, including the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors and African American Mayors Association (AAMA), the BGR Team is well-positioned to support clients in building brand awareness, identifying market opportunities, and shaping policy.

State Legislatures

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In the wake of the 2022 elections, nearly 30 percent of the state legislative seats are held by newcomers, including the highest percentage of female legislators in our nation’s history. While many high-profile national issues break down along partisan lines, legislatures across the country are crossing those lines to tackle issues like economic development, workforce shortages, and health care costs. And with the economy relatively stable and some federal infrastructure, and CHIPs funds still unspent, they are creating new programs, passing tax cuts, or investing in long under-resourced priorities. The legislative and appropriations process in multiple states can be difficult to navigate without the right expertise and coverage. Whether it’s direct lobbying, legislative monitoring and tracking, or preparing and testifying on legislation, the BGR team has the experience and understanding to provide effective counsel and strategy. To ensure their voices are heard, we help our clients directly engage with legislative leaders and the leading organizations where they convene, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Republican State Legislative Committee (RSLC), New Deal Democrats, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and Women In Government (WIG).

BGR State AI Working Group

The BGR State AI Working Group, led by Patrick Dolan, offers clients a dedicated bipartisan team focused on engaging state and local officials on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. In addition to implementing and employing these technologies, state and local officials are filling the policy and regulatory void created by inaction in Washington, D.C. BGR’s State AI Working Group is designed to help clients navigate this complex dynamic, build brand and reputational awareness, promote strategic use cases, and mitigate potential risks. Key Client Deliverables

Key Client Deliverables:

  • State and Local Officials Engagement:
    BGR’s trusted name and bipartisan reputation helps position clients as thought leaders and strategic advisors to governors, attorneys general, and mayors to impact policy, regulatory, and procurement guidelines.
  • State Association Management:
    Our team helps clients maximize engagement with the myriad of state and local associations, where relevant decision makers review and promote model AI policies and share best practices.
  • AI Briefing Series:
    To keep clients apprised of the latest state AI developments, BGR organizes an ongoing emerging technologies / AI briefing series. These off-the-record briefings, featuring states like California, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Virginia, provide an opportunity for clients to learn more about state and local AI priorities and to deepen relationships with key decision-makers leading AI policy in their respective states and localities.
  • AI Policy Analysis:
    BGR provides actionable state AI policy and legislative updates to help clients stay apprised of the latest developments at the state and local levels in real-time and via a weekly AI Report.

Learn More About the State and Local Advocacy Team

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