Public Affairs

Public Affairs: Positioning Beyond Persuasion

Chances are your life has already been influenced by Fleishman-Hillard's public affairs group or one of our respected experts. They have worked in federal agencies, and state and local governments, the White House and Capitol Hill. They have served the nation's most prestigious media outlets, strategized about national political campaigns, and mobilized grassroots communities. And now, they can help you.

People Power — Experts in Public Affairs and Government Relations

With Fleishman-Hillard, you will be supported by our experts in everything from online communications to offline influencers. And we have an outstanding International Advisory Board of former U.S. government officials. They include Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; Mickey Kantor, former secretary of commerce and U.S. trade representative; and Dr. David A. Kessler, dean of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration; among others.

Our People Deliver Powerful Results Through Grassroots Campaigns and Education

You can achieve results like the ones these clients experienced with Fleishman-Hillard:

The Problem. The Canadian Payday Loan Association (CPLA) faced a dire situation two years ago. Canada's federal Criminal Code threatened CPLA's long-term future, as class action lawsuits threatened the viability of the industry, local governments refused to address the issue, and the Canadian public had no desire to modify the law. To enact change, the Fleishman-Hillard team orchestrated a comprehensive public affairs campaign that generated sustained pressure from the media and provincial governments throughout Canada demanding that the federal government introduce payday legislation.

The Result. After two years of significant effort (including a change of government at the federal level), Bill C-26 (amending Canada's Criminal Code to permit provincial regulation of the payday loan industry) passed final reading in the House of Commons by a margin of 233-47. This is first change to the section of the Criminal Code that affects CPLA in 27 years and will finally ensure a long-term viable industry — balanced with strong consumer protection.

The Problem. Legislation creating a massive new federal asbestos trust fund was on a fast track to enactment, spurred on by Senate leadership, the speaker of the House, the White House, and a $143 million lobbying effort by a handful of large corporations. Late in the debate, midsized companies that would have been forced out of business by the trust fund's inequitable tax burden, joined with their insurers to establish the Coalition for Asbestos Reform and hired Fleishman-Hillard to develop, manage, and implement an aggressive national issue advocacy campaign to defeat the trust fund bill.

The Result. Just eight months later, our integrated lobbying, media, communications, and grassroots advocacy bore fruit when — in a dramatic one vote victory — the bill was defeated on the Senate floor.

The Problem. In South Carolina a Medicare policy prevented dialysis patients, 75 percent African-American, from receiving an effective medication to treat a potentially fatal side effect of the treatment. The National Medical Association (NMA), which represents African-American physicians, sought to block this policy. They needed to reverse the discriminatory policy — a goal the state's medical community was unable to reach. Working with Fleishman-Hillard, however, NMA achieved success.

The Result. Through a sophisticated public affairs campaign that involved research, media outreach, and networking to influential parties, Fleishman-Hillard helped NMA reached its objectives: reversed an unfair, discriminatory policy in South Carolina, which stopped more than 20 other states that were considering a similar policy. The campaign improved the quality of health care for kidney dialysis patients. It also positioned NMA as a critical Washington "player" for ongoing progress.