Drew Wilson
Ballard Partners recently signed a lobbying deal with Freedom for All Americans, a Washington-based nonprofit working to secure passage of the Equality Act.
The Equality Act would expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation for public accommodations, housing, loan applications and education, among other things.
The bill would also protect against employment discrimination, though job protections were granted protections through a Supreme Court ruling last year.
The lobbying disclosure for Ballard Partners lists firm founder Brian Ballard and lobbyists Ana Cruz and Trent Morse.
The measure has broad public support, including from groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers. However, some religious groups are opposed.
In recent months, Freedom for All Americans has been hiring firms to drum up support in Congress.
Earlier this year, Freedom for All Americans hired Towson Fraser of Fraser Solutions to focus on lobbying the state’s congressional delegation, namely U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, to support the Equality Act. Fraser said the group wanted to “make sure they have well over 60 Senators on board.”
Ballard Partners is one of the top firms in the state and Washington, with offices in D.C., Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa and Tel Aviv.
Though the firm greatly expanded under the Trump administration because of Ballard’s strong ties to the former President, the firm hasn’t missed a beat since Democrats took over Congress and the White House.
That’s largely because of its bipartisan team, which includes prominent Democrats, such as Cruz, South Florida’s Courtney Whitney and the recently hired Tola Thompson, a former Chief of Staff to Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Lawson.
