Legislative Services

Morrill & Fiedler provides clients with legislative representation before the Illinois General Assembly throughout the calendar year.  Our team is on-site in Springfield whenever the General Assembly is in session.  This representation typically includes:

• Constructing, maintaining and regularly forwarding legislative user files.
• Lobbying to promote the interests of the client as appropriate, with policy direction from the client.
• Drafting of bills and amendments as needed, with input from the client.
• Preparing appropriate fact sheets under general direction of the client.
• Developing and implementing legislative strategies with input from the client.
• Assisting in the deepening of relationships enjoyed by the client with appropriate government officials and with the various interest groups that constitute, or should constitute, its legislative allies.

Regulatory Services

We promote client interests before Illinois state agencies in their conduct of administrative decision-making and in their application of statutes and regulations, as well as throughout the Illinois rulemaking process, which includes agency rulemaking, review thereof by the General Assembly through the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and occasional challenges thereto in the Illinois courts.

Procurement Services

Our team has a strong working knowledge of the statutes and regulations that govern purchasing by Illinois state government, as well as the principal local governments in Illinois, and we regularly help clients through the state and local procurement processes.

Monitoring Services

To provide comprehensive, real-time monitoring at the state, municipal and county levels, we utilize both the public Legislative Information System and private Fast Democracy on-line bill tracking systems, and subscribe to numerous private and governmental publications that cover elements of governmental activity

Our monitoring services include all legislative activity, including bills, amendments, conference committee reports, resolutions and proposed constitutional amendments, along with legislative committee activity. We also monitor all rulemaking activities of all state agencies through regular review of the Illinois Register, the private Flynn Report, and various agency newsletters and web pages.

Media & Community Relations Services

Through our experienced partners in the media and community relations fields, we provide grassroots and community outreach, messaging and narrative development, media strategies and marketing campaigns, and organization of news conferences and media interviews, as directed by clients.

Collaborations for Legal Services

Whether through the separate legal services of Steve Morrill, or in collaboration with other attorneys having expertise in the involved legal field, M&F regularly engages in advocacy efforts that support (or are supported by) formal legal processes and/or the work of lawyers. For complex matters that require both advocacy and legal services, M&F can help identify the right legal talent to support the overall effort. Over the years, we have collaborated with many of the largest and most influential law firms in Illinois, and have developed regular and ongoing collaborative relationships with attorneys Chris Townsend (energy), Dan Lawler (health care), and Bill Moran (procurement, ethics, regulated professions, docketed agency proceedings and administrative review, and civil litigation). We also have significant experience working with all the major state and local bar associations and specialty lawyer groups in Illinois, on both legislative and administrative matters, and regularly secure alliances with them on client initiatives.

Compliance Services

We provide client registration and reporting services as required by the Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act. Our team has substantial experience in advising clients on matters pertaining to the Illinois governmental process, including questions related to compliance with lobbyist registration and expenditure reporting laws and regulations, campaign finance and reporting requirements, rules and statutes governing the Illinois legislative process, agency rulemaking and procurement procedures, and statutes that proscribe various procedural requirements for the conduct of local governmental affairs.

Local Government Services

M&F has substantial experience advocating for clients before the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and municipalities and counties throughout Illinois. In so doing, we tailor matter-specific strategies to account for local dynamics and benefit from our wide-ranging institutional knowledge and relationships. Our team knows key local government officials and community stakeholders throughout Illinois. We have decades of experience in securing zoning and permit approvals; generating local support for or opposition to a wide variety of proposals; successfully supporting vendor procurement efforts; and passing, defeating, or amending ordinances.
We also have substantial experience representing a broad range local governmental bodies – including counties, municipalities, park and forest preserve districts, sanitary districts, local pension funds, and special purpose units of local government – before Illinois state government.