TRACEY LATURNER leverages more than two decades of experience in Washington, D.C. to bring Sidley’s clients keen insight into Senate and House processes and procedures, particularly the appropriations process and congressional investigations. As an integral member of Sidley’s Government Strategies practice, Tracey taps into her diverse, broad bipartisan relationships on the Hill to help clients communicate their views to lawmakers and successfully advance their interests. She has extensive experience working with clients in a wide range of industries including trade, technology, automotive, retail, healthcare, energy, and agriculture.
Prior to joining Sidley, Tracey worked with the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) as a consultant, where she developed a strategy for reauthorizing federal funding for the National Health Services Corps program. She was instrumental in obtaining language in the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 allowing National Health Service Corps mental health professionals more flexibility to practice and deliver care in schools and communities. As a direct result of Tracey’s expansive outreach and efforts, the ACU secured language in the CARES Act (Covid Stimulus Bill) that enables federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth in Medicare, and they secured a 12 month extension of the Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019.
Tracey also worked for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where she served as director of government affairs, responsible for managing all appropriations issues. In this role, Tracey helped to restore the loss of US$83 million in industry Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fees resulting from the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) sequester. Additional benefits that Tracey brought to the BIO include developing and executing best practices to educate members and staff on preventing language harmful to the industry from inclusion in final bills; working within coalitions to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and securing critical funding for biodefense programs and emergency supplemental funding for Zika research.
Tracey’s work in the private sector was preceded by 16 years of Capitol Hill experience, including 14 years as a staff member on the House Appropriations Committee, where she worked on the Energy and Water; Commerce, Justice, and Science; Defense; and the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education subcommittees. During this time, Tracey worked on some of the most robust appropriations bills in recent history, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, which provided US$311 billion in appropriations, and the Emergency Funding bills following Katrina, 9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Tracey’s understanding of and familiarity with the arcane appropriations process gives clients a unique edge when pursuing their legislative and regulatory goals.
*Not admitted to practice law.