Younger & Associates is a lobby/strategy firm which handles a variety of issues on the state and federal level. The firm's President, Pat Younger, has been active on the state and federal level since 1988. The firm specializes in federal authorization and appropriations for water improvement projects. In addition, Ms. Younger is a veteran public speaker, has extensive international relations experience and is a certified mediator in the state of Texas.

PAT YOUNGER LEGISLATIVE & INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

EXPERIENCE

• STARTED YOUNGER AND ASSOCIATES, LLC. IN APRIL 2000, SPECIALIZING IN STATE, FEDERAL, AND INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY AND LOBBYING FOR VARIOUS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR CLIENTS
  
• Eleven years as the first and only government and international relations manager for the Port of Houston Authority, a quasi-governmental navigation district ranked first in foreign tonnage in the U.S.
  
• Responsibilities included all federal and state relations; drafting legislation and channeling it through federal and state systems to successful passage into law; modifying or stopping legislation detrimental to port operations and procedures; and,acting as the liaison for international relations and protocol.
  
• Representing the port authority in appropriate associations and on maritime-related and international boards and committees on a local, state, and federal level to assure the policies, procedures, and research of such entities provided a positive effect for port operations, procedures and competitiveness.
  
• Drafting and submitting testimony for the port authority to Congress, the State Legislature, and State agencies.
  

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FEDERAL

• Presidential appointment to Houston-Galveston Area Coast Guard Safety Advisory Committee
  (elected Vice-Chairman by committee members – served three and one-half years).
  
• Drafted and successfully channeled Wreck Removal bill to passage into law. This piece of legislation requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers within 24 hours of closure of a federal waterway by the Coast Guard to demand that the responsible party submit a plan for expeditious removal of the obstruction. It also imposes a $25,000 per day civil penalty for failure to do so.
  
• Drafted and successfully inserted into the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill a provision which blocked the Coast Guard from relocating off of the Houston Ship Channel (HSC).
  
• Drafted language to add to Energy & Water Subcommittee on Appropriations bills in the House and Senate (not included in the President’s budget) a $450,000 reimbursement due to the Port for over 10 years prior to joining the staff at the Port. The language remained in the bill during conference, was signed by the President, and the Port Authority received its long over-due reimbursement from the federal government.
  
• Conceived the idea before the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991 that the “port access priority” section of the legislation could be argued to include rail access to ports. Developed a proposal (after passage) and submitted to the local Metropolitan Planning Organization a request for funds for rail access and rail ramp expansion at the Port Authority’s Fentress Bracewell Barbours Cut Container facility. The proposal resulted in $13.2 million in federal funding for the project. This was one of the first intermodal projects in the country funded by the federal government.
  
• Drafted and submitted a proposal for an Economic Development Association grant for a study of the Southside of the HSC which resulted in a $195,000 federal grant.
  
• Drafted testimony and worked with the Texas Congressional delegation, appropriators, and the Administration to include appropriate funding each fiscal year from 1989 to present for operation and maintenance of stretches of the HSC, including regular maintenance dredging and dewatering of dredge disposal sites. Each year, the Port Authority has received full funding for every project submitted, including maintenance dredging of Greens Bayou, Barbours Cut, and Bayport, designated as federal waterways in 1986.
  
• Worked to have the widening and deepening of the HSC, authorized in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986, included in the Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations in both the House and Senate for appropriate funding and to remain in full in conference beginning with Fiscal Year (FY) 1998. This effort included the development of an unprecedented beneficial uses of dredged material plan, extensive public input, and convincing the Corps of Engineers, Congress, and the Administration, to adopt a more aggressive 4 to 5-year navigational completion as opposed to the original 10 year plan. This more optimum schedule required a substantial increase in the annual funding allocation. Each year, this project has received the necessary funding to remain on the optimum schedule, including receiving $49 million in FY’99 when the Administration’s allocation was a mere $5.2 million.
  
• Worked with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to assure that changes in the Ocean Shipping Act would not adversely affect ports. This effort included successfully convincing Congress to retain the Federal Maritime Commission.
  
• Worked with the American Association of Port Authorities to include language favorable to ports in several maritime-related bills and to ensure passage of a WRDA bill on a timely basis.
  
• Served as Secretary-Treasurer and Chairman of the Legislative Committee for the Gulf Ports Association.
  
• Served as Secretary of the Gulf Seaport Marine Terminal Conference.

STATE

• President of the Texas Ports Association (1998 & 1999) – first time in history of organization that a female or a non-port director was elected to this position.
  
• Appointed by the Texas Transportation Commission to a 3 year term as one of 5 people in Texas to the newly – created Port Authority Advisory Committee. (elected Chairman by committee members).
  
• Appointed by the Texas Ports Association to represent the association on the Marine Industry Council for the Center for Ports and Waterways. (appointed Chairman by the Director of the Center).
  
• Chaired Forum for State Agencies on ports in Texas.
  
• Served as Vice-President of the Texas Ports Association (1996 & 1997).
  
• Served as Legislative Chairman of the Texas Ports Association (1991-1999).
  
• Drafted and successfully channeled through the legislature and Governor’s office to become law:

• Successfully worked to change the composition of the nine-member Marine Industry Council for the Center for Ports and Waterways to include 5 instead of the proposed one member from Texas ports.
  
• Numerous other bills from 1988 to present filed on behalf of the Port of Houston Authority and all navigation districts and public port authorities in Texas which places Texas ports on a level playing field with ports outside of Texas.

CONSULAR / INTERNATIONAL

• Named on December 18, 2000 as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
  
• Selected by the City of Houston to serve on the Mayor’s Consular Task Force.
  
• Representative for the Port of Houston Authority to the City of Houston’s International Committee.
  
• Recommended by Ambassador Cynthia Perry (Consul General of Senegal) for an Honorary Consul post.
  
• Chaired the Patron’s Committee for the Consular Ball (1999) honoring Colombia.
  
• Chaired the Advisory Committee for the Consular Ball (1997) honoring Chile.
  
• Served on advisory committee for the Consular Ball (1996) honoring Italy.
  
• Conducted briefings for the Presidents of Chile, Italy, the Republic of Georgia, various Ambassadors to the U.S., and ministers.
  
• Served as part of the Mayor of Houston’s official receiving line for visiting dignitaries.