About Greg Harris
Mr. Harris practices administrative law, healthcare law, procurement law, and government relations. He frequently writes and presents on these and related issues to legal, government and trade groups in Arizona.
Administrative Law. Mr. Harris helps clients with a wide variety of state and federal administrative and regulatory law issues. He regularly advises clients on licensing, compliance and enforcement issues that impact their businesses. For clients subject to licensing regulations, he helps clients develop and implement strategies to satisfy or determine the applicability of the laws to their business or operations.
Some of his recent administrative law work includes:
- Representing an affiliate of an automobile finance company before the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, where agency officials concluded that the client did not need a license to operate in Arizona.
- Representing an insurance company as it was being acquired in a proceeding before the Arizona Department of Insurance under the Insurance Holding Company Act.
- Helping a company being investigated by the Registrar of Contractors with a complaint filed during a public procurement proceeding.
- Assisting a liquor licensee under investigation by the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control.
- Assisting a company examined and then involved in contested proceedings before the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions.
Mr. Harris was instrumental in the passage of SB 1193 in 2012, which revised the statutes governing the Administrative Appeals Process. Drawing on his more than 25 years’ experience as an administrative lawyer, he helped draft SB 1193 to simplify the process to appeal an administrative decision by allowing the appeal to be started with a Notice of Appeal in the place of a complaint, which significantly reduces the cost and effort associated with the appeals process.
Procurement. Mr. Harris represents clients in procurement matters under state and local government procurement laws. For companies whose winning bids are challenged by competing bidders, he helps defend and protect the contract award. For companies who have lost bids, he helps identify and file challenges against the award and defend his client’s interests in accompanying hearings.
Some of Mr. Harris’ recent procurement work includes:
- Representing the recipient of an award for advertising services whose award was challenged by a competing bidder and whose company was simultaneously accused of operating without a state license. Mr. Harris helped the client sustain the award contract and successfully addressed the regulatory complaint.
- Assisting a client who challenged a contract award and then faced another bidder’s complaint that the client had violated the Licensed Contractor requirement by bidding for the award without holding a license issued by the Registrar of Contractors.
- Assisting a service provider in its successful effort to overturn an award made by a county for telephone services.
- Advising a client that received an award for a significant contract award in the successful defense of the award through both phases of the administrative review process.
Insurance. Mr. Harris’ insurance clients benefit greatly from his previous experience gained while representing the Arizona Department of Insurance as its lawyer and then when working for the agency, first as the Chief Administrative Law Judge and later as the agency’s Executive Assistant Director.
He represents insurance companies of all kinds before the Department of Insurance. He helps these clients navigate issues including filings, approvals, compliance, and joint ventures. Recently, he guided a client through the approval process so that they could form a joint venture. He also has advised clients on regulatory and policy issues associated with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the development of a Health Insurance Exchange under the ACA.
Healthcare. Mr. Harris advises health care providers on licensing, regulatory, informed consent and compliance obligations.
He helped an organ procurement organization plan for and then work with providers and policy makers to win the passage of the “Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.” In addition, he has worked with organ procurement organizations as they have planned to implement the law.
He worked with clients in the revision and implementation of changes to their informed consent procedures, forms and documentation related to informed consent.
He has advised clients on licensing issues that health care institutions must satisfy under laws and rules enforced by the Department of Health Services.
He has represented clients facing disciplinary proceedings before a number of health care boards, including the Medical Board, the Dental Board, the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, and the Chiropractic Board.
He also helps healthcare providers with HIPAA compliance issues. His work includes keeping companies out of trouble by helping them proactively adhere to compliance requirements and getting companies out of trouble by working to bring facilities into compliance.
Government Relations. Mr. Harris represents clients who are either fighting to maintain an existing state law and/or championing a change in the law. With 10+ years of combined experience in leadership roles at the Arizona Department of Insurance and as an Assistant Attorney General as well as 14 years working on legislative matters at Lewis and Roca, he regularly interfaces with the Arizona Legislature and state agencies to help his clients reach their goals.
Mr. Harris’ recent government relations work includes:
- Assisting hospitals and medical records management companies in the implementation of Arizona’s health information exchange.
- Introducing a bill designed to clarify the obligations of a water service provider to deliver service to adjacent land owners.
- Advocating for the passage of HB 2677, which allows drivers to show proof of insurance on any electronic device including smart phones and tablets.
- Streamlining the permitting process for renewable energy development projects located within a city’s limits.
- Assisting the Arizona State Board of Nursing during its sunset and performance review process, clarifying the authority of the Board’s executive director and working with stakeholders to correct a deficiency in the laws governing the work of certified registered nurse anesthetists.
He has represented clients before Arizona state agencies such as the Board of Nursing, the Board of Technical Registration, the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, the Registrar of Contractors, the Securities Division of the Arizona Corporation Commission, the Department of Financial Institutions, and the Department of Real Estate.