Partner, Washington DC
1900 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006-1108

TEL: 202.496.7958
FAX: 202.496.7756
EMAIL: jdowley@mckennalong.com

PROFILE

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Dowley served as Chief Counsel of the Committee on Ways & Means, U.S. House of Representatives for two and one-half years (1985-1987), during the development and enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Among other projects, he was extensively involved in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Act and the House-passed Trade Act of 1986.

Mr. Dowley served as Assistant Chief Counsel at Ways and Means from 1981 to 1984. Among the bills he participated in during that period: Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, Social Security Amendments of 1983, Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act of 1983, Surface Transportation Act and the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984. Both as the Assistant and as Chief Counsel, Mr. Dowley worked closely with the House leadership and key Senate members as well as the White House and Executive Branch agencies.

Joseph K. Dowley has advised corporations, associations and individuals with regard to a variety of tax, health and trade related issues since entering private practice in 1987. His efforts have included projects in the areas of taxation of corporations and individuals, pension policy, medicare reimbursement, health care reform and international trade. Much of his work involves interaction with members of Congress, their policy and enforcement staffs and Executive Branch agency personnel, as well as drafting and interpreting legislation and advising clients on Congressional procedures and strategy.

In recent years, Mr. Dowley has represented numerous clients and affiliated coalitions with reference to complex issues before Congress and the administrative agencies. Among others, his clients have included AFLAC with regard to the U.S./Japan Agreements on Insurance and reform of the Japanese insurance marketplace; the United States Telecom Association in its efforts to modify the Internet Tax Freedom Act, in connection with Treasury Department regulations involving the treatment of internal use software, on regulations dealing with cost of removal accounting issues, and on proposals to accelerate depreciation of certain telecom equipment; a coalition of four major railroads with regard to reform and modernization of the Railroad Retirement System; rail tax infrastructure issues for Norfolk Southern Railway; Power Ahead, a coalition of electricity transmission and generating companies with regard to the Bush Administration's national energy policy legislation; Qwest, with regard to the Broadband Tax Incentive Act; Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, with regard to Congressional concerns over leased port facilities in the Panama Canal; and efforts to acquire U.S. telecom assets; and the iAdvance coalition in its efforts to organize as a corporation and obtain tax-exempt status.

Previously, Mr. Dowley has represented, among others, Prudential with regard to the taxation of mutual life insurance and government regulation of managed care providers; Northwestern Memorial Hospital with regard to securing capital reimbursement regulations and legislation; a coalition of state hospital associations with regard to the inclusion in legislation of a regional cost-of-doing-business standard for purposes of federal capital reimbursement; the Tribune Corporation in connection with the tax treatment of minority entry into broadcast ownership; and, Westinghouse Corporation on legislative changes in combined plan pension funding limitations and legislation dealing with customs matters.

Mr. Dowley is a graduate of Georgetown University from which he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1968 and Juris Doctor in 1976. He is married with three children and lives in McLean, Virginia.