A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow Parts Ways with Converge Public Strategies

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Why It Matters

A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow has ended its federal lobbying relationship with Converge Public Strategies, according to a 2026 First Quarter LDA termination filing submitted under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The termination was effective December 31, 2025 meaning the engagement lasted roughly two quarters before it was concluded.

The lobbying activity disclosure shows Converge was paid $180,000 across two active quarters — $90,000 in the third quarter 2025 and $90,000 in the fourth quarter 2025 — before the relationship ended. Both filings listed the subject matter simply as "fair housing issues."

That $180,000 represents a notable slice of the firm's revenue. Converge reported $570,000 in total lobbying income across all clients in first quarter 2026. Its largest current client, Insight Management and Consulting Services Inc., accounts for $100,000 per quarter, and the Transport Workers Union of America brings in $80,000. A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow was billing at the same rate as three other current clients — Affordable Benefit Choices LLC, Jatha LLC, and Marcman Solutions LLC — each of which pays $60,000 per quarter and remains active.

The federal lobbying registration for A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow was first filed in August 2025, initially flagging health issues as the subject area before pivoting to housing in the first quarterly report. The organization has a limited public footprint with no dedicated website or prominent public records.This is consistent with a narrowly focused advocacy group or coalition.

A Firm Shedding Multiple Clients at Once

This termination is one of five that Converge Public Strategies filed in First Quarter 2026. The others involve Florida Independent Liquor Store Owners Association Inc., Ability Housing Inc., North American Formal Apparel Association, and an individual client, Nakrawala, Atiq. All five terminations were filed at $0, which is standard for termination filings under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

No new firm has filed a federal lobbying registration on behalf of A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow in the available disclosure data.

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Broader Context

The lobbying activity disclosure listed "fair housing issues" as the subject of both active quarterly reports, but cited no specific legislation. That vagueness is consistent with the broader state of fair housing policy in Washington: the relevant bills have gone nowhere. Fair housing legislation has stalled at the Federal level.

Five pieces of fair housing legislation are currently pending in the 119th Congress, all stuck at the committee referral stage:

  • The Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R.5443) and its Senate companion S.2827 would add source of income, veteran status, and military status as protected classes under federal fair housing law. Both were referred to committee and have not advanced.
  • The Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2025 (H.R.3696) would extend protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has not moved.
  • The Fair Housing for Survivors Act of 2026 (H.R.7856) and Senate companion S.4006 would add survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking as a protected class. Both were referred to committee.

None of these bills advanced during the period when Converge was actively lobbying on behalf of A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow.

The State-Level Picture Looks Different

At the New York state level, several significant fair housing measures were enacted in the period surrounding this engagement. New York's Good Cause Eviction Law, signed in April 2024, restricts landlords from evicting tenants without valid cause and caps certain rent increases; its eviction case provisions took effect in June 2025, squarely within the lobbying period. The state also enacted the Affordable Housing Retention Act in May 2025, extending rent regulation protections further. New York City released its "Where We Live NYC 2025" fair housing plan during the same window.

The passage of major state-level legislation before and during the engagement period may have shifted the calculus for an organization focused on New York housing issues.

The Federal Environment Has Shifted

The change in presidential administration in January 2025 brought a materially different posture toward federal fair housing enforcement, including rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion-related housing policies and a reduced enforcement appetite at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. For an advocacy group focused on fair housing in New York, the federal lobbying landscape in 2025 was considerably less hospitable than it had been in prior years.

No congressional hearing mentions of A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow were identified in the available data.

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The Bottom Line

No replacement firm has surfaced in lobbying disclosure records. The available data does not show A Better NY for a Better Tomorrow retaining a new federal lobbying firm following the end of its relationship with Converge.

The three lobbyists who were active on this account — Jonathan Kilman, Gerard O'Rourke, and Elnatan Rudolph — do not appear in the congressional staff database, suggesting their backgrounds lie outside direct Capitol Hill employment. Converge has been actively expanding its New York presence through a partnership with Albany-based firm State & Broadway, which would have made the firm theoretically more relevant for New York housing advocacy, not less.

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