The Private Equity Council announced Tuesday a raft of new member companies and a name change. The group, now named the Private Equity Growth Capital Council, earlier this year launched a campaign to broaden membership beyond its 12 remaining founding firms. The additions to date bring total membership to 30.

The makeover may help the group fight efforts on Capitol Hill to hike taxes on members' carried interest. Before a legislative effort to raise the tax rate on carried interest ran out of steam this summer, lawmakers appeared ready to exempt venture capital firms but not PE or hedge funds. Congress has toyed with the idea of taxing investment funds' carried interest at ordinary rates rather than the lower capital gains rate, as it does now.

By bringing smaller firms into the fold and emphasizing members' focus on growth capital rather than buyouts, the council can better argue it has more in common with VC firms than hedge funds and is worthy of exemption as well.

"Too many policymakers mistakenly conclude that private equity is just about a small group of very large and well-known firms," said Peter Brockway, managing partner at Brockway Moran & Partners Inc., explaining his firm's decision to join.

"We emphasize growth, and our portfolio companies have added or created over 7,000 jobs in recent years, net of any job losses, and spent more than $700 million on R&D," added Steven Klinsky, CEO of council newcomer New Mountain Capital.

Other new members are: Avista Capital Partners; Crestview Partners; Genstar Capital LLC; Global Environment Fund; GTCR Golder Rauner; Kelso & Co.; KPS Capital Partners LP; Levine Leichtman Capital Partners; MidOcean Partners; Riverside Co.; Sterling Partners; Sun Capital Partners Inc.; TA Associates; Vector Capital; and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.

The newcomers join original members Apax Partners Worldwide LLP; Apollo Global Management LLC; Bain Capital LLC; Blackstone Group LP; Carlyle Group; Hellman & Friedman LLC; Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.; Madison Dearborn Partners LLC; Permira; Providence Equity Partners LLC; Silver Lake; and TPG Capital. Thomas H. Lee Partners LP, a founding firm that had left the group, is rejoining.