Last week, State and Federal Communications received the bronze award from the Healthy Business Council of Ohio (HBCO). In fact, it is the second year we have won this award. This is great since we have only had a formal wellness program for two years. The HBCO requested a photo of us with our plaque so I joined HR Generalist Anastasia Drescher and Director of HR Beth Mullen for our “Charlie’s Angels” photo.

Why is this important? Because I finally got it stuck in my head, I had to do something. I have been around for a long time and many might remember when I weighed 52 pounds more than I do today. In fact, I am finally down to my 1997 wedding weight, which is great, and NO I have not pulled out the dress to try it on!!

This did not happen easily.  It is something I have worked hard to do. It did help when we were told we were going to be grandparents.
I knew I wanted to be an active grandparent.

So, I did three things:

1. Went back to WW,
2. Hired personal trainer and started yoga, and
3. Self-care.

WW—Let me make this clear:  I have been a WW member for a long time, but I took it more seriously in the last year and have lost almost 25 pounds since the pandemic. The program is easy to use with my iPhone and there are a variety of program choices.

Personal Training and Yoga—When we received the baby news in December 2018, it came with a yoga mat as my Christmas gift. I had just started Yoga Nidra and was using the studio’s mats. Even before COVID it was not a great idea. I attend a weekly program, Relax and Restore, to prepare for my busy weeks.  This is a program that deals with stretching and breathing. My legs and back stay on the floor. I also have personal trainer and meet with her twice a week for 45 minutes training with weights along with rowing, using the tread mill, and stretching so I can easily pick up my 25-pound grandson.

Self-Care—Last but not least, self-care is important. Though I do keep track daily of my weight, my sugar levels, oral care, flossing with my new Waterpik sonic-fusion flossing toothbrush (my Christmas gift to myself).  I also listen to the Calm App and read for 20 minutes. I am reminding you how important it is to have a PCP—primary care physician—and see the physician at least once a year. Now, at my age, my physician wants to see me twice a year. I also make sure I see my dentist twice a year—which is free with our dental insurance. There are other parts of our bodies we need to take care of, and I make sure those are done, too. At my age, I have had two colonoscopies, as caring for all parts of the body and preventative care is important. My suggestion is to schedule it for a Monday morning so you can drink the pre-procedure fluids on Sunday when you are home.  You will know what I am talking about the first time you schedule it. Plus, as we learned in our 2020 Wellness Program, sleep is important.  Where I used to settle for five hours a sleep, I have increased it to seven or eight hours a night.

I know I am not a model wellness person, but I am not done. As I persevere, I urge you to take the time to fit in planning for meal preparation in your house. We organize our plan every Friday night.  What else are we doing these days? Many people have treadmills in their home. Recently, John Chames put our treadmill in front of the family room television.  This is a great decision because we can be on it while watching the news or watching John’s favorite show, American Pickers.

Remember, you only have one body, take care of it.

Another new batch of states are going in session this week! Are you ready?

1. Arizona
2. Arkansas
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Delaware
6. Georgia
7. Idaho
8. Illinois
9. Iowa
10. Maryland
11. Michigan
12. New Jersey
13. South Carolina
14. South Dakota
15. Tennessee
16. Texas
17. Virginia
18. Washington
19. West Virginia
20. Wisconsin
21. Wyoming

It’s another big week in a busy legislative year. Stay in touch with lobbycomply.com to see when the other starts will convene.

In 2021, every state—along with the District of Columbia, Federal Government, and Puerto Rico—will be in session…but not at the same time.

A good number of them are starting this week…but which ones?

1. Federal
2. Connecticut
3. District of Columbia
4. Indiana
5. Kentucky
6. Maine
7. Massachusetts
8. Minnesota
9. Mississippi
10. Missouri
11. Montana
12. Nebraska
13. New Hampshire
14. New York
15. North Dakota
16. Ohio
17. Pennsylvania
18. Rhode Island
19. Vermont

It’s a big start for a big year. Stay in touch with lobbycomply.com to see when the other starts will convene.

First, we are all in good health at State and Federal Communications. For the most part, we are working one day a week in the office and the rest working from home. The staff is also social distancing and wearing masks when in the office. We have only had one staff member who tested positive and is back in the office after the required quarantine period.

I do have to say, this pandemic has affected an important publication. After 21 years, the quick desk reference, State and Federal Communications Guidebook, will not be printed. Due to the pandemic, our clients are not in the office and we are already in possession of the 2020 Congressional Directory we ordered for everyone and received in May, when offices closed and people started working from home.

The information in the Guidebook is included in the very robust State and Federal Communications website, www.stateandfed.com, which will have a redesign unveiled on December 1, 2020.

Jon Spontarelli and Kristi Hadgigeorge will be alerting the State and Federal Communications Community about the updates and upgrades on our new website and, especially where you can continue to find the valuable materials from the Guidebook.

We will continue to make sure you have all the valuable information you need for your work and please do not hesitate to give us a call if you need guidance along the road to compliance.

Wondering how to vote in the 2020 Ohio Primary election?

Curious about how the decennial census affects you?

The Greater Akron Chamber, our President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose have you covered!

On July 24, The New York City Charter Revision Commission released a final draft report on proposed amendments to the city charter.

The commission proposed Ballot Question 3 relating to ethics and governance including extending the post-employment appearance ban for elected officials and senior appointed officials.

Additionally, the question limits political activity and donations by members of Conflicts of Interest Board.

The proposal would increase the prohibition of city elected officials and senior appointed officials from appearing before the agency or branch of government the official served in after leaving service from one year to two years.

The amendment would also prohibit members of the COIB from participating in campaigns for local elected office and reduce the maximum amount members can contribute in each election cycle.

Voters will be presented the proposals on the November 5 general election ballot.

If passed, the proposed post-employment ban would become effective January 1, 2022.

On July 22, the Connecticut General Assembly convened and adjourned a special session.

During the special session lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1210 authorizing state grant commitments for school building projects.

Senate Bill 1210 also made changes to the procurement processes for school building construction, architectural services, and construction management services.

The bill was signed on July 23 by Gov. Ned Lamont and most passages went into effect immediately.

However, changes to the procurement processes become effective on July 1, 2020.

The New York State Joint Commission of Public Ethics announced an extension for the submission of bimonthly reports for the May to June reporting period until July 31.

JCOPE extended the deadline due to ongoing technical difficulties with the online Lobbying Application.

This extension corresponds with the previously announced extension for client semiannual reports and source of funding disclosures.

The commission is working to fix the issues and further updates will be announced on the JCOPE website.

On July 11, the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics launched the ability to file client semi-annual reports and source of funding information through the online Lobbying Application for the 2019-2020 reporting period.

JCOPE has granted an extension to all clients to file the client reports until July 31.

The extension only applies to semiannual reports and source of funding disclosures; lobbyist bimonthly reports are still due on July 15.

JCOPE has also produced a guideline “How to Properly Disclose Lobbying Activities” on their website to assist proper disclosure.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced a special election to fill the vacancy in House District 71 on September 3.

The seat was vacated by the resignation of Rep. David Stover on June 25.

Rep. Stover was facing an ethics complaint regarding his residency and resigned to spend more time with his wife in the United Kingdom.

The winner of the special election will complete Stover’s term until 2020.

The Virginia General Assembly convened and adjourned a special session.

The session was called to consider stricter gun legislation in response to the Virginia Beach shootings on May 31.

For the special session, Gov. Northam proposed eight bills.

The Governors bills included background checks on all firearm sales, a ban on dangerous weapons, and allowing only one handgun purchase a month.

Assembly leaders referred all of the governor’s bills to the state Crime Commission for a full review.

The General Assembly will reconvene November 18 to vote on the proposed bills.

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) of 2007 was enacted 10 years ago. It is a law of the US federal government, which in part, amended parts of the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995.

What did it do? For one, it strengthened the public disclosure requirements regarding lobbying activity and placed restrictions on gifts. The bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush on September 15, 2007.

In addition, it closed the revolving door for many people in the federal government from lobbying for a certain period of time; it increased the number of reports due a year—from twice a year to four times a year; it prohibited Members of Congress from attending parties held in their honor at national party conventions—if they were sponsored by lobbyists; requires candidates, other than those running for a seat in the House, pay the fair market value of airfare (charter rates) when using non-commercial jets to travel; requires candidates for the House to not use non-commercial aircraft; requires lobbyists to certify they have not given gifts or travel that would violate Senate or House rules; requires the disclosure of businesses or organizations contributing more than $5,000 and actively participating in lobbying activities by certain coalitions and associations; instituted a lot of prohibitions between spouses who are registered lobbyists unless they were registered at least one year prior to the most recent election of the spouse to office; and requires entertainment and sports tickets be valued at market rates.

There is definitely more to HLOGA which affected lobbyists, Members of Congress, Cabinet Secretaries, senior Senate staff, and senior House staff. It is the #1 reason State and Federal Communications strengthened its federal presence in DC by bringing on Rebecca South, formerly from Blank Rome, and Gamble Hayden, formerly from PhRMA and Boehringer Ingelheim. Our FedALERTS program is the key to capturing the information needed for 100% compliance on the federal level.

Will there be changes in the future? Probably…In the meantime, we are celebrating HLOGA today at State and Federal Communications.

Writing a monthly column doesn’t come easy for me…I want to find something to pique your interest but not make you fall asleep reading. I was kind of stuck waiting until the 11th hour to write the column when I thought I would see what I wrote in previous Septembers. (So now you will all know I am a technological pack rat and save everything I have written.)

In 2014—three years ago I still have seven (7) states to visit in this country. Now, I know those of you who follow me on Facebook cannot believe I have not been to all 50 states.  I had not completed it by 2014 and I am sorry to say I still have not reached the goal.

I really thought I could knock off South Dakota with Sen. Deb Peters at the NCSL Executive Committee meeting in October but it conflicts with a few other events that week and I cannot get there.  There is still a chance I can knock this off by taking a US vacation to see Mount Rushmore.

Back to the subject. I am now down to the Final Four!!!

• Alabama
• Montana
• South Dakota
• Wyoming

What are your outstanding ones? And, if any of you have Ohio on that list, you need to call me to attend any of a number sporting events—Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland CAVS, Akron Rubber Ducks, or a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I also have season tickets to the home games to Kent State University Golden Flashes. #flashesforever

I have a new goal and there is a new year coming up…Let’s do it!

Until next month, put your list together of states still left to see and hit the road.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

As everyone prepares to celebrate the holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a note of thanks. State and Federal Communications has had an amazing year and we look forward to a bright 2017.

We wish you a wonderful New Year.

Elizabeth Bartz
President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Inc.