Well, we are not exactly the Mod Squad, but we are this year’s speakers at NCSL’s Legislative Summit in Chicago. I will join Brad Smith from the Center for Competitive Politics and Capital OH Law School and Nick Penniman from Issue One to speak about Campaign Finance: What It All Means.

We are going to discuss the phrases you hear all the time in the news—campaign treasuries, PACs, Super PACs, 501(c)(4)(s), and independent expenditure group. Each one of these has a different meaning in the states and has a different contribution limitation. This fabulous team, which will be moderated by Alexis Stang, Senate Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis from the state of Minnesota, will look at the impact of self-funded campaigns, contribution limits, and disclosure requirements.

I know this is very exciting and you do not want to miss it. I should add this breakfast session runs from 7:30 am to 9 am Tuesday, August 9 in McCormick Place, Room W181. If you need a wake-up call, let me know. I can help schedule it for you.

There is very little other than elections going on between now and November. Stay on top of the rules and regulations. Stop and see the 2016 Dream Team.

See you in Chicago.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

State and Federal Communications started its 16th United Way campaign this week. This is a great opportunity for everyone on staff to help those less fortunate. And, I will say I pride myself on achieving 100 percent participation most years—even though we missed that mark for the current campaign.

I bring this up because many people in government relations are chosen by their own management to supervise United Way campaigns. This is all about sharing so please let me know what works for you.

How does that happen? One hundred percent participation is hard to achieve. Well, as our staff is donating to help those less fortunate, I donate back to them. I save up all those fabulous American Express Membership Rewards and use them for gift cards as premiums to the staff. I am not sure if anyone else receives emails from Regal Cinemas, but I am also able to purchase discount movie tickets for the team.

Here is our program:

1. Once we reach 100 percent participation all employees will receive three (3) Flee @ 3 days in 2016. We are asking for a minimum pledge of $2.50 per paycheck.
2. If any one person increases his or her pledge from the current campaign, he or she will each receive movie tickets plus the opportunity to wear jeans for a month. [Our outside accounting firm said this was a big incentive for its staff.]
3. Fair Share + is something we picked up from the Red Cross and that is a $1 extra donation per paycheck. Everyone who pledges Fair Share + will have the costs of Imagination Library paid for by State and Federal Communications, three vouchers to the great summer lunches at the John S. Knight Center, and qualification to our Charitable Service Program, which allows employees to use 24 hours of time to assist a charitable organization. Many of the staff are on board in the region and this always helps those organizations who would otherwise flounder without time and treasure.
4. We also provide incentives for those who reach United Way Leadership Levels.
   • Crystal pledges ($500-$999)—receive a $150 gift card plus four (4) movie tickets;
   • Bronze pledges ($1,000-$1,499)—receive a $200 gift card plus six (6) movie tickets;
   • Copper pledges ($1,500-$2,499)—receive a $250 gift card and eight (8) movie tickets; and
   • Silver pledges ($2,500-$5,000)—receive a $300 gift card and 10 movie tickets.

We will have a Trifecta drawing for everyone who pledges Fair Share +, at one of the above Leadership Levels, and commits to participating and blogging in our Charitable Service Program. Stay tuned to see what those prizes will be … and, we will do everything possible to utilize all of those American Express Membership Rewards points.

Here is what I think the best thing about our commitment to United Way is—State and Federal Communications matches dollar for dollar every pledge made. That match stays local to help United Way, making our campaign one of the top 50 campaigns in Summit County.

So what do you do to help those less fortunate in your community? Let’s share our stories and make this a great way to help our regions.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

One of the best parts of being involved with State Government Affairs Council is its dedication to help others. In November at its Leaders Policy Conference, the group raised money for Tee It Up for the Troops with a golf tournament.

Problem is I don’t golf. I have tried. I don’t golf. I can drive the golf cart, but to go out on the course…I look like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.

Thanks to SGAC and Tee It Up for the Troops we were able to help by bidding on a golf bag. In this case it was a bidding war with Chris Badgley from Daiichi Sankyo until the group offered to throw in another bag if I matched his bid. So, I now have a golf bag.

Tee It Up for the Troops was established in 2005 and has donated nearly $4 million to honor, remember, respect, and support veterans and their families. This past year the group has:

• Assisted more than 22,000 military families, saving families more than $35 million in lodging costs alone, plus food and transportation;
• Helped nearly 4,000 veterans to restore a sense of self, family, and hope;
• Served more than 1,500 of the most severely wounded service members with year-round programs in more than 30 different sports nationwide; and
• Reunited more than 50 wounded veterans who were separated due to battlefield injuries, changes in rehabilitation, or other reasons beyond their control.

State and Federal Communications knows when we team up with others we help make a difference. If you are so inclined, check out www.teeitupforthetroops.org to see how you can help.

Until next month, see what you can do to help others less fortunate.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Our 2015 Guidebook is out and on its way to all of our clients. This quick-reference guide has information we have pulled from our website. It does not include everything from our website, but you can easily see information about the following:

1. Lobbying reports due date;

2. Key dates for PAC reports;

3. Election cycle;

4. Applicable laws for lobbying, campaign finance, and procurement laws; and

5. Pay-to-play updates for all of the states.

We are sending six copies of the Guidebook to the key contacts for our subscription clients and one copy to each of our consulting clients. We do have additional copies if needed for these groups.

Unfortunately we will not send out the publication to anyone who is not already a client. The information inside must be used in conjunction with our website. And, in 2015, when every state will be in session, it is important for everyone to have a subscription to our website. Find more information at www.stateandfed.com. You can also call our office for additional information, 330-761-9960.

From the staff at State and Federal Communications, we hope you all have a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you out and about in 2015.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

As everyone prepares to celebrate the New Year, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a note of thanks. State and Federal Communications has had an exciting year and we look forward to a bright 2015.

We wish you a beautiful New Year.

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

Today, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will sit en banc to hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of barring contractors from contributing to candidates, parties, and their committees.

On November 2, 2012, in Wagner v. Federal Election Committee, a District Court rejected challenges to the constitutionality of section 441c of Title 2 of the U.S. Code, which prohibits any vendors with contracts with the federal government from making political contributions to federal candidates or political parties. The case, initially brought by the ACLU, asked the court to declare the law unconstitutional as applied to individuals who have personal services contracts with federal agencies.

Because federal workers who are not contractors may make federal political contributions, while contractors performing the same work may not, the suit argued section 441c violates both the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and the First Amendment. The court found no First Amendment or Equal-Protection violations, noting “the dissimilar roles of contractors and employees, moreover, justify the distinct regulatory schemes that the Government has fashioned.”

No surprise it is 2014 and there have been a lot of elections already. And there are more on the horizon. Is your organization ready to handle the requests for contributions from direct contributions, federal PACs, or state PACs? Are you even prepared to discuss how the procurement process affects your contribution decisions? And, how do the individual contributions from employees and their families affect the contracts you have in the states, cities, and counties?

On Thursday, April 3^rd, Amber Fish Linke, Nola Werren, and I will host the Public Affairs Council Compliance on the State Level webinar from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. It is only an hour long but will be full of the information you need right now.

1. Amber Fish Linke will start our program by talking about state and local lobbying laws and gift laws.
2. Nola Werren will continue the conversation and discuss the pay-to-play laws, strategies for compliance, and how to avoid violations. She will follow that up with a discussion about state campaign finance laws and where you can make corporate contributions.
3. I will round out the discussion with what to watch for in the procurement process.

Riveting conversation for a Thursday afternoon … but so important to know in 2014. Take the time to register now for the webinar by going to www.pac.org or contact Piper Evans, Manager of the Council’s Government Relations Practice, at 202-787-5978 or pevans@pac.org.

Your company’s reputation in its home state and where it has business operations depends on it. As we are preparing our program if you have a specific question to ask, please send me an e-mail at ebartz@stateandfed.com.

Be the person your company can depend on to hit a home run by having this important information at your fingertips.

Until next month, batter up!

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

The place—Wigwam in Arizona. The year—2000. The event—SGAC’s Leaders’ Policy Conference.  I walked in and my professional career was changed forever.

The Leaders’ Policy Conference is produced with the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) Foundation, NCSL, and CSG as an educational initiative for states’ legislative leadership and state government relations professionals from America’s leading businesses, associations, and service providers. It is designed to encourage dialogue on issues of importance between state legislative leaders and private sector representatives. The public sector includes the legislative leadership from all of the 50 states and U.S. territories, the NCSL and CSG Executive Committees, ALEC’s Board of Directors, and chairs of key committees in the states.

Private sector attendance is for SGAC members only. However, if joining SGAC is on your 2014 bucket list, you can attend as a “prospective” member.

The specifics for the 2013 LPC are the following:

November 23-26, 2013

Turnberry Isle, Miami, Florida

Registration fee is $795 and guests can attend for $295

If you are interested in attending the 2013 Leaders’ Policy Conference, call SGAC at 703-684-0967 and anyone on staff can help you. You can also find additional information at www.sgac.org. In addition, if I can be of any assistance with this event, please do not hesitate to contact me.

In the meantime, remember we are all about relationships and I believe SGAC can assist you in developing those relationships with key leaders in the states.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

I think we all have an idea of what the definition of good government might look like.

1. Bipartisan discussion over important current issues.
2. Keeping “what is best for the country and the electorate” as the most important issue.
3. Maintaining an acceptable conduct as elected public officials.
4. Being receptive to business and other public opinions without being manipulated by special interest groups.

Most of you understand this definition, although I am sure many of you are wondering where these things have gone and what has made them so difficult to maintain and achieve.

Well, I think it has a lot to do with the second part of the title and that includes the words, “In This Environment.”

Just what do these words mean and how have things changed to create the environment we now live in or at least have to live within?

And, of course, the most difficult question “Will good government improve and change the environment we live in or vice versa, Will a better environment give us the opportunity to create good government”

Do I have you sufficiently confused?

The fact is no two topics are more closely related when trying to evaluate this simple statement, “Is good government possible in this environment?”

The sad state of affairs is if you asked the majority of the voting population, the first answer would be “NO.” Of course, NO would be followed by a long litany of their own personal opinions and political advice, be it left or right, which would make everything better if we just follow blindly.

They would also say, not following these simple but absolutely uncompromising ideals is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place.

Judging which of these groups—be they left, right, up, down, or in the middle—is the most responsible for the dilemma of searching for good government, is worse than flipping channels on cable news networks at 5 after 8 p.m. each weekday evening.

Almost incredibly, the art of bad politics has created such an adversarial environment; it seems to be blocking out the sunlight and preventing what this country has done so well for more than 200 years…Govern well.

We seem to be so bogged down in the processes and partisanship, we have lost track of what are the important issues of the day. Good governing—which means in the end, getting things done in a manner as outlined by our Constitution.  This document has no provisions for obstructionism. If anything, it has far more implied provisions for compromise and reconciliation.

This is a bit overwhelming for me—a small business owner, in a regional city like Akron, Ohio—to address. You see, the main goal of my company, in a manner of speaking, is to assure good government has half a chance to exist. State and Federal Communications is responsible for assisting corporations and trade associations to realize what the laws say and stay compliant to the laws as they relate to their lobbying and political contributions activities.

This simple idea of  operating within the framework of the law is what we excel in conveying to our clients. We make no compromises, and we expect good ethical conduct from our clients. We suggest by doing this, our clients can create a GOOD environment, which in turn will allow for the opportunity for good government to thrive and, thereby, help our clients continue to be successful businesses.

This is just our small world of specific topics—lobbying and political contributions—but it also allows us to think of how these simple principles work on a much more grand scale—such as on the national level.

It seems the environment has become polluted and is no longer conducive to allowing good government to thrive. At every turn, we hear about corruption and degradation of “the environment” at almost every level.

Think for a minute. How often do you read or hear about an elected or appointed official, tasked with the responsibility of good governing or overseeing good government at the municipal, state, or even federal level, in some type of ethical or criminal trouble?

These constant stains on our national environment leave those attempting to provide good government with an almost impossible task. Add to this situation the lack of confidence by the electorate and the constant partisan bashing of government officials in the media, and you begin to see how difficult changing this environment has become.

So, who wins? Good government or the bad environment? And, is it possible for good government to inevitably thrive again?

My answer is, YES. But, we must be diligent and use the power we have been given to fix this situation. It may be one of the most disheartening bits of information out there, but the fact that sometimes only 25 to 50 percent of eligible voters take advantage of this privilege is amazing.

We have it within our power as individuals to push things back on the path of good governing and good government. And, we will. We need to encourage everyone to use their constitutional right and step up and be heard. We need to:

1. Demand politicians maintain a high ethical standard;
2. Demand policies and issues are dealt with in a compromising manner so progress can be made; and
3. Be assured, elected officials are more concerned with doing what is best for the people and the country and are not driven by special interest groups or mindless re-election campaigns.

And, most of all, encourage everyone to go out and VOTE. That single simple task, just a few times a year, is our best hope for assuring good government is still possible in this environment.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO

The mission of State and Federal Communications is to make sure your organization can say, “I Comply.”

We are the leading authority and exclusive information source on legislation and regulations surrounding campaign finance
and political contributions; state, federal, and municipal lobbying; and procurement lobbying.

Visit us at Stateandfed.com and be sure to try our free online Executive Source Guides Demo! You can also sign up for our free Compliance Now e-newsletter.

Contact us to learn how conveniently our services will allow you to say “I Comply” for your compliance activities. If you have any questions, you can reach us at 330-761-9960, or info@stateandfed.com.

All our bags are packed, we are ready to go. We are standing here, outside our door…If you follow my columns you will know I use a lot of references to songs. That’s about all I have in common with this one…but I was thinking of it today.

NCSL’s Legislative Summit begins on August 11th in Atlanta and you will find the State and Federal Communications team ready for action. We are involved with the Legislative Summit, NCSL’s Foundation Board meeting and its activities, SGAC’s activities, Virginia Night reception, WASRG’s reception, Women’s Legislative Network events, etc. Basically you will find us everywhere.

Stop by Booth 921 beginning on Tuesday and we will give you a tour of our new website, which will be presented to everyone within the month. We will also run a LIVE feed from our booth so you can stop by and wave to our on-line audience.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO

Summit County Executive Russ Pry is such a good friend that I will even endure a little bit of his good-natured ribbing as he congratulates State and Federal Communications.

I am updating my article from a year ago when I first joined the Go Red For Women campaign in Akron. This year I was able to have my husband, JohnChames join me. (Yes, I put his first and last name together because there are a lot of Johns in my family. The only way to keep them separate is to use the last name.) If you recall last year’s photo you will notice this year a number of additional men joined the Red Tie Society.  If you haven’t found us in the picture, the hint is we are holding hands across the middle of the escalator at Macy’s.  And, yes, that is Jim Tressel near him.

Did you know American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity physical activity?  [That is about 22 minutes per day.] Here are some easy ways you can add physical activity into your daily life:

• Use  coffee breaks to take 5- or 10-minute walks. The weather is nice (except for Denver and Minneapolis) so time to pull out the sneakers and walk around the block.
• In parking lots, park your car as far away as you can. At State and Federal Communications, I have parking space #1 so I need to make sure I am walking up the stairs during the day to see the folks on the second floor—instead of taking the elevator.
• Get your personal heart-health status and learn how regular physical activity can help improve your health. Take the American Heart Association’s My Life Check assessment at mylifecheck.heart.org.
• Walk a flight of stairs 10 times a day. I am on my third Fitbit since last year and it helps track the steps and flights of stairs I take every day. And, as it relates to steps, try to reach 10,000 a day.
• Visit www.startwalkingnow.org to download the new Walking Path mobile phone application and find nearby walking paths, track your steps, and motivate your walking friends.

The American Heart Association’s mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.  Until next month, join the fight against women’s #1 killer—Heart Disease by donating to your local Heart Association.

Thanks,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO

Coultas has extensive background in federal affairs and government compliance. She previously worked as a government relations and public affairs professional for GolinHarris in Washington, D.C., where she lobbied on behalf of higher education and nonprofit clients, managed public affairs campaigns, and monitored legislation and regulation for high profile clients.

During her last semester of college at Kent State University, Coultas worked for Senator Mike DeWine. She went on to graduate cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Pre-Law. After graduation she accepted a full-time position with the office of Senator DeWine. Two years later, Coultas left Capitol Hill for the private sector where she stayed with GolinHarris for eight years. She is a member of Public Affairs Council and American League of Lobbyists. In 2013, Coultas decided to return to her hometown of North Canton, Ohio with her husband in order to be close to family.

“Ms. Coultas’ addition to our team, coming from a world-wide PR firm, will greatly expand our marketing efforts and her experience in the federal government relations field is an asset hard to find in northeast Ohio,” said Elizabeth Z. Bartz, president and CEO.

State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides government compliance information and consulting to many of the Fortune 500 companies, to trade, labor, and professional associations, and to corporate and contract lobbyists in all 50 states. The firm’s in-house staff of attorneys is expert in state, federal, and municipal laws regarding lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying. It provides accurate, comprehensive, and timely information through online and printed resources clients use to comply with laws in all 50 states, the federal government, and more than 125 municipalities.

Additionally, the company offers government affairs consulting services in which in-house attorneys work directly with clients to oversee government compliance reporting, and also provide information regarding ethics, gift laws, lobbyist registration and reporting, corporate political contributions, and government procurement lobbying.

This article is cross-posted from  the Akron Beacon Journal.