Here is our December calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

December 6-9   NCSL Capitol Forum, Washington, DC

December 6   SGAC Holiday Reception, Washington DC

December 7   Ohio Holiday Reception, Washington, DC

December 7   WGR Holiday Party, Washington, DC

December 8   DDC Advocacy Holiday Party, Washington, DC

December 11-14   COGEL Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana

Here is our November-December calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

November 16-18   NABPAC Biennial Post-Election Conference, Breakers Palm Beach, Florida

November 19-22   SGAC Leaders’ Policy Conference, Dana Point, California

December 2   Advocacy Leaders Network – Benchmarking, Training, & Next-Level Advocacy, Washington, DC

December 6-9   NCSL Capitol Forum, Washington, DC

December 7   Ohio Holiday Reception, Washington, DC

December 7   WGR Holiday Party, Washington, DC

December 11-14   COGEL Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana

Professor Wilson Huhn [kneeling on the right] from the University of Akron School of Law presented a one hour CLE about Abraham Lincoln’s influence on the interpretation of the Constitution.

State and Federal Communications had a team of 10 attending the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) 36th Annual Conference. It was held from December 7-10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the beautiful OMNI William Penn Hotel. COGEL always offers great sessions concerning lobbying, campaign finance, governmental ethics, and election laws and best practices. It was good to see many familiar faces and meet new members.

In December we gathered together at Flemings in Akron for our annual holiday party. We had a relaxing night with good food and time to talk to each other. The staff presented Elizabeth with their gift to her – a pair of tickets to see Jay Leno and dinner beforehand at District. Elizabeth also presented the winner of the door decorating contest and gave each employee Akron’s famous TEMOs chocolate tree to enjoy.

We had a great time at COGEL 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We enjoyed four days of expert sessions on campaign finance, lobbying, and government ethics. Plenary speakers included Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto; political reporter Dave Davies; Jeff Smith, professor of politics and advocacy at the New School; and Paul Liebman, Chief Compliance Officer for the University of Texas at Austin.  It was great to see everyone. We hope you enjoy these photos from the conference:

State and Federal Communications has a team of 10 leaving tomorrow to attend the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) 36th Annual Conference! It will be held from December 7-10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

COGEL always  offers great sessions concerning lobbying, campaign finance, governmental ethics, and election laws and best practices.

It will be good to see many familiar faces and meet new members.

Here is our December-January calendar. If you are attending any of the coming events, please stop by and say hello!

December 3   Ohio Society Holiday Party; Washington, DC

December 6-10   COGEL, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

December 9-12   NCSL Fall Forum, Washington, DC

January 8-11   NCSL Executive Committee Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana

January 9-11   Women In Government Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg Beach, Florida

January 11-16   Public Affairs Institute, Laguna Beach, California

In December, the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) met in Quebec for a great conference about issues confronting the states. Jennie Skelton from Nielsen Merksamer chaired a panel discussing political law violations –specifically these top 10 ways of spotting them.

Interesting, aren’t they? This session was filled to capacity with the FEC’s Ellen Weintraub joining me on the stairs. Sometimes we believe no one is looking when, in fact, our actions are very visible.

Until next month, only keep up with the Kardashians on E! Network.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

State and Federal Communications has a team of eight leaving tomorrow to attend the 2013 Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) Annual Conference! It will be held from December 8-11 in Quebec City.

We never miss a COGEL conference, and this one should prove to be exciting. It will be good to see many familiar faces.

Here is what the COGEL website says about this year’s event:

This year’s conference brings us to the majestic Le Chateau Frontenac, a National Historic Site of Canada. This picture-perfect hotel is nestled in Old Quebec City, an enchanting destination that will be decked out for the holidays in December. Quebec City itself is a UNESCO Heritage Site and its cobble-stoned streets will lead you to charming neighborhood bistros, quaint shops and delicious bakeries. You will be steps away from historical attractions, shopping and plenty of attractions for you and your family.

Whether you are a first-time attendee or a veteran, engaging and informative sessions await you, all directly related to your work. You will learn about the latest legal developments, share important tips and best practices with COGEL partners and capture new ideas to take back to your office.

The photo of Le Chateau Frontenac courtesy of AirBete on Wikimedia Commons.

Here is our November – December calendar. State and Federal Communications will be attending these coming events. If you plan to attend as well, be sure to say hello!

November 12-13, 2013   D.C. Lift-off Forum, Washington, D.C.

November 21, 2013   American League of Lobbyists Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

November 23 – November 26, 2013   SGAC Leaders Policy Conference, Turnberry, Miami Beach, Florida

December 3, 2013   Weatherhead 100, Cleveland, Ohio

December 4, 2013   Ohio Holiday Party, Washington, D.C.

December 4, 2013   NCSL Foundation Dinner, Washington, D.C.

December 4-7, 2013   NCSL Fall Forum, Washington, D.C.

December 8-11, 2013   Council on Government Ethics Laws Annual Conference, Quebec City, Quebec

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) for a great conference in Columbus. Eleven of our staff from State and Federal Communications attended, and we had a terrific experience. There were so many information-packed sessions and it was nice to see old friends and make some new ones.

Here is a little video montage we made about our COGEL 2012 experience.  Enjoy!

Each of them, as well as eight more of us from State and Federal Communications, attended the Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) in Columbus, Ohio last week. Each of them presented at the conference and took the work they do every day and shared it with others.

Jim Sedor is our in-house rock star. He is Editor of News You Can Use our weekly news service we provide to all of our clients. We know now difficult it is to read 100 newspapers a week so we…I mean, Jim…helps you out by reviewing them for you. At COGEL, Jim spoke at one of the breakfast table topics on Monday, December 4th on How Do You Use the News.

John Cozine is the Research Manager and oversees a group of attorneys reviewing states, municipalities, and Canadian provinces and territories to make sure our website has all of the information our clients need for lobbying, political contributions, procurement lobbying, pay-to-play, gift laws, legislative sessions, and on and on and on. At COGEL he led a breakfast table topic on Monday about the Popular Vote vs. the Electoral College.

Joe May, Social Media Coordinator, had an encore performance of an earlier presentation—DIY Outreach and Education: e-Learning and Beyond.

Joe has taken State and Federal Communications and put us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Lobby Comply blog, and even You Tube (State and Federal Communications TV). He has conducted presentations to federal government agency staff and at the Heartland Group (a regional part of COGEL) on how everything can work together to reach people using social media…and that includes a lot of people.

I love sharing my staff with others. They are in the trenches and making sure we are always providing our clients with up-to-the-minute news.

Until next month, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and a Happy New Year. We look forward to 2013 and know you will be extremely busy with every state’s legislature in session.

State and Federal Communications is excited to be sending 11 people to the Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) 34th Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio. We are excited to have the conference in our home state capitol and we are helping every way we can – setting up, breakfast table topic leaders, a panelist for a breakout session, helping with social media, and more! It should be an exciting conference.

Maybe we’ll see you there?

Here is COGEL’s description of the conference:

JOIN US

COGEL and its Ohio Partners invite you to the 34th Annual Conference in COLUMBUS, Ohio! This thought provoking and educational conference is an opportunity to celebrate US — professionals in the fields of ethics, campaign finance, lobbying, elections and freedom of information.

FOCUS

With dynamic sessions, stimulating guest speakers, challenging discussions and endless opportunities for networking, this year’s COGEL Conference is not to be missed! The program includes elements of communicating your mission, understanding new technology, and catching up on legislation and litigation.

BONUS

There’s always something fun happening in Ohio’s capital city. With a lively arts scene, plenty of restaurants, shops, sports and entertainment venues, you don’t have to venture far to have a good time. This year’s Sunday evening reception will take place in the beautiful and historic Ohio Statehouse, directly across the street from the Sheraton Hotel at Capitol Square.

State and Federal Communications President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz and seven of the company’s staff will be attending the Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) 2011 Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

We are looking forward to COGEL 2011, which will run from December 4 – 7.

If you are planning to attend, be sure to say hello!

November 9, 2011 WASRG Summit, Washington, D.C.

November 16, 2011 American League of Lobbyists Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

November 19-22, 2011 SGAC Foundation Leaders’ Policy Conference, Miami, Florida

November 29-December 2, 2011 NCSL 2011 Fall Forum, Tampa, Florida

December 4-7, 2011 Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, Nashville, Tennessee