A great, big thank you to Elizabeth Bartz for treating the staff to an amazing array of delicious pies in honor of Pi Day, March 14! As you can see, we have been enjoying them.

These superb pies came from Gardner’s Pies of Akron.

We can’t wait to see everyone at the Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference. If you’ll be attending, come on by and say hello at our Resource Marketplace booth.

I cannot express how busy this year is with the new federal administration, new state governors and legislators, and it is hard to keep up with the number of new municipal officials. I keep track of a lot of road warriors on Facebook and Twitter and know how difficult it is to do the next right thing on your huge TO DO list.

Let’s not forget we need to take the time for our own learning—for us to be the best we can be at our organization.

Two of my favorite conferences are around the corner.

1. Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference begins Monday in Miami Beach. This conference has for decades provided the tools needed to increase your PAC contributions and stay in compliance with all the reports due for those contributions. More info at www.pac.org.
2. State Government Affairs Council will host its annual National Summit March 29th to March 31st in New Orleans. I am moderating a session on lobbying where we will discuss specific gifts which can be prohibited in the states. The panel will include Carol Laham from Wiley Rein and Mike Thompson from Personal Care Fragrance Association. More info at www.sgac.org.

There are other meetings throughout the year. We list the events we are attending on the left side of the email of Compliance Now, within Compliance Now, as well as on our website. I have always believed in professional development and many of you who see us out and about know this as I travel with an entourage of staff who also attend events for their professional development.

If you ever have any questions about conferences we are attending, do not hesitate to reach out. We will share any information you need so you can join us.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

The inauguration of the 45th President of the United States was held on Friday, January 20, promptly at noon as stated in the US Constitution. Regardless of your thought about the person, the event happened.

State and Federal Communications took the opportunity to bring clients, colleagues, and friends together at our Inaugural Appreciation Party. It was a great time to watch the Inauguration on any one of 20 televisions inside the Penn Quarter Sports Tavern. Thanks to Mike Brand, owner, and John Scheer, general manager, who helped transform a sports bar into a totally All-American News Pub for us to keep track of activities all throughout the day.

One group of attendees were the students from Kent State University Washington Program in National Issues studying in DC this semester. I am a big fan of the program because I was assistant director of it when I was a graduate student in 1982. These students had a great time—who wouldn’t with all-you-can-eat/drink all day—but more important it was an opportunity to speak to them.

I do remember college, and I remember college at Kent State University where there are a lot of liberal students. I emphasized I was not having a celebration of our new President, but the process and no better place to be but in DC to learn about working with people on the other side of the aisle.

And, that my friends, is the point of this column. I believe it is so important to help students understand there are “other sides” of opinions and thoughts and there are tons of “other sides” for them to learn in Washington, DC. We do not have to agree 100 percent of the time. We do not even have to be friends. We do need to be collegiate. Remember, Republican President Ronald Reagan ate dinner with Democrat Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill every Sunday.

Sigh…those were good times.

It has been a busy month.  The future will be very interesting.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, was excited to stand with the Akron community in celebrating the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Akron Urban League MLK Celebration on January 16, 2017.

The Akron Urban League presented its inaugural Lifetime Achievement award to Reverend Ronald J. Fowler and featured Keynote Speaker Antwone Fisher.

State and Federal Communications was proud to be a sponsor of this superb event. Elizabeth Bartz serves on the organization’s Board of Directors.

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.

One of the most important facets of any professional in the government relations field is knowing what you can, and cannot do, regarding Political Contributions, Lobbying, and Procurement Lobbying. Making a compliance mistake can be costly, in reputation, negative media exposure, and fines.

The laws and regulations in our field are continually changing. And due to the recent presidential and other elections, we expect many more changes to come in 2017.

We are ready for all of this at State and Federal Communications. We are ready to help you!

That is why we have re-branded our 2017 website guides as the Online Compliance Publications for Government Relations Professionals. These four online publications are:

• Political Contributions Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM
• Lobbying Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM
• Procurement Lobbying Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM
• Canadian Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM

Note the emphasis from each title, first on ‘what’ compliance area the online publication is intended to serve, and second on our focused audience, ‘Government Relations Professionals.’

These unique online publications are considered invaluable to government relations professionals. They make it easy to decipher and understand compliance regulations, and to accurately report activities to government entities as needed. They are optimized to easily use and search on any device – computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone – and updated continually so government relations professionals can comply in a timely and accurate manner.

This is an annual subscription-based service, where you can purchase one, two, three, or four online publications, whatever you need, with special bundled pricing available. They provide accurate, comprehensive, and timely information on thousands of compliance rules, regulations, and statutes across the states, the U.S. federal government, more than 600 municipalities, and Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

In the weeks ahead, we will send our new 2017 brochure of services, so look for it in the mail. You can also read and download a PDF of the new brochure by visiting a special landing page on our website, at: marketing.stateandfed.com. Note, for 2017 we have updated subscription rates (first time in four years), so for subscribers looking to renew and capture 2016 pricing, consider making the payment by the end of this year.

For the many clients who have used our publications through the years, we thank you for your loyalty, and for the new clients that come onboard in 2017, we look forward to serving you.

There is no other company like State and Federal Communications.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Elizabeth Bartz has seen it all. For 32 years, she has worked with corporations, trade associations, and professional firms to help them stay on top of the changes made to lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying laws.

Now she will share her experiences and insights with attendees at the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., on November 10 in the session “Been There, Done That: Words of Wisdom.”

A crowd favorite of the conference, this panel features women in senior government and public policy positions discussing their experiences in this arena.

This is the third year Elizabeth will be taking part in this panel. Joining her this year are Gloria Dittus, founder of Story Partners; Helen Holton, Baltimore City Council member; and former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

PWIA aims to provide training and networking opportunities to women in all areas of advocacy – from government relations to community activism.

“This conference will give women the opportunity to learn and network with other advocacy professionals, providing them with the tools they need to get a seat at the table and keep it,” Elizabeth said. “Through PWIA, all public policy professionals will learn to be better advocates for themselves and their organizations.”

It has been a long time coming, but Election Day 2016 has arrived and we can start on 2017 elections.

My real intention for this column is to remind everyone—family, friends, vendors, and your community—that they need to vote today, November 8. Take them with you. For the past 10 years, I have taken my parents to vote early so they do not have to stand in long lines on Election Day. It also helps because they can sit and think about the vote at that time. Sometimes I get asked a question and happy that I can help out.

This is it! This is the time! Stand up and vote! WOW! This is exactly what we scream at Cleveland Cavaliers’ games. It is very true right now. We need to be #ALLIN16.

And, you can count on State and Federal Communications to provide the needed information about the ballot issue questions affecting lobbying and campaign finance. Plus, we will soon work on our 2017 Inauguration Guide.

See how important #ALLIN16 is right now.

Here is what has happened so far…And what will happen.

1. The states in these United States held primaries and caucuses. We had months and months of elections around the country. And, we had a lot of debates…Maybe more than we needed. In the end we also had a lot of candidates “suspend” their respective campaigns.
2. Both the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Conventions were held and we have two candidates running on these platforms. There are others who will be on the ballot, but of other parties.
3. We had one debate already…WOWOWOWOW!!! I happened to be there…but I was sitting on my hands because it was 63 degrees in the room.
4. Plan on watching the Vice Presidential Debate on October 4, the second Presidential Debate on October 9, and the final Presidential Debate on October 19.
5. Check out the ballot for your county. Trust me, there is more on the ballot than our Presidential candidates…These folks also need your vote.
6. Early voting is very helpful for people who want to avoid the lines on Election Day, which is November 8. Do it and proudly wear your I VOTED sticker.
7. November 8…Stock up on your snacks and beverages and make sure your gadgets are charged. You can follow me on Twitter @elizabethbartz and @stateandfederal to see what is going on with the candidates and ballot issues.
8. One other thing to do on November 8, take a break every hour to tune into the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks game.
9. Go to work the next day prepared to share with your organization how your contributions and candidates fared the night before.
10. Plan to attend State and Federal Inauguration activities in 2017. We will keep you up-to-date on how you can participate…And, as it relates to the President’s Inauguration Day…It is Friday, January 20, 2017, at noon. Again, snacks and beverages should be ready and gadgets charged. There will be a lot to watch.

In the meantime, think about how lovely November and December will be with only holiday movies to watch…And 2017/2018 elections to ponder.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

State and Federal Communications, Inc. is a mile marker sponsor for the Akron Marathon held on Saturday, September 24. The dollars raised for the Akron Marathon go to the Cleveland Clinic – Akron Children’s Hospital. This marathon is also the vehicle for local Orthodox Christians to raise money for the IOCC. We proudly sponsor the IOCC in their efforts.

The dollars raised for IOCC will help provide life-saving and life-sustaining services–without discrimination–to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations in over 50 countries, including the United States, Ethiopia, and Gaza/West Bank.

Among its programming, IOCC has done the following:

• Promoted literacy and learning for underserved youth in America;
• Provided emergency relief to the people affected by the Syria conflict;
• Supported the drilling and long-term maintenance of wells in Tanzania;
• First responder after Hurricane Sandy; and
• First responder after the flooding in Baton Rouge.

The IOCC is an incredibly efficient non-profit organization that provides aide throughout the world to those in need with 97 cents of every dollar going directly to helping people.

Each month at our staff meeting, Elizabeth acknowledges the employment anniversaries of the staff.

In August we celebrated the following:

These employees are essential members of the staff.  Congratulations to each of you!

Today marks 69 days until Election Day 2016. The end to this year’s election is almost here and we can talk about 2017 after November 8th.

In the meantime, State and Federal Communications is starting its own grassroots movement to Keep US Strong and we have thousands of pins to deliver to you. Just send an e-mail to ebartz@stateandfed.com and we will deliver a box of our VOTE pins to you…And, be on the lookout for our bi-annual VOTE card.

I cannot express how important it is for everyone to VOTE this year. I may be preaching to the choir, but we all know people who are thinking about not voting. Let’s get this movement started to make sure everyone knows how important it is to VOTE.

Does anyone have any question about how I feel about voting? How else can you help?

Glad you asked.

Take senior citizens or anyone with difficulties to your local Board of Elections to VOTE before November 8th. I have taken my parents directly to the Summit County Board of Elections and the staff has noticed and even thanked me for helping.

Work at your Board of Elections on November 8th. I keep wanting to do this and need to stop making excuses about not doing so. Those octogenarians who are currently staffing the voting places aren’t getting younger and we are decades away from on-line voting.

Get out the VOTE pin. We started these in 2012 and it definitely takes time for them to go viral…We have plenty to spare.

Until next month, clear your calendar so you can VOTE on November 8th or make plans to vote early—either at your local Board of Elections or by absentee ballot.

#KeepUSstrong.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

The new school year has arrived and State and Federal Communications is proud to support United Way of Summit County’s Stuff the Bus program to make sure all children in the Akron Public Schools have the supplies they need! We had a wonderful time gathering a mountain of crayons, markers and notebook paper.

Thank you United Way for everything you do to make our community thrive.