February 10   CATO Institute Policy Forum: Intellectual Property and First Principles, Washington, DC

February 11   Montgomery County African Affairs Advisory Group, Silver Spring, Maryland

February 17   Lobbying Compliance at the State Level Webinar, Akron, Ohio

February 19-22   National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Washington, DC

March 2   Ohio Birthday Celebration, Washington, DC

March 7-10   Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

I rarely take this column to speak about my health. It could be better, but there was a year it was worse. In 2006, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and it was a tough year. And, that is probably the nicest word to use for it.

Women usually hear if you can feel a pain, then it isn’t cancer.  Well, I had a pain and after two mammograms, an ultrasound, a MRI, and a biopsy, I was diagnosed with cancer, and it had gone to my lymph nodes. My surgeon, Dr. Julian Kim from the Cleveland Clinic (now at University Hospital) said cancer was the least of my problems … chemotherapy and radiation would take a lot out of me.

I took to cancer like I do a lot of things. Attacked it. Surgery was done within a month of the diagnosis. Chemotherapy, managed by my Cleveland Clinic oncologist, was done from March to June of 2006, along with losing all of my hair and wearing a wig, steroids prescribed for pain associated with Taxol, and sleeping a lot. Radiation was most of July 2006, which included a huge burn at the end of it all.

And, then it was all over. Cancer free. I still hold my breath a lot when I have mammograms, and I do have mammograms done annually. There is no magic wand to avoid a reoccurrence, but the possibility goes down after 10 years.

Everyone has issues and we do not know what people are dealing with in their lives. I bring this up to give you hope if you are dealing with health issues. Attack it. Don’t let it affect your spirit, the thing that makes you YOU. Please know in the last 10 years I have also spoken to a number of women in government affairs who have had breast cancer. It’s a club…one that we didn’t want to be a member of, but we are, and we need to be there for each other.

So now, 10 years later, I can cheer a little louder about being cancer free and celebrating with a short holiday in Punta Cana—just reflecting on how wonderful life has been.

Until next month, celebrate your life, enjoy your family and friends, and be YOU.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

 

State and Federal Communications is hiring for the position of Research Associate. Reporting to the Research Manager, Research Associates use independent judgment and discretion to maintain and expand online publications in the areas of lobbying, campaign finance, and procurement law. There are excellent opportunities for advancement to assist corporate clients with lobbying compliance in states and municipalities. A clear understanding of the importance of deadlines and absolute accuracy are required. This is a great opportunity to join a distinctive organization offering professional growth opportunities. Applicants must possess a JD academic degree and have exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

State and Federal Communications offers a competitive salary and benefit package including company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, FSA plan, a generous annual PTO benefit, company-paid parking, and professional development. To be considered, email cover letter, resume, references, and salary requirements to hr@stateandfed.com.

What grassroots activities are you involved in? Did you know that reporting your grassroots activities in one state or municipality doesn’t mean that you are required to do so in another? Failure to report if it is required could cause major problems for you and your company. Are you registered as a lobbyist? Could your activities trigger registration and reporting? These are just a few of the items that require your attention when it comes to your government compliance.

Take the opportunity to sit down during the 2016 PAC Grassroots Conference and come have lunch on us! State and Federal Communications is hosting a luncheon on Wednesday, January 27th where you can discuss government compliance and more.

All attendees will be entered into a drawing to win a Fitbit Surge for attending. Seats are limited and are going fast, so check out our video for luncheon details and R.S.V.P. here!

See you in Orlando!

Lobby Comply is taking a holiday break. We’ll be back on Monday, January 4.

Enjoy your holidays!

We have many things for which we are thankful at State and Federal Communications. Before the day gets away from us, we would like to thank you for following Lobby Comply Blog.

We’ve had a great year and look forward to giving our very best service to our clients in 2016. Happy Holidays from all of us at State and Federal Communications!

 

We are sending out the 2016 State and Federal Communications, Inc. Executive Source Guidebooks today! For all of our clients who receive them, they will arrive in early January.

If you would like to know more about the Executive Source Guidebook and our compliance services, send a request to marketing@stateandfed.com.

Every year, State and Federal Communications hosts a holiday charitable service project called Stock the Sleigh. This year we gathered a mountain of gifts for the patients at Akron Children’s Hospital and had a blast doing it. Santa is going to have a hard time getting the sleigh off the ground.

Of course, Elizabeth Bartz’s army of very-hard-to-get LeBron James dolls made quite an impression!

Research Associate Katlin Newman and I delivered the gifts to the hospital and met Whitney Romine and the rest of the wonderful staff at the Volunteer Services office. We even had the chance to take a tour of the amazing facility! Thank you to everyone at Children’s Hospital for the crucial work you do and Happy Holidays to the patients and staff.

Enjoy these fun photos from recent events!

Recently we celebrated the company anniversaries of Emone Smith, Administrative Assistant; Michael Beckett, Esq., Research Manager; Beth Commings, Esq., Research Associate; and Joe May, Manager – Client Analytics. They are all assets to the State and Federal Communications team.

Well the weather outside is frightful…

That is how this column started but the weather has been unusually fabulous. So I re-wrote my column and am not going to discuss the weather…but something we all know more about.

Registrations and reports you have due in January could be frightening so we encourage you to find a delightful fire this month along with some corn for popping. Turn the lights way down low…And, let State and Federal Communications take care of your compliance needs.

The State and Federal Communications website—www.stateandfed.com—is complete with the important 2016 dates you need to know. Our offices are open and staffed in December, with the exception of being closed on December 24th, December 25th, December 31st, and January 1st.

You just cannot miss when State and Federal Communications is on your side.

On behalf of this great team, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

My time as the public relations intern at State and Federal has come to an end. I am extremely grateful for Elizabeth Bartz giving me an opportunity to execute the knowledge and skills I have learned at Kent State University. She is deeply committed to giving back to the students from her alma mater. I wanted to create a video to show my appreciation of her dedication. Enjoy.

 

 

Every year, State and Federal Communications hosts a holiday charitable service project to benefit different nonprofits in Summit County, Ohio. In 2015, we are gathering gifts for the patients at Akron Children’s Hospital. Enjoy our video:

State and Federal Communications is pleased to announce the following individuals received their Professional Lobbying Certificate at the AGRP Annual Meeting.

Michael Beckett, Esq., George Ticoras, Esq., and John Cozine, Esq. received their certificates after completing the year-long Lobbying Certificate program. Since 2008, 11 staff from the company have completed the program, which is the only certificate program for the government relations professional that covers the wide range of activities that comprise modern government relations.

Through 14 courses over a year, participants have the opportunity to get the baseline knowledge of the numerous topics that need to be known by lobbyists and grassroots practitioners. Within those courses, five are required that cover Ethics of Advocacy, LDA & Compliance, PAC & Campaign Fundraising, Congressional Rules & Procedure and Communications & Media.

The Association of Government Relations Professionals (AGRP) is the national professional society dedicated exclusively to government relations, public policy and lobbying. AGRP’s mission is to enhance the development of the profession, competence, and high ethical standards for advocates in the public policy arena; and to collectively address the challenges affecting the First Amendment right to “petition the Government for redress of grievances.” For more information, visit http://grprofessionals.org.