Readers of Compliance NOW know how important professional development is to me. Everyone at State and Federal Communications knows from Day #1 they need to take advantage of the opportunities we provide for such development and are encouraged to also find other programs. We have all learned a lot from a popular seminar on grammar and many of us have attended the Disney Institute on working with our customers.

There are two Public Affairs Council programs in February 2015 you should consider attending.

National Grassroots Conference from February 3rd through 6th is the largest and really the most comprehensive conference of its kind. The speakers are corporate and association government affairs professionals who implement grassroots programs. You will learn strategies to improve your communications and increase your success.

National PAC Conference—or as we refer to it PAC PAC—from February 23rd to February 26th is definitely the leading program for a PAC professional. It combines the important skills training you need for the important elections facing our country.

There is one other plus to attending these conferences—you know, other than all the information you will learn and bring back to your organization—is they are both in Florida at a time when we could use a double dose of Vitamin D. The National Grassroots Conference is in Key West and the PAC PAC Conference is in Orlando at Universal’s Portofino Bay property. If this brings up questions, remind everyone the days start early in Florida and networking goes on through the evenings.

State and Federal Communications will be in attendance at both conferences—as we have been for years—and look forward to seeing you there. If you do have questions about either of these programs, please do not hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to provide additional information.

Until next month, think about how you can sharpen your skills for the upcoming active legislative and election year.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

State and Federal Communications held its 5th Annual Halloween Donut and Cider Sale today in the lobby of our office. It was all for the good cause of helping our friends at United Way of Summit County.

We knew we couldn’t host a Halloween sale without a few wacky costumes, so our office party was “pay-to-play,” with a $5 entry to star in our costumes-of-choice.

Take a look at some of the office revelry:

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th! State and Federal Communications will be offering a new 2014 Election Coverage—Midterm Mania Dashboard!

Be sure to check in with State and Federal Communications for all your government affairs related election coverage. Midterm Mania election results will be updated live at our Election 2014 Dashboard.

State and Federal Communications was the sole speaker sponsor of the Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG) Annual Summit on October 21, 2014. The Summit took place at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. and featured two political campaign consultants from each side of the aisle – Katie Packer Gage and Erica Prosser.

The off-the-record discussion focused on the upcoming midterm elections and how the elections might impact states as well as how the mid-terms will set the stage for the Presidential election in 2016. Both speakers agreed there have been surprises in some races around the country and with 2 weeks left, don’t discount a shocker or two yet to come.

WASRG is an association of DC-based government relations professionals with primary responsibility for representing their firms/companies/issues at the state and local level. State and Federal Communications has been a long-time supporter of the organization and its programming.

For information on joining WASRG, you can contact them at information@WASRG.com.

State and Federal Communications is excited to be the Keynote Speaker Sponsor of the 2014 WASRG Summit on Tuesday, October 21.

The keynote speakers for the event are Katie Packer Gage, President and a Founding Partner of WWP Strategies and  Erica Prosser, Senior Campaign Consultant with The Pivot Group.

The 2014 WASRG Summit will be held at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C.

On Friday, October 31 State and Federal Communications is hosting its fifth annual Halloween Donut and Apple Cider sale. All proceeds will benefit the United Way of Summit County.

Drop in and say hello from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and enjoy a delicious treat. We’ll be in the lobby of 80 South Summit St. in Downtown Akron, across from Quaker Square.

The Krispy Kreme donuts are $1.00 per donut or $7.00 per dozen. The apple cider will be $1.00 per cup or $8.00 per gallon.

To reserve your donuts, you can email Joe May at jmay@stateandfed.com, or call us at 330-761-9960.

The October Akron Roundtable luncheon featured Kent State University President Dr. Beverly Warren. Dr. Warren adjusted her scheduled presentation “Reflections from a New Northeast Ohioan” to address the dramatic events of the past 24 hours revolving around the Ebola crisis. She discussed the university’s crucial role in providing health professionals who are on the front lines meeting the health needs of the community and offered her vision for the future of Kent State University.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, is Vice President of the Kent State University Alumni Board of Directors and enjoyed a visit with Dr. Warren at Akron Roundtable.

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

October 8-10   PAC Fall Board Meeting, Santa Barbara, California

October 13   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, D.C.

October 21   WASRG Summit — Keynote Sponsor, Washington, D.C.

November 13-15   Women in Government Fifth Annual Healthcare Summit, Washington, D.C.

November 19-21   2014 Professional Women in Advocacy Conference, Washington, D.C.

November 22   SGAC Foundation’s Leaders’ Policy Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona

State and Federal Communications is pleased to announce the addition of 2015 legislative session and key dates information to its website.

In the Lobbying Laws publication, the key dates information addresses all of the reports and registrations due in 2015. In the Political Contributions publication, the key dates address the reports due, the scheduled statewide elections, and, where dictated by the state, scheduled local elections.

This information has been added for the federal government, the states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Continue to watch the website for updates to the 2014 and 2015 key dates and for the addition of key dates information for local jurisdictions and for Canada.

Thank you for joining us on another statehouse tour. This week we will be visiting Arizona’s capitol building, located in Phoenix.

Arizona’s previous statehouse is now known as the Old Capitol. It is defined by frugality; many of the building’s plans did not come into being because they were “too expensive”. These plans included a grand rotunda and wings off the main building for each house. Many of the building’s features were even incorrectly executed by the contractors.

In the mid-1950s, Frank Lloyd Wright drew up plans for a new statehouse, but those plans also were rejected because of cost. The Old Capitol is topped with a copper dome. which is crowned with a statue called Winged Victory.

The Old Capitol was used as the statehouse from 1901 to 1960. In 1960, separate House and Senate buildings were built on the north and south sides of the Capitol. The Arizona Legislature currently uses these House and Senate buildings. There are plans in the works to build a new Capitol because of the Old Capitol’s inadequacies.

The Old Capitol is now a museum. It exhibits local and state history with an emphasis on the state government and statehood. The museum also has exhibits on historical figures from the state and explanations of state symbols. One of the most notable exhibits there is a silver punchbowl service and silver statue from the battleship USS Arizona. These artifacts survived when the ship was sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack. People of all states can appreciate Arizona’s statehouse for its historical significance and its survival through frugal times.

To learn more, visit the Arizona State Government page.

Photo of the California State House by Jeff Dean on Wikimedia Commons.

The U.S. Statehouse Series is a project of the State and Federal Communications team of summer interns: Alessandra Dickos, Zack Koozer, Elaina Laikos, and Rachel Rodgers.

Welcome back to the statehouse series. Today we travel to the Michigan capitol building.

Located in the state capital of Lansing, the Michigan Statehouse that stands today is the third building to house the Michigan government. The original statehouse was located in Detroit, Michigan’s original capital. The original statehouse was relocated to a second building in 1847, which was built with a wood frame structure. The present building was dedicated in 1879, designed with Neoclassical and Italianate styles. After a three-year restoration project, the capitol was rededicated in 1992.

The Michigan State Capitol is a truly a magnificent structure, with four-stories, two grand staircases, and a cast-iron dome that displays eight beautifully painted muses. Throughout the interior, the entire white floor tiling is made of Vermont marble and limestone. The only exception is the rotunda floor which is composed of 976 blocks of translucent glass.

The building also houses the State Senate and House of Representatives chambers, both rooms decorated differently. One features a terra cotta and teal ensemble while the other displays blue and gold. Like many other capitol buildings, the statehouse grounds feature various monuments and statues while highlighted by some not-so-typical notable trees: an Eastern White Pine, the state tree of Michigan; the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tree; and the oldest tree on the grounds, an 1873 catalpa.

For more information, such as how to schedule a tour, please be sure to check out the Michigan Statehouse website.

Along with the exhibits about the first governor, there are exhibits about all of the governors and an exhibit about the “Greater Lansing Area Attractions.”

Photo of the Michigan State House by Nikopoley on Wikimedia Commons.

The U.S. Statehouse Series is a project of the State and Federal Communications team of summer interns: Alessandra Dickos, Zack Koozer, Elaina Laikos, and Rachel Rodgers.

State and Federal Communications is proud to be a sponsor of the 2014 Public Affairs Council State and Local Government Relations Conference from September 29 – October 1 in Alexandria, Virginia. President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz and a team of five of the staff are attending the event. We never miss it!

You can follow the Twitter conversations from the conference at #SLGR14.
See you there!