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!

State and Federal Communications is a proud sponsor of the 2014 Akron Marathon, which will be held on Saturday, September 27. You can see our banner right in front of Canal Park’s Team Shop. We wish all the participants a wonderful experience. Good luck!

Welcome to our journey to the heart of the country, Ohio. The Ohio Statehouse is located in downtown Columbus, serving as both a monument and an office building.  The building was created with Greek revival architecture in mind and is one of the oldest working statehouses.  After 22 years of construction, the building was completed in 1861.

Because of the extensive amount of information present in the statehouse, one can now visit the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center. The center assists educators in preparing its students for visits, offers free teachers’ materials for tours, and has free annual special events including a Ladies’ Gallery, which has listed the influential women of Ohio from the Woman suffrage movement to the legislators and politicians of today.

On the outside, the statehouse has a low conical roof called a Cupola, one of the statehouse’s most distinct exterior features. Whereas one might expect to see a dome, this architectural piece was purposefully constructed to stand out amongst the crowd of traditional “statehouse looks”.

However, much like these other capitol buildings, the Ohio Capitol Square can be seen adorned with statues and monuments depicting Ohio’s values and ideals.

The website for the statehouse also holds much information on several other features such as the Museum Shop, Floor Plans, Private Events, and other useful links. Take a look at the link provided to find out additional facts.

Thanks for reading and we will see you next time as we explore yet another statehouse!

Photo of the Ohio Statehouse by Urban 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.

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

September 11-12, 2014   PLI: Corporate Political Activities Seminar, Washington, D.C.

September 22, 2014  WGR Toastmasters, Washington, D.C.

September 29 – October 1, 2014   PAC State and Local Government Affairs Conference, Alexandria, Virginia

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover more than 230 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

In that effort, we have recently added abridged jurisdictions to our website. These entries, condensed due to the limited number of relevant local laws, provide the core information our clients need for their government relations work.

The new jurisdictions are:

Alameda County, California

Canton, Ohio

Clackamas County, Oregon

Jackson County, Oregon

Sparks, Nevada

I figured it is time to list the states I still need to visit. In this government relations industry, we have the opportunity to go to many states. And, with two meetings in Anchorage, many of our colleagues have seen them all from Alabama to Wyoming.

I started a list a year ago when Sen. Bruce Starr from Oregon was elected president of NCSL and had scheduled an executive committee meeting. But, alas, I was unable to attend, so it remains on the list.

Here is a list of the states. What are your outstanding ones? And, if any of you have Ohio on that list, you need to call me to attend any of a number sporting events or a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I personally have season tickets to the home games of both the University of Akron and Kent State University…Now, those are hot teams!

Back to the subject. I am now down to the final seven (7) and know in 2015 one will be knocked off the list because of CSG’s Midwest Legislative Conference.

1. Alabama — Lost a chance in 2013 when Kent State University was in the football playoffs but could not get back in time for business meetings.
2. Hawaii — Big surprise this is still on my list.
3. Montana — Does this state still not have a speed limit? That’s what David Letterman says.
4. North Dakota — Ding, ding, ding…Off the list in 2015.
5. Oregon — Hmm. Maybe a trip to Nike is in order.
6. South Dakota — Could I knock off this state after MLC next year?
7. Wyoming — I guess we have to go to Jackson Hole.

It is possible. It is not a race…just a goal to finish.

Until next month, put your list together of states still left to see.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Lobby Comply will be taking a one-week break. We’ll be back on Friday, September 5 with our weekly News You Can Use Digest.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

The Mission of State and Federal Communications is to make sure that 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.

Contact us to learn how conveniently our services will allow you to say “I Comply” for your compliance activities.

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications’ digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

 Here are a pair of photos from the International BIO International Convention in San Diego, California.

Team State and Federal Communications is excited to be heading to NCSL’s Legislative Summit, August 19-22, 2014, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Come see us at Booth 921!

The NCSL website promises there will be “nothing Mini” about this conference:

“Bring home 1,000 ideas from the land of 10,000 lakes this summer in Minnesota. For 40 years, the Legislative Summit is where legislators and staff come together across the aisle to tackle critical problems and find solutions that work…With more than 100 sessions, the time to dig deep into issues you care about, and opportunities to make new friendships and connections, you’ll come home brimming with ideas. So plan to be in Minneapolis Aug. 19-22. We’ll see you there, and together Build Strong States.”

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover more than 230 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

In that effort, we have recently added abridged jurisdictions to our website. These entries, condensed due to the limited number of relevant local laws, provide the core information our clients need for their government relations work.

The new jurisdictions are:

Bakersfield, California

Putnam County, Florida

Stark County, Ohio