March 2, 2012 •
Rebecca South Elected an Officer of WASRG
Rebecca South, Federal Compliance Associate at State and Federal Communications, has been elected Treasurer of the Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG).
The election took place at WASRG’s Annual Membership Meeting & Luncheon on February 9. Congratulations, Rebecca!
According to their site, “The Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG) is one of the nation’s largest organizations dedicated exclusively to serving state government relations professionals. Since the mid-1970s, WASRG has been providing its corporate, trade association and public sector members with a unique and valuable opportunity to interact with their peers, key state officials and public policy experts.”
Rebecca South, based in Washington, D.C., has extensive background in federal government compliance. She served 15 years as Government Relations Administrator for a national lobbying firm where she directed internal political compliance programs to ensure adherence to local, state, and federal laws regarding lobbying, ethics, and campaign finance. She also has substantive experience in the creation, management, and rules governing political action committees.
Rebecca began her career as a staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in the early 1990s, and also served as a Program Director with an association management firm. She is an active member of Women in Government Relations, Toastmasters International, Public Affairs Council, and American League of Lobbyists.
March 1, 2012 •
See Us in Person!
Plan to say hello at future events where State and Federal Communications will be attending and/or speaking regarding compliance issues.
March 7, 2012 Ohio’s Birthday Party, Washington, D.C.
March 15, 2012 Greater Akron Chamber Annual Meeting, Akron, Ohio
March 21-23, 2012 SGAC Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
April 15-17, 2012 NASPO 2012 – How to Market to State Governments Meeting, Orlando, Florida
April 16-17, 2012 National Summit on Strategic Communications, Washington, D.C.
April 27-29, 2012 Greek American Foundation – National Innovation Conference, New York, NY
February 28, 2012 •
Elizabeth Bartz Supports Sen. Sherrod Brown
Joins Ohio Business Leaders in Letter of Support
Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, joined other business leaders from Ohio in a public statement of support for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
According to a press release:
Business leaders from across Ohio announced their support of Senator Sherrod Brown today in a statement citing his strong record of fighting for Ohio jobs and businesses. The announcement highlights Sen. Brown’s efforts to fight China’s illegal currency manipulation and cut down on outsourcing, both of which costs Ohio jobs.
The public statement opens with the following:
“As business leaders in Ohio we know that Senator Sherrod Brown is a champion for Ohio’s business community and is fighting everyday for Ohio jobs and businesses. We urge Ohioans across the state not to believe third-party attack ads that say otherwise. Sherrod Brown has consistently demonstrated that Ohio jobs are his top priority and his commitment to strengthening Ohio employers will not waver. When it comes to Ohio’s business community, Senator Sherrod Brown is ready and willing to help.“
To read the full text and see the other supporters in the statement, you can find the press release at this link.
February 3, 2012 •
See Us in Person!
Plan to say hello at future events where State and Federal Communications will be attending and/or speaking regarding compliance issues.
February 7, 2012 NCSL Foundation Bi-Annual Luncheon, Washington, D.C.
February 17, 2012 Innovate to Motivate, Washington, D.C.
February 25 – February 27, 2012 National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C.
February 27 – March 1, 2012 National PAC Conference, Miami, Florida
January 19, 2012 •
We’ll See You at PAC Grassroots!
State and Federal Communications will be attending the Public Affairs Council’s National Grassroots Conference in Miami Beach, Florida from January 30 until February 2, 2012. This year is the 35th anniversary and the theme of the conference is “Building Allies, Producing Champions.” We hope to see you there!
January 11, 2012 •
Lobby Comply Hits the 1000 Mark!
We began on June 28, 2010 – and today we celebrate our 1000th blog post! We are dedicated to being your trusted source of news and analysis for government relations compliance at the federal, state, and municipal levels. A big thank you to all of our contributors and to all of our readers.
January 9, 2012 •
Elizabeth Bartz Attends Public Affairs Institute
“A forum to discuss ideas that move the world.”
Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, is attending the Public Affairs Institute hosted by the Public Affairs Council in Laguna Beach, California.
The Public Affairs Council website says the Institute has the following aim: “For more than thirty years, the Public Affairs Institute has brought together a world-class faculty and mid-to-senior-level public affairs professionals to discuss emerging political, economic, social and technological issues and trends in a rigorous, intriguing, innovative curriculum. Class sessions are led by faculty members, distinguished in their particular fields of expertise, in a mix of large group lectures and small group discussions, allowing for an interactive, personal learning environment.”
The Twitter hashtag for the event is #2012Institute.
January 4, 2012 •
2012 Guidebooks Are Here!
The State and Federal Communications, Inc. research staff has updated this Executive Source Guidebook and we are pleased to provide it to our valued clients.
This quick desk reference combines information from our online resources and lists the information by state:
– The Executive Source Guide on Lobbying Laws™;
– The Executive Source Guide on Political Contributions™; and
– The Executive Source Guide on Procurement Lobbying™.
This guidebook is filled with valuable information. However, we also caution it has two limitations:
The online resources, which you receive either through your subscription or as part of your lobbying compliance service, are comprehensive. This guidebook summarizes information in the online resources, and is meant only as a quick-reference guide.
While this guidebook is accurate and timely when we print it, please understand our online resources are updated continually. We provide this guidebook to you as a convenience, but your ultimate source of information should always be the online resource(s) to which you subscribe.
We consider this guidebook another value-added benefit of your partnership with State and Federal Communications. You also receive, via e-mail, monthly updates of important compliance legislation on the federal and state levels; News You Can Use™, our weekly summary of current news and events regarding compliance; and the Compliance Now newsletter with even more information.
Please call us at (330)761-9960 or email marketing@stateandfed.com if you would like to learn more about State and Federal Communications’ compliance services. Be sure to contact us if you are already a client and need to have your subscription username or password forwarded.
We are privileged to have you as clients, and are pleased to be your trusted adviser for government affairs compliance.
January 3, 2012 •
Three New Year’s Resolutions
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time to jot down those pesky New Year Resolutions!
We are ready with the State and Federal Communications, Inc. Resolutions for 2012 and I think you are going to like them…Think 30, 50, 100. Sort of like Herman Cain’s 9 9 9, but not really.
Resolution #1 is to include 30% additional information onto our website. I am challenging the research department to make sure we are including all of the necessary information you need for your 2012 government affairs work.
Resolution #2 is to make it 50% easier for client use. That means we need to make sure we have additional subcategories so you can easily find the information you need.
Resolution #3 is to make it 100% accurate. We know we are your #1 resource for lobbying, political contributions, procurement lobbying, and Canadian compliance and we have to be accurate so the information you forward to your colleagues and supervisors is absolutely correct.
For these resolutions…you can count on us to keep them!
Happy New Year.
Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
January 2, 2012 •
News You Can Use Digest – January 2, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Fundraisers Take a Gamble on Lotteries
Romney Charity Used for Conservative Donations
Ron Paul’s House Record Marked by Bold Strokes, and Futility
From the States and Municipalities:
California
Business Interests Were Top Bill-Killers in California’s Capitol This Year
California
State Senator Aims to Double Lobby Fee in California – to 14 Cents a Day
Colorado
Gessler Issues 2012 Campaign Finance Rules
Florida
Palm Beach County Approves Countywide Lobbyist Registry
Ohio
Jimmy Dimora Faces Trial as Convictions in Federal Court Soar
South Carolina
Colbert Offering $500,000 to Pay for S.C. GOP Primary
Tennessee
Tennessee Lawmakers Still Haven’t Filled Ethics Commission Seat That Expired in ’09
Washington
Court Invalidates Washington State Cap on PAC Donations
West Virginia
Ethics Agency’s Informal Advice Kept Secret
State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 80 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.
News You Can Use is a news service provided at no charge only to clients of our online Executive Source Guides, or ALERTS™ consulting clients.
December 30, 2011 •
Best Wishes for the New Year!
Greetings from State and Federal Communications.
As everyone prepares to celebrate the New Year, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a note of thanks. State and Federal Communications has had an exciting year and we look forward to a bright 2012.
We wish you a beautiful New Year.
Elizabeth Bartz
President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Inc.
December 30, 2011 •
Lobby Comply’s Top Blog Posts of 2011
We have been very busy at Lobby Comply blog this year. Nineteen contributors offered 714 posts of news and analysis regarding lobbyist compliance, campaign finance, government ethics, and procurement lobbying – news from all over the nation.
Since this is the last week of the year, I wondered which blog posts received the most visits, so I ran a content report for the past year. I thought I would share with you what I found. Here are the most-read blog posts of 2011:
The top spot goes to …
1. Highlighted Site Of The Week – All The Presidents’ Money by Emily Kesler
followed by
2. Wisconsin Special Election Set for May 3, 2011 by Nathan Shaker
3. Highlights from the NCSL Legislative Summit 2011 by Joe May
4. Corporations Must Disclose Independent Expenditures in Maryland by George Ticoras
5. Ask the Experts – Using Federal PAC Funds to Contribute to State Candidates by Nola Werren. This one actually was written in October 2010, but was still popular reading material in 2011.
Thank you for following Lobby Comply, and we’ll see you in 2012!
December 23, 2011 •
Happy Holidays!
Our warmest wishes to all of you
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 have had a great year and look forward to giving our very best service to our clients in 2012. Health and happiness to you and your families.
From all of us at State and Federal Communications, we wish you Happy Holidays!
December 22, 2011 •
Our Holiday Party
On December 15, State and Federal Communications held its annual Holiday Party.
We had lunch at the Tangier restaurant and then headed back to the office for more festivities.
Days in advance, the staff made the office look merry by decorating their cubes. On the day of the party we held a cube decorating contest and, as you can see, we have some true artisans in our midst. Santa showed up, as well as reindeer, penguins, the North Pole, and even Lucy van Pelt’s counseling booth. It is amazing what can be done with post-it notes, lights, and cotton batting!
Next, we pitted the Compliance, Research, and IT departments against each other in contests requiring feats of skill, endurance, and great courage. A political button quiz was followed by stacking apples, blowing balloons, building chapstick architecture (with chopsticks, of course), and a tissue-pulling contest. Much was at stake for each department, but the Compliance Department came out the winner of the day.
My personal favorite event was the baking contest with an amazing array of sweets. The pictures speak for themselves. There was, of course, the Herculean task of tasting all of those fine creations, but we the staff managed just fine.
Our holiday Giving Tree was full, with the gifts going to the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit County.
We were thankful for the chance to get together for a party. It has been a good year.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
