For those of you who read this column regularly, you know I like my music.

Call me (call me) on the line
Call me, call me any, any anytime
Call me (call me) I’ll arrive
You can call me any day or night
Call me!

In this instance, we want you to call Elliott Postlewait, our marketing assistant. He is the #1 person who can help you navigate through our website. Our goal is to make sure all of our subscribers have everyone on staff understand the value received from State and Federal Communications. We are not just Compliance Now, Lobby Comply, Summary of Changes, or News You Can Use. We do a lot more than just post on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Our website, www.stateandfed.com, is full of all of the information you need to handle compliance in your government relations or legal offices for lobbying, campaign finance, procurement, pay-to-play, and gift laws in the 50 states, District of Columbia, Federal, more than 250 municipalities, and Canada.

Give Elliott Postlewait a call at 330-761-9960 or e-mail him at epostlewait@stateandfed.com and set up a time for a call with your team. Call him, call him any anytime.

Until next month, take the time to take a drive through our website…Elliott will help you maneuver through our site.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

The Public Affairs Council’s National PAC Conference is just a few days away. If you are attending, we would like to invite you to the State and Federal Communications Pre-Conference Luncheon.

We are offering a $25 Starbucks gift card to all attendees. So, coffee is on us in Miami!

Starbucks is close to the Loews Hotel. Take a look:

The luncheon runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but we don’t expect you to come for all 2 hours; just stop by and say hello. During lunch you can tour our new website and find out more about our various government compliance services. Additionally, our very own Nola Werren, compliance expert with State and Federal Communications for 17 years, will be on-hand to answer any of your questions.

Hope to see you there!

State and Federal Communications is excited to be a supporter of the Public Affairs Council’s National PAC Conference. We have a team of four attending this great event.

More than this, we are sponsoring the Conference Wi-Fi and the Wednesday Networking Breakfast.

Why do we sponsor, you ask? Here is State and Federal Communications President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz to explain:

If you are attending the conference, be sure to join us on Monday, March 3, for our Pre-Conference Luncheon and engage with our experts to see if you can safely say, “I comply!” Our very own compliance expert, Nola Werren, will be on-hand to answer any of your questions. Lunch will be on us and we are also giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card to all attendees!

We are tracking more than 600 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.

Happy Valentine’s Day from State and Federal Communications!

State and Federal Communications proudly sponsored today’s Akron Roundtable luncheon at the Quaker Station in Akron, Ohio. “Bringing the World to Akron” is the motto of this crucial speaker series and today’s event was one of the best.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of the company, introduced the distinguished speakers, Ohio State Senator Frank LaRose and former State Representative Ted Celeste. Their topic was timely and well-needed: “Building Trust Through Civil Discourse.”

The discussion was amazing. You can listen to the Akron Roundtable broadcast this evening on 89.7 WKSU at 8:00 p.m.

Ren Koozer, Executive Director at State and Federal Communications, is attending the Public Affairs Institute in Laguna Beach, California. The week-long Public Affairs Council program is a combination of unparalleled public affairs speakers, small group discussions, and networking.

The Public Affairs Council website says this about the Institute: “For more than thirty years, the Public Affairs Institute has brought together a world-class faculty and senior-level public affairs professionals to discuss emerging political, economic, social and technological issues in a rigorous, intriguing, innovative curriculum.”

Take a look at the exciting agenda!

State and Federal Communications, Inc., nationally recognized for its government compliance resources, announces 2013 appointments and achievements, highlighting the company’s embodiment of leadership and ethical standards.

President and CEO, Elizabeth Bartz, has been selected to join the Board of Directors for the National Conference of State Legislatures Foundation and the Public Affairs Council. Serving on both boards, Bartz brings with her the values and principles she imparts on State and Federal Communications, Inc. She also brings years of knowledge and experience surrounding government compliance and her dedication to the public affairs industry.

The values demonstrated throughout the company’s 20-year history include a commitment to the public affairs industry as a whole and the overall community. Under Bartz’ leadership and foresight and with much hard work, State and Federal Communications also received recognition for its growth and involvement in the community. The company received a 2013 Weatherhead 100 award for being one of the fastest-growing companies in Northeast Ohio. Additionally, State and Federal Communications received the Private Sector Small Company 2013 Pinnacle Award of Summit County. This exclusive honor is given to those organizations serving the greater good of the community and continued efforts around corporate social responsibility.

The leadership exemplified by Bartz is inspiring and a reminder of the impact a small business can make. “I know many of my colleagues and clients are also in leadership roles and doing even more than State and Federal Communications, and I only hope we set an example for the next generation of leaders,” stated Bartz.

Enjoy these fun photos from recent events!

 

 

 

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 is our January – March calendar. If you are attending any of the coming events, please stop by and say hello!

January 2-5   Women In Government’s – 20th Annual State Director’s Conference, Phoenix, Arizona

January 12-17   Public Affairs Institute, Laguna Beach, California

January 22-24   The United States Conference of Mayors’ 82nd Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C.

January 30 – February 1   NCSL Executive Committee Meeting & NCSL Foundation Board Meeting, Austin, Texas

February 3-6   Public Affairs Council National Grassroots Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

March 3-6   Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

March 16-19   NASPO Marketing to State Governments, San Diego, California

I really can’t stay – Baby it’s cold outside
I’ve got to go away – Baby it’s cold outside
This evening has been – Been hoping that you’d drop in
So very nice – I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice

We all love the holidays with the lights, songs, and snow…But, it sure is cold out there. So this is a perfect time to plan your professional development for 2014, especially the Public Affairs Conference Grassroots and Political Action Committee conferences.

The Grassroots conference is in Miami Beach, February 3-6, and is full of programs.  This year there are four new tracks to help with your needs—Core, Creative Solutions, Communications, and Challenges. The list of sessions includes:

1. How Do I Raise My Profile with Michael Jacobson, U.S. Travel Association;

2. How Capitol Hill is Changing the Way the Way It Listens to Constituents with Faiz Shakir, Office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid;

3. Can Siri Advocate with Michael Panetta, Beekeeper Group;

4. The Fly-In: Back with a Vengeance with Caitlin Donohue, National Restaurant Association; and

5. My personal favorite, Ethics, Gift Rules and Legal Updates for an Election Year with Ken Gross, Skadden Arps.

The PAC conference is in South Beach, March 3-6, and also has four learning tracks—PAC Management, Communications Strategies, Fundraising Tools, and PAC Plus. The list of sessions includes:

1. Looking at 2014 and Beyond with Sara Fagen, DDC Advocacy;

2. Managing Political Contributions at the State Level with Dominick Ciaraldo, Comcast;

3. How Data is Transforming Elections and Politics with Sasha Issenberg, author of The Victory Lab; and

4. Again, my favorites, Legal Guidance for Corporate PACs with Ken Gross, Skadden Arps and Legal Guidance for Association PACS with Michael Toner, Wiley Rein LLP.

I know it can be difficult to convince supervisors that conferences in Florida are a good investment. But, these really are a good investment of funds and time. Check out www.pac.org for more information.

On behalf of the staff at State and Federal Communications, we wish you a very Happy New Year. We look forward to continuing to be your trusted advisers in 2014.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

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 2014. Health and happiness to you and to your families. From all of us at State and Federal Communications, we wish you Happy Holidays!

We are sending out the 2014 State and Federal Communications, Inc. Executive Source Guidebooks. For all of our clients who receive them, they will arrive in early January.

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