On Wednesday our office had some fun and raised money for a good cause all at the same time. On behalf of the United Way of Summit County, State and Federal Communications staff held a donut and apple cider sale. We sold dozens of donuts and ate a few ourselves.

To make things a little more interesting, we made the whole affair a Halloween costume party, which was pay-to-play, of course. For a $10 donation, we came in fancy dress – or not-so-fancy as the case may be – and as you can see Mae West, Rosie the Riveter, Paul Bunyan, and a host of Zombies, gangsters, sports fans, and assorted weirdos magically appeared.

Happy Halloween from State and Federal Communications!

Q. I am a registered lobbyist who was asked to make an in-kind contribution on behalf of my company for an event to be held by a state political party. Is this permissible?

A. As a registered lobbyist, your contributions may be governed by two sets of laws: campaign finance and lobbying.

First, you must determine whether the state would consider the in-kind payment to be a contribution or a lobbying expenditure.

If the in-kind payment is determined by the state’s governing body to be a contribution, then this contribution must be compliant with the campaign finance laws. You must first determine if the amount and source of funding are permissible. Assuming permissibility of the contribution, potential restrictions on contributions facilitated by lobbyists and the reportability of contributions facilitated by lobbyists will need to be reviewed. In some states, once the in-kind contribution is made, the lobbyist and the lobbyist’s principal may not have additional involvement with the planning of the event, but will be permitted to attend.

Where the state considers the in-kind payment to be a lobbying expenditure and not a political contribution, you must ensure that the expenditure will not exceed the state’s gift limit. The pro-rata share of the expenditure attributable to all public officials who attend the event may be reportable on a disclosure report.

While this analysis will vary from state to state, it is important to be cautious when making in-kind payments.

You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.

(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

Since this is a presidential election year, State and Federal Communications has sent out its vote card instead of a holiday card to greet our friends and clients. More than 2500 cards were sent, along with a “Keep US Strong – VOTE” pin.

Every year we gather for a company photo to mark another exciting year serving our clients. Every year our challenge is to find a unique spot in Akron to highlight the event. So here is a little treat to our Lobby Comply readers – the 2012 company picture at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.

Thank you for reading Lobby Comply blog. We wish you a wonderful year and heartily encourage you to go out on November 6 and exercise your right to vote!

October 11, 2012   WASRG Summit, Washington, D.C.

November 17-20, 2012   SGAC Leaders’ Policy Conference, Santa Monica, California

November 28-30, 2012   ALEC States and Nation Policy Summit, Washington, D.C.

I first voted in the 1976 Presidential Election—Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford—and have voted in every Presidential election since. In fact, I only missed voting in one election in 1979 when I was in college and did not mail my absentee ballot.

I have not questioned whether I should vote…I just always made sure I did and I made sure I understood the issues and candidates.

So, what am I getting to this month? I want you to vote. Maybe I did not say it correctly. I WANT YOU TO VOTE.

I am not going to go Howard Beale (Movie: Network, 1976). But, I do want you—this country needs you—to study the issues and candidates in your states and cities and review the candidates running for U.S. President between now and November 5th. Get a good night’s sleep and then wake up on November 6th and VOTE, as if your life depended on it.

If you have questions about who is running in the states, check out the State Elections Guide on our website, www.stateandfed.com. We partnered with Stateside Associates to prepare a state-by-state guide on candidates, polling, and contribution guidelines.

Until next month, study the issues. Study the candidates. Study…and be ready to VOTE.

Your favorite movie about politics or business?

I really liked All the President’s Men because of the history it presented. I liked Wall Street, which showed me how bad it could be if I wanted to be a mean businessperson, so I am trying to do the opposite. I work for the good guys.

Books that influenced your understanding of the work you do?

PAC Power: Inside the World of Political Action Committees, by Larry J. Sabato, and Politics and Money: The New Road to Corruption, by Elizabeth Drew. I read them when I was first getting started in this profession and I wanted to learn more about PACs. They gave me a good foundation in how this world works.

A president you admire?

I could say something safe like George Washington, but I really admire Bill Clinton. I was living by myself in Alexandria, Va., when he gave his acceptance speech. I loved what he said about believing in hope. I remember jumping up and down in my apartment screaming with approval. I also admire what he accomplished. I like what he did to reform welfare. Thanks to programs his administration established, I was able to sell my house in Alexandria and buy one back in Ohio. I was able to sell the house in Alexandria to a woman who was getting off welfare. She was able to buy it for $2,000 down. I was thrilled to do that. I also admire AmeriCorps. My daughter participated in Teach for America, which is part of AmeriCorps. That’s a great program.

Business leaders you admire?

Steve Jobs, though I wouldn’t want to emulate everything he did. But like Bill Gates, he had a mind for business. He had a vision, and I am inspired by that in building my own company. There’s a big gulf between my company and Apple or Microsoft, but I can still keep working to make it better.

How are state budget problems affecting the public affairs profession?

Because the states are trying to raise revenues, they are looking at the lobbying profession and trying to raise registration fees. The registration fee in Ohio for years was $10. Now it is $25. There was an effort in Illinois to raise it to $1,000. It is now $300 there. That might not sound like a lot of money, but when you realize that a lot of companies have multiple registrations, it adds up. It makes companies think seriously about whether they should register. It’s going to have a big impact on this profession.

On the policy side?

Pay-to-play is a big issue. The procurement process is changing as states try to make sure there is not a connection between a contribution and a contract.

What’s on your iPod?

I have two iPads, and iPod, one iPhone, one Droid, a MacBook and a laptop. So I’m too connected. But musically, I’m all ‘70s, but no disco. That means Carly Simon, James Taylor, late Beatles. I had Carol King’s Tapestry on an eight-track tape player, if you remember what those were. I just moved it to my iPod. Also, I liked Fleetwood Mac even before they performed at Clinton’s inaugural.

This visit was courtesy of the Public Affairs Council’s October 2012 Impact newsletter.

It’s your voice, your country, your community – and change doesn’t just happen, it’s ignited by a single vote. So stop making excuses and start making changes.

Pledge today to VOTE on Nov. 6, 2012 and help “Keep US Strong.”

According to the latest U.S. Census Report, an average of only about 40 percent of the U.S. population votes during a non-presidential election year – while just over 60 percent vote during a presidential election.

Those statistics are too low for President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz of State and Federal Communications Inc., based out of Akron, Ohio.

So in recognition of Election Day 2012 and the need to get more voters to the polls, Bartz and her company are sponsoring a campaign to encourage voting. The campaign aims to not only encourage people to vote, but also to encourage voters to think about the impact their voice and efforts have on their community and their country.

The State and Federal Communications, Inc. 2012 Summer Outing was at Progressive Field August 26th watching the Cleveland Indians vs New York Yankees baseball game. We enjoyed the Legends Suite filled with food and seating – indoors and out – for all of our staff and their family.

It was exciting and surprising to see so many children. We had 5 under 1.5 years old!

The game was exciting on a beautifully sunny day, but our Tribe lost by three runs.

The staff and their family truly enjoyed this outing and is already planning for the next!

Enjoy this little video slideshow created by intern Zack Koozer:

In an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for “the greatest number of people playing cornhole in the same competition” the United Way of Summit County invited local area businesses and residents to Lock 3 Park in Akron to participate in a lunchtime event. With a reported total of 258 participants, the United Way estimates that indeed a new record was set and submitted the information to the Guinness World Record organization.

State and Federal Communications sent five teams to the tournament with hopes of bringing home a first prize of $100 and two custom made United Way Cornhole Board sets. State and Federal’s teams of Amber Fish-Linke and Sarah Gray, Myra Cottrill and Becky Campbell, Michael Beckett and Shamus Williams, John Cozine and Steve Quinn, and Jen Zona and Jon Spontarelli each competed alongside a deep field of Akron’s best tossers. While we were unsuccessful in our bid to win the tournament, State and Federal was proud to be a part of what could be a new Guinness World Record.

As our intern Joanna Kamvouris wrote in June, State and Federal Communications adopted a planter on the sidewalk outside the office at the corner of Mill Street and South Union in downtown Akron. The project is part of a larger beautification effort throughout the city by two organizations – Keep Akron Beautiful and the Downtown Akron Partnership.

We send a big thank you to IT Assistant Ken Kelewae and his wife, who selected and arranged the plants. The amazing transformation is also thanks to IT Assistant David Jones, who helped in watering and attending to the plants all summer. We are rather proud of the results! Here are the “before and after” pictures:

We would like to take this opportunity offer our best wishes to the graduates of the inaugural class of SGAC’s State Government Affairs Professional Certificate Program.

State and Federal Communications had two people in the program. President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz and Client Specialist Myra Cottrill received their certificates at the SGAC Annual Business Meeting and Lunch on August 8.

According to SGAC, “The SGAC Professional Certificate Program requires the participants, of which there are more than 100 including the recent 25 honorees, to complete a minimum of 12 courses focusing on:  Ethics/Ethical Leadership; Complying with State Lobbying Laws; Building and Managing Coalitions; Legislative Trends; Lobbying and the Legislative Process; Media and Communications Training; Understanding National State Government Organizations and others.”

Myra Cottrill said, “It is an honor to join 24 colleagues from across the country that completed the program’s rigorous requirements during the past three years.”

If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, be sure to listen to WAMU 88.5 American University Radio for your direct line to the National Conventions. Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, said,”We are very excited to be a part of this crucial service!”

Available free of charge online at www.stateandfed.com,  the state profiles include Governor, Attorney General, state Legislative, and Key Ballot Questions. Most recent public polling for Governor and Attorney General races are also featured and will be updated throughout the primary and general election seasons.

The 2012 Elections information also includes charts and maps featuring incumbents, challengers and partisan controls. The state legislative maps illustrate which chambers are within a five vote margin of partisan control.

State and Federal Communications is your premiere compliance information source keeping companies and organizations in the bounds of state and federal compliance law. We assist clients with political contributions, state lobbying, and procurement activities by providing instant and up-to-date information on client compliance.

Stateside Associates is the proven leader in state and local government relations. Since 1988, Stateside Associates has offered clients state, federal and local Issue Management, Legislative Monitoring, Regulatory Forecasting^SM, Regulation ALERT^SM, Social Media Monitoring for State and Local Government Relations, Local Government Monitoring, Groups Program Management and Lobbyist Management, all of which are grounded in first-hand knowledge and based on serving clients’ unique needs. For more information, visit www.stateside.com.