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FORTUNE
500 Rely on State and Federal
Communications
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It’s
a thrill each year as I go through the
Fortune 500 listing and check what
companies are clients of State and
Federal Communications. This year the
number topped 100. That’s one-fifth of
the list, and it is an accomplishment
that everyone at our company is
extremely proud of. No matter the size
of the client, if a company or
organization is serious about lobbying
and procurement compliance, and ensuring
the reporting of their political
contributions, then they are turning to
us in increasing numbers for our
expertise.
It
is a great honor to serve these Fortune
500 companies--and
all of our clients--and help them
to maintain and build their integrity
and reputation on the political front.
We look forward to continuing our strong
relationships in the future.
Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
State and Federal Communications, Inc.
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Introducing
the New ALERTS ‘Compliance Squad’
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State
and Federal Communications’ roster of ALERTS
Consulting clients continues to grow as
companies and organizations are realizing the
tremendous benefits to having our specialists
help them reach and maintain their compliance
reporting objectives.
To
ensure that our clients receive the highest
level of service, we have organized a team of
key professionals at State and Federal
Communications dedicated SOLELY to answer and
solve ALERTS-related compliance needs, questions
and problems.
To
put it all into perspective, we’ve put the
moniker Compliance Squad on this highly
energetic and engaging team, including (front to
back in the photo) Amber Fish, J.D., Nola Werren,
Esq., and Scott Stetson, Esq.
According
to Elizabeth Z. Bartz, State and Federal
Communications President and CEO (and the
Commander-in-Chief of the Compliance Squad),
"Each person has been assigned to stay on
top of events affecting states to personally
supervise the compliance activities of our
clients. Now, every ALERTS client has a direct
contact at State and Federal who is directly
responsible for compliance activities. Our
clients serve this type of premium
service." |
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While
We’re Talking about ALERTS…
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We
are very pleased to welcome four new ALERTS Consulting
Clients. We look forward to providing our turn-key
compliance services on their behalf.
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Changes
Presented in New York Procurement Lobbying Reporting
 Recently,
State and Federal Communications Alerts Compliance Associate
Nola Werren, Esq., attended the procurement lobbying workshop
conducted by Howard Grieves, program education coordinator at
the New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying (NYTSCL) in
Albany. The workshop was part of the NYTSCL's goal of educating
the regulated community regarding the changes to the New York
State Lobbying Act that took
effect January 1, 2006.
Nola
reports that the Lobbying Act was
amended to expand the definition of lobbying to include attempts
to influence "any determination of a pubic official with
respect to a governmental procurement" (i.e., procurement
contracts).
Aside
from a detailed review of the new language of the Lobbying Act,
Mr. Grieves emphasized the following regarding the new
procurement lobbying registration and reporting requirements:
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The
fundamental goals behind the new law are to eliminate unfair
advantage; eliminate preferential influence; and level the
playing field when it comes to doing business with the state
of New York and its political subdivisions. The goal is to
have vendors seeking to obtain a government contract put in
their bid and then just simply walk away without any of the
"choose me" conversations that typically follow.
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Commissioned
salespersons are exempt from the registration requirement,
and the NYTSCL has determined that in order to qualify as
such, the person must make more in commission than they do
in base salary. The
new language of the Lobbying Act does not explicitly state
this in these precise terms, but this is how the NYTSCL is
interpreting Section 1-c(u) of the Lobbying Act.
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During
the restricted period, a potential vendor may only
communicate with the "designated person" as
specified by the agency from which it seeks a contract. The
substance of the communication is limited to providing
general information only; again, none of the "pick
me-pick me" type of advocating.
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The
New York State Office of General Services (OGS) is
maintaining a list of the "designated persons" and
those designated are keeping a phone log of any telephone
calls they receive regarding pending contract awards. The
designated person will also transcribe the dialogue of any
telephone conversation relating to pending contract awards
and forward that transcription to the NYTSCL for its review
and subsequent determination regarding any improprieties.
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During
the restricted period, however, a potential vendor is
permitted to communicate with a member of the state
legislature regarding the pending contract award and request
that the member "put in a good word" to the state
agency that is considering the contract award.
If
you have any concerns about your New York procurement work,
please do not hesitate to give us a call.
Complementary
Compliance Services Keep You Totally Up-to-date
 Many
of our Executive Source Guides clients are using one or two of
these Guides when dealing with their compliance specialty. For
example they may be using the Executive Source Guide (ESG) to
State Lobbying Laws to help monitor and keep abreast of changes
in lobbying laws. Or they may base their work around the ESG to
Political Contributions to ensure all compliance issues in this
complex field are done correctly. Or they may even have our
newest service, the ESG to Procurement Lobbying to make sure
sales activities are in in-line with current regulations.
The
point is, if a company needs to access MORE THAN ONE Guide, we
have made it extremely easy and cost-effective to get two or
three of these services bundled together to keep a company
totally in compliance. In fact, clients can simply buy all three
ESGs on-line service for the low annual price of $5,495 (or
$9,995 for service providers.) That’s almost a 68% savings
off the price if each was bought separately.
If
you’ve already ordered a single or dual subscription in 2006,
don’t worry. We’ll upgrade you now, and credit the amount
you’ve already used this year. Plus, you get the peace of mind
in knowing that all the compliance information you need is now
at your fingertips. Call 1-800-4-LAW-NOW to make this change.
New
Pennsylvania Executive Order Signed on Lobbying
 Susan
R. Pierce, J.D., State and Federal Communications State
Researcher presents this article on a new Pennsylvania Executive
Order.
On
March 15, 2006, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell signed
an executive order requiring lobbyists who seek to influence the
executive branch about legislative, budgetary or administrative
matters to register and file quarterly reports to with the
Office of Administration. Both registration and reporting
will be electronic.
Executive
branch lobbyists must electronically register within five days
after March 31, 2006. After that date, lobbyists must
register within five days prior to lobbying an executive branch
employee. Registration will be biennial, with the
exception of calendar year 2006, and will expire on November 30
of each even-number year.
Quarterly
expense reports will be required, beginning with the quarter
ending June 30, 2006. Reports must be filed electronically
no later than 30 days following the end of each quarter.
The
Secretary of Administration has
made forms and procedures for electronic registration and
reporting.
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Meet Ren Koozer
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Meet
Ren Koozer, State and Federal Communications IT Director,
responsible for all technology, database, website and e-mail
functions. Ren has helped our company establish and maintain the
most robust website and network in the political compliance
industry.
When
asked how the company’s clients can make the best use of
technology today, he says, “There is no better tool than www.stateandfed.com
to get the most up-date, accurate information on the political
compliance industry. We revise, add and change the website
almost daily with numerous compliance and regulation changes,
providing our clients with a valuable resource for their
efforts.”
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See
us at the Leadership Institute
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State and Federal
Communications will be sending a number of our staffers to the
Leadership Institute (LI), an annual educational program for
both emerging legislative leaders and experienced state
government relations professionals. The State Government Affairs
Council (SGAC) Foundation sponsors the Leadership Institute
jointly with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). |
The
2006 LI “Inspiring Great Leaders” will be held in June 12-15
at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. For
more information, visit the NCSL website at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/leaders/Institute06.htm
or the SGAC website at http://www.sgac.org/
See Us in Person
Plan
to say hello at future professional development events where
State and Federal Communications will be attending and/or
speaking regarding compliance issues.
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NCSL
National Conference
August 15 - 18, 2006
Nashville, Tennessee
www.ncsl.org
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