|
Elizabeth Bartz with new
Ohio
Governor Ted Strickland (D)
at his
Inaugural Ball in January.
|
A
Changing of the Guard
2007
marks a time when a new round of
officials again takes over in
Washington, and at state and local
levels. Sweeping changes are at hand.
Already the national, state and local
agendas are taking on new items and
reviving old ideas.
As
just one example, in one of the first
acts of 2007, the Senate passed an
Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill by a
96-2 vote. The bill forces senators to
attach their names when they ask for
funding for special interest projects.
The bill requires full disclosure of all
congressional earmarks. These must be
posted on the internet and also made
available to the public. There is also a
way to strike out wasteful earmarks that
are added to spending bills. |
The
bill, as passed, also will implement the
following:
-
lawmakers are barred from
accepting gifts/trips paid for by
lobbyists
-
senators must wait two years
before lobbying former colleagues
-
pensions would be refused to
lawmakers convicted of serious crimes
-
senators would pay full charter
rates when they accept rides on private
jets
-
spouses of sitting senators would
be prevented from
lobbying the Senate
-
new reporting and disclosure rules would
be established
for lobbyists.
You
can look at this one example and imagine
the numerous other changes to come at
each level of government this year.
In
my home state of Ohio, the Democratic
candidate Ted Strickland defeated the Republican challenger Ken Blackwell to
become the new Ohio Governor. I attended
his Inaugural Ball on January 13 and
witnessed firsthand the “Changing of
the Guard” in Ohio.
Stay
tuned for a year full of interesting
developments
and CHANGE!
|
Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
State and Federal Communications, Inc. |
|
Some
members of the State and Federal
Communications
staff
meet
with Ohio
Senator Kevin Coughlin
(R)
at an Akron Press Club
meeting. Senator Coughlin has
served three
terms in the Ohio House
of
Representatives.
Pictured are: Susan
Stofka, Elizabeth Z.
Bartz,
Senator Couglin, John Cozine, Dawn
Taussig, Bobbi Simpson,
Cy Naumoff.
|
|
 |
A
Special Mention
Amber K. Fish, Esq., (left) from our
team of
ALERTS Compliance Associates,
took a
well-deserved break to tie the wedding knot
to Rick Linke.
The bride is shown here at the reception
with
fellow State and Federal
Communications
Compliance Associate, Cy
Naumoff, Esq.
Congratulations
Amber and Rick. |
 |
|
|
Value-Added
Benefits from State and Federal Communications
|
There
are excellent benefits to having an all-online
approach to the compliance information State and
Federal Communications offers in our Executive Source
Guides.
-
One Cost/Multiple Employee Access – Once a company or
institution signs up for one, two or three of the
Executive Source Guides, ANYONE in the company the key contact deems appropriate can have access to the
State and Federal Communications website. There is No
Additional Charge for more users at the company.
-
Fresh Information is Available – When new website
compliance content is approved at State and Federal
Communications, it is uploaded so clients always have
the latest reports at their fingertips. In the past,
printed guides were only updated twice each year, and
CDs were updated three times per year.
|
-
24/7
– Wherever you are, whatever time it is, and on
any given day, as long as you can access the internet,
you can get the latest compliance updates at
www.stateandfed.com
-
The ALERTS Bonus – For our ALERTS consulting clients,
all the Executive Source Guides are provided AT NO
ADDITIONAL COST as part of the package. This allows our
clients to research key questions or statutes related to
their compliance activities when needed.
 |
|
|
2007 Florida Renewal
Issues
It is important to
review all materials provided by the various state
agencies. The
Florida Executive Lobbying Division rejected
registrations prepared on the 2007
registration form that was available online. Instead,
the state
required a pre-populated renewal form be
submitted by all lobbyists registered in 2006. The
Florida Legislative Lobbying Division
did accept registrations prepared on the 2007
registration form.
|
|
Meet
Dave
|
Meet
Dave McPeek, IT Systems Analyst. Dave has been
with State and Federal Communications for about a year.
In his work with the IT Team, Dave assists with
department operations, publishing our Research Team data
to the website, and general development.
Dave
is very much looking forward to helping State and
Federal Communication leverage technology to bring even
more value to our clients and our in-house client
support team members. When asked about the value of
technology in the field of Government Relations, he
stated that database and web advances enable individuals
to access so much more information than in previous
years. In our data intensive environment, where
accuracy, timing and efficiency bring value to the
table, we must constantly work to develop the best tools
possible. Good luck to Dave and the IT Team! |
|
Innovate
to Motivate Wrap-up
|
At
“Innovate to Motivate,” the National Conference for
Political Involvement Professionals held January
30-February 2 at the Don CeSar Beach Resort in Florida,
the State and Federal Communications team had the chance
to again visit with clients and colleagues in the
industry. We had an exhibit during the conference, and
also hosted a “Super Bowl” themed party one evening
that had continuously packed attendance. At our
hospitality suite we previewed the movie, The Longest
Yard and offered real “stadium food” for our guests.
Thanks for attending! We look forward to next year. |
|
Organization
Highlight
|
Here is
another resource that Compliance Now readers will be
interested in…
The US
Chamber of Commerce – “Vote for Business” program.
The US Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest
business federation representing more than three million
businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and
region. It has created a special website www.voteforbusines.com
as the Chamber’s commerce advocacy network. The site is
very helpful in educating individuals and companies on how
to set up and promote pro-business activities. There is
also a section that presents the U.S. Chamber’s
political action committee, USChamberPAC. Get involved
now!
|
|
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.
|
National Public Affairs Council
Conference
February 26 - March 1, 2007
Miami,
Florida
www.pac.org
|
NASPO
March 4-6, 2007
Baltimore,
Maryland
www.naspo.org
|
|
SGAC
Annual Meeting
March 20-23, 2007
Chicago, Illinois
www.sgac.org
|
ALEC
Annual Meeting
July 26-29, 2007
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
www.alec.org
|
|
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