Thursday, January 28, 2016

Maurice Aguirre - Selection of lobbying connected language

Selection of lobbying connected language:

Maurice Aguirre: Separate Segregated Fund (SSF): PAC set up by a corporation, labor union or membership organization, as they are prohibited by law from directly contributing to a candidate committee. SSFs must be sponsored by an entity, and in terms of fundraising, they can generally only solicit certain people at the organization, known as the "restricted class." SSFs are also not responsible for reporting the administrative costs for their maintenance.

Maurice Aguirre: Widely Attended Event: One of the exceptions to the Gift Rules of the House and Senate. Organizations employing lobbyists may sponsor a widely attended event which must contain a diverse audience of more than 25 people and must be related to a Member's or staffer's official duties in order for a Member or staffer to attend for free.

National Party Committee: Refers to one of the six national party organizations: the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Congressional Candidate Committee (DCCC), Democratic Senatorial Candidate Committee (DSCC), Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Lobbyists, organizations and PACs controlled by lobbyists or organizations are required to disclose any amounts of $200 or more that were contributed to either of these committees.

Maurice Aguirre: Professional lobbyist: According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), this refers to a person who is compensated by an outside client or by his employer to lobby the government. This person typically engages in direct contact with elected officials.

Maurice Aguirre: "Cooling Off": Refers to the lobbying restrictions in place after a Member or staffer leaves the Hill and joins the private sector. House Members must wait a year to lobby Congress and Senators must wait two years, while staff have different restrictions imposed on them. Executive branch employees must certify, per President Obama's January 2009 executive order, that they will not lobby the Obama Administration after leaving government.

In-House lobbyist: This person is employed by an organization to lobby on behalf of its own interests. Examples of organizations that would employ in-house lobbyists: AARP, National Rifle Association, U.S. Telecom Association.

Maurice Aguirre: LD-1: A form used by lobbying firms to register clients and by organizations employing in-house lobbyists to register themselves. The Lobbying Disclosure Act requires this to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate within 45 days of either the hiring date of a lobbyist to make a lobbying contact or when a lobbyist makes a second lobbying contact. Forms are available at the Senate Office of Public Records.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Lobbying 101: Evolution

Lobbying 101: Evolution

For many people, the term lobbying conjures up images of back rooms not to mention cigar smoke, back slaps and bags of money. Maurice Aguirre: These types of images are not at all true. Throwing your ballot in the voting booth may be by far the most central of democratic actions, but talking to your chosen official - lobbying - is the imperative next move.

Preservationists, like every other group of folks joined in mutual cause, have the authority and also the burden to let current members of Congress consider that the regulations they ordain has implications, good and bad.
In the end, who knows better than we how rehabilitation tax credits can rebuild our down-town? Who better to explain the full reach of the funds into plans and ...

Lobbying for Preservation (or Lobbying 101) developed to acquaint you with the lobbying applications, and sources available to aid in advocacy. While it concentrates on the federal level, its information plus recommendations can also be applied to state and local advocacy.

Maurice Aguirre: Remember:
Lobbying is nothing but simply being a strong voice for you in your community, a role preservationists play every day through every action undertaken...

Essentially the most fundamental part of lobbying is certainly putting together confident long-range, working relationships with your legislators, setting the groundwork for taking specific action when the need or the opportunity happens.

Wide range of lobbying pertaining situations:

Constituent Event: An exception to the gift rule. Congressional members or staff may attend this type of event for free as long as there are more than 5 constituents also attending and any meal provided to a Congressional guest is less than $50. Lobbyists are not permitted to attend these events.

Maurice Aguirre: Lobbyist: Person who advocates on behalf of himself or a client to pass a law or to make changes to a bill being considered in a federal or state legislative body, or to help shape policy in the executive branch and its regulatory departments. Lobbyists can come from either the private sector or from a legislative affairs department in a federal agency. There are two types of lobbyists: grassroots and professional. The House and Senate includes in its "Guide to the Lobbying Disclosure Act" a definition of a lobbyist as: "any individual (1) who is either employed or retained by a client for financial or other compensation; (2) whose services include more than one lobbying contact; and (3) whose lobbying activities constitute 20 percent or more of his or her services during a three-month period." If this is the case, then this person must register as a lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

Industry Trade Advisory Committee: ITACs, a type of federal advisory committee, were created by Congress in 1974 as "a unique public-private partnership jointly managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of United States Trade Representative that engages business leaders in formulating U.S. trade policy." ITACs made news in 2009, when in September, the Obama Administration banned the appointment of federally-registered lobbyists to the committees.