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Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street. | | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | With Daniel Lippman ROBERTS TO JOIN CAPITOL COUNSEL: Former Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts is joining Capitol Counsel as a partner, making the longtime Ag Committee chair the latest former pol to go through the revolving door since leaving Congress last month. Roberts, who was first elected to the House in 1981 before winning election to the Senate in 1997, is the longest-serving member of Congress from Kansas. Roberts helped shepherd multiple farm bills through Congress, most recently in 2018, and also served on the Finance, HELP, Ethics and Rules committees. — The Kansas Republican is barred by Senate rules from lobbying his former colleagues for two years but will likely register at some point. He also hasn’t ruled out lobbying for foreign governments once his ban lifts, but per John Raffaelli, a partner at Capitol Counsel, he would be “very selective” about which foreign clients he represents “should the situation arise in the future.” — Roberts “embodies the no-nonsense, authentic approach that made him a respected statesman,” Shannon Finley, another partner, said in a statement, adding that the former senator’s “unmatched experience offers our clients best-in-class strategic advice, and we are honored to have him join our team.” — The senator is the fifth in this year's outgoing class of lawmakers who either retired or were defeated to join K Street, joining four former members of the House: Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Pete Olson (R-Texas), Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.). And he joins Capitol Counsel during a period of expansion for the firm, which over the past several months has added four new partners. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send tips and other K Street gossip: coprysko@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. CONSUMER BRANDS ASSOCIATION UNVEILS ITS GROWING MEMBER LIST: The Consumer Brands Association is declaring success one year after rolling out its rebrand from the Grocery Manufacturers Association . The trade association announced 18 new members to its roster, which the organization says amounts to a 30 percent membership bump in less than a year. It’s a confirmation, said Geoff Freeman, CBA’s president and chief executive, that the lobby’s pivot toward the consumer packaged goods industry rather than just food has paid off in spite of an economy-crippling pandemic. — The group’s new members include the parent company of Argo Cornstarch; ButcherBox; the parent company behind Arm & Hammer and OxiClean; Campbell Soup Co.; Ferrara; The Honest Co.; Hostess Brands; the parent company of Alba Botanica; Lamb Weston Holdings; Milo’s Tea Co.; Molson Coors; Nissin Foods; Recess; Ripple Foods; Sargento Foods; Schwan’s Co.; Tillamook; and Utz. — At least one of the new members, Campbell Soup, was among a handful of major brands that left the group prior to its rebrand last year, amid disagreements over issues such as salt, sugar and genetically modified food. But in an interview, Freeman, who joined the association in 2018 amid the turmoil, rejected the characterization of Campbell’s reappearance as a return. “I see it as the book was closed on our predecessor organization,” he said. “It wasn't just the name change. The agenda changed, the mission changed, the priorities changed, how we tackle those issues, and how we represent the industry changed. There is nothing today that represents our predecessor organization.” — Freeman credited the pandemic in part with providing a unifying force in the revamp’s early days, noting that it shined a spotlight on the value of the association and put many of the employees its members represent on the front lines of the crisis and while placing a focus on supply chain issues. CBA has already met its revenue goals for this year, he said, in contrast to the dire financial straits it faced several years ago, allowing it to focus on priorities such as revamping the recycling process nationwide. | | | | NEW - “THE RECAST” NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. “Influence” is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge “business as usual.” Don’t miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | FAMILY MATTERS: With the recent news that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has been named as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Intellectual Property Subcommittee, the Motion Picture Association , where his daughter Alicia Leahy works as vice president of government affairs, has reiterated anew that she won’t lobby him or work on any issues that are before committees that he’s on, POLITICO's Daniel Lippman reports. The film industry is heavily interested in the workings of the subcommittee given that IP law acutely affects the movie business. Her LinkedIn profile does say she informs “Members of Congress and their staff on issues affecting the motion picture, television and streaming industry, primarily in areas such as trade, copyright and tax.” Leahy could lobby the House on copyright issues but avoids doing so in the Senate. — “Like other Motion Picture Association advocates, Ms. Leahy complies with all applicable laws and regulations,” an MPA spokesperson said in a statement. “Moreover, Ms. Leahy does not lobby Sen. Leahy, his personal office staff, or on any issues before committees on which Sen. Leahy serves.” A spokesperson for the senator noted that Leahy has been a member of the subcommittee for years with his daughter operating under the same rules. ‘CHANGE IS COMING’: “House lawmakers kicked off an effort to tackle dominant technology companies, vowing a revamp of competition laws to curb their power,” Bloomberg’s David McLaughlin and Rebecca Kern report. “The House antitrust panel, led by Representative David Cicilline , heard from antitrust experts Thursday about potential proposals aimed at fostering competition in digital markets, ranging from company breakups to new regulations to prevent tech giants from flexing their muscles.” — “‘Mark my words, change is coming, laws are coming. Every day, policymakers around the world are undertaking a similar process,’” Cicilline said in today’s hearing, pointing out that the notion that big tech companies could stand to have their power curbed has bipartisan support. “Republican Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, the ranking member of the antitrust panel, said tech companies ‘are able to act with complete impunity because of their status as monopolies.’ He said he backed merger restrictions, saying tech companies have been able to solidify their dominance by acquiring other companies” and endorsed “a scalpel-like approach to big tech.” DOMINION LOOKING TO GET BACK IN RED STATES’ GOOD GRACES: “ Dominion Voting Systems, the election technology supplier that former President Donald Trump and his allies have falsely accused of facilitating mass voter fraud, has taken out an advertisement on a conservative Louisiana radio program as it competes for a state voting machines contract,” POLITICO’s Quint Forgey reports. The ad “features a twangy musical backing track and a deep-voiced, Southern-accented narrator defending Dominion’s services, which it states have ‘supported Louisiana elections honorably for more than 20 years.’” — Playbook reported this morning that the spot was voiced by none other than Hamilton Place Strategies’ Michael Steel, “known to many from his days working for John Boehner, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush. What wasn’t so familiar was the Cajun twang. Steel’s firm … decided to use their own talent rather than hiring a voice actor from the Pelican State. When asked about his theatrical debut, Steel, a North Carolina native, said he was appropriately cast for the part because he was from the South.” SPOTTED at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s annual fundraising dinner for the DSCC two nights ago, according to a PI tipster: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), DSCC Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Brownstein’s Norm Brownstein, Mark Begich, Mark Pryor, Al Mottur, David Reid, LaKeitha Anderson, Rich Benenson, Greg Berger, Katelynn Bradley, Mimi Burke, Nadeam Elshami, Craig Hemenway, Reese Goldsmith, Allen Grunes, Laura Johnson, Rob Kaufmann, Mike King, Drew Littman, Brian McKeon, Zach Pfister, Michael Pryor, Mike Stratton, Russ Sullivan, Carmencita Whonder and Bella Wolitz. | | | — Julio Lainez will be a vice president at NVG. He is currently deputy director of legislative affairs for the Transport Workers Union of America. — Redwire has hired Suzanne Gillen as its first in-house vice president of government relations and business development. Gillen was most recently associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at NASA and is a John Thune (R-S.D.) alum. Redwire also added Spence Wise as vice president of national security space business development. He was previously at L3Harris Corporation. — Autonomous trucking platform Locomation has hired James Murphy as vice president of government affairs. He previously founded the consulting firm Daybreak Strategies and is a former in-house lobbyist for Motorola. — Kristina Baum, previously communications director for the Trump White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, starts today as a vice president at Qorvis Communications, Morning Energy reports. | | | None. | | | The Blue South PAC (Hybrid PAC)
Fight for Florida's Future PAC (PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Calfee Strategic Solutions: Invacare Corporation
Freedom For All Americans: Freedom For All Americans
Girard Government Relations: Tel US Holdings
Klein/Johnson Group: Intel Corporation
Larry Puccio, LLC: Yes. Every Kid., Inc.
Liberty Partners Group, LLC: American Vascular Associates (USpa-United Specialists For Patient Access)
Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, Inc.: Yes Every Kid, Inc.
Ms. Tami Wahl: Association Of Cannabis Specialists
Peter Damon Group LLC: Tribal Solutions Medical LLC
Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC: Central Arizona Irrigation & Drainage District
Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC: Town Of Gilbert, Arizona
Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC: Western Fairs Association
Schaerr Jaffe LLP: Protect The 1st, Inc.
Schagrin Associates: Suniva, Inc.
Ten Government Strategies, LLC: Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Ten Government Strategies, LLC: National Recoveries, Inc.
Ten Government Strategies, LLC: South Hills School Of Business & Technology
The Edw Group: The P3 Group, Inc
The Raben Group: Southern Poverty Law Center | | New Lobbying Terminations | | None. | | | | Designed specifically for regulatory affairs professionals - AgencyIQ FDA Forecast 2021: In its inaugural year, AgencyIQ's FDA Forecast predicts the FDA regulatory changes that will take place in 2021 and what they will mean for the life sciences industry. Read more about the report and download the summary here. | | | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
