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Tension Created Between Jamaica And U.S. Amidst Lobbying Dispute

John Foreman — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:31:14 +0000

Dann Eggen of the Washington Post investigates why a $400,000 contract with a U.S. Based firm, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, to lobby extradition matters on behalf of the government of Jamaica, with White House and other administration officials, has fallen apart in controversy.

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Disagreements Between Ethanol Lobby Groups May Hurt Corn Industry

John Foreman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:34:14 +0000

The Hill’s, Jim Snyder, reports on potential damage being done to corn industry by rival Ethanol lobbying groups the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy. It is feared that the rift could erode political support for the corn industry on Capitol Hill.

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State and Local Governments Look For An Edge Through Lobbying

John Foreman — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:28:46 +0000

Richard Simon form the Los Angeles Times looks at how local and state governments are “lobbying up” in an effort to land federal funds to help with budgets that have been decimated in the current economic downturn. According to the watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics, state and local governments spent over $41 million in the first half of 2009 on lobbying firms. This represents more than they spent in all of 2001.

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Medical-Device Makers Lobby Against Proposed Fees

John Foreman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:24:58 +0000

Politico reports on a Senate Finance Committee bill put forth by Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) which calls for $4 billion in proposed annual fees from the medical-device industry. Device industry trade group AdvaMed is organizing makers of devices from bandages to Surgical staplers to fight the legislation.

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Proponents of Nashville Downtown Convention Center Hire Lobbying Help

John Foreman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:24:21 +0000

Michael Cass of The Tennessean reports on political muscle engaged to assist a proposed, new downtown convention center.

“Music City Center Coalition, a private advocacy group that was formed in 2006 to back a new downtown convention center, and Gaylord Entertainment Co., which owns the Opryland convention center in Donelson, have engaged well-connected lobbyists to defend their turf.”

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DLA Piper Helps Captain Morgan’s Rum Find A New Home

John Foreman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:44:56 +0000

Los Angeles Times reporters Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten profile how the giant British liquor producer of Captain Morgan’s rum, Diageo in London, will receive tax credits and other benefits to move production to the Virgin Islands from Puerto Rico. Washington lawyer John Merrigan, of the firm DLA Piper, helped Diageo negotiate the Virgin Islands agreement. Mr. Merrigan points out that government inducements are often provided to attract a new employer to a location needing economic development, citing similar arrangements made by both Tennessee and South Carolina to woo foreign automakers in selecting their states to locate new production plants.

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Top 25 K Street Lobbying Firms – 2009 First Half

John Foreman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:33:02 +0000

Podesta Group, the lobbying firm founded by Democrat Tony Podesta, showed the biggest percentage gain in lobbying fees among the top 25 firms on K Street during the first half of 2009.

	Firm	1st Half Fees 2009	Percent change from 2008
1.	Patton Boggs	$20.5 million	-10.2%
2.	Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld	$16.0 million	-10.1%
3.	Van Scoyoc Associates	$13.1 million	-.01%
4.	Podesta Group	$11.8 million	+63%
5.	Holland & Knight	$10.3 million	+40%
6.	Cassidy & Associates	$9.99 million	-15%
7.	Dutko Worldwide	$9.97 million	-3%
8.	K & L Gates	$9.45 milion	+19%
9.	Brownstein Hyatt & Farber	$9.22 million	+33%
10.	Hogan & Hartson	$8.92 million	-13.3%
11.	Ogilvy Government Relations	$8.81 million	-2%
12.	Williams & Jensen	$8.26 million	flat
13.	BGR Holding	$8.13 million	-17%
14.	Quinn Gillespie & Associates	6.73 million	-8%
15.	Washington Council Ernst & Young	6.55 million	+17%
16.	Cornerstone Government Affairs	6.07 million	+8%
17.	Ferguson Group	5.86 million	+6%
18.	Capitol Tax Partners	5.48 million	-2%
19.	Carmen Group	5.43 million	-1%
20.	Venable	5.42 million	+22%
21.	Alcalde & Fay	5.38 million	flat
22.	DLA Piper	5.37 million	-20%
23.	McBee Strategic Consulting	5.34 million	+14%
24.	The Breaux Lott Leadership Group	5.12 million	+53%
25.	Covington & Burling	5.10 million	-6%

Fair and Balanced? Not with DC Lobbyists

John Foreman — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:14:14 +0000

New study by the American Political Science Association finds:

“The thousands of professional lobbyists working in Washington, DC on issues tend to be professional partisans who mobilize resources for one preferred political party exclusively. So finds a new study which counters the common expectation that lobbyists play both sides of the political field regardless of which party is in the ascendancy.”