In an effort to thwart terrorist attacks against Israel, 17 Jewish groups put a full page ad in the New York Times today calling for the end of America's reliance on foreign oil.

"By making energy security policy and climate change national priorities," the ad reads, "we can stop Iran from earning up to $100 million a day every day for the next for the next 40 years."

At the heart of this effort is an attempt by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), who organized the ad-buy, to "mobilize the American Jewish community to support comprehensive energy security efforts by stressing the pro-Israel benefits of such policy," according to a press release.

The ad is accompanied by a website, dontfundterror.org, that leads visitors to a petition asking senators to support energy security policy and climate change. "The power of oil is a yoke around our neck," Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of JCPA, said. "We need to be free of it."

The lobbying blitz comes at a time when energy legislation has stalled in the hill in the wake of the decision by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. to abandon talks as a means of pushing back against immigration reform efforts this year. However, the JCPA decision to get involved in the energy debate preceded Graham's move: "We want to bring the subject of energy independence way into the forefront [of policy discussions]," Gutow said.

In the coming weeks, JCPA and member groups will be gathering petitions across the country to deliver to members of Congress.

This week's advocacy and lobbying stories on National Journal: (subscription)

"Q & A: Quigley On Lobbyists And Transparency: " The occupant of a historically corrupt House seat takes on ethics legislation.

"FCC's Broadband Bummer:" The agency could counter a recent court setback by reclassifying broadband as a "heavily regulated" service.

"On The Move:" John Hardy Jr. is the new president of the Coalition for Employment Through Exports, the trade association for the nation's exporters; Josie Martin has joined Ketchum's Washington office as senior vice president in the public-affairs practice and director of business development; Government-relations firm Simon & Co., which specializes in health and human services consulting, has hired Karen Late as director.

"Inside Washington:" When Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., announced about a week ago that he would co-sponsor a bill introduced Thursday by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., that will impose strong transparency rules on corporate funding of campaign ads run by groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he caught the business behemoth off guard. Bill Miller, the group's political director, says that the chamber informed Castle of its "disappointment" with his decision (including a call from the group's chief, Tom Donohue) but went ahead with an already planned fundraiser for the would-be senator from Delaware on April 28 that was "well attended" ...; And the golf industry works to burnish its image on Capitol Hill.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• Reps. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Paul Hodes, D-N.H., "submitted a letter Thursday to the Office of Congressional Ethics, asking the investigative body to release documents collected during its probe of the now-defunct lobbying firm PMA Group," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

More than 30 retired military generals and admirals are in Washington this week pushing Congress and the administration to pass the Senate trio's "American Power Act," despite the fact that the bill has not yet been introduced.

Jonathan Powers, COO of the Truman National Security Project, said at a press conference this morning that the national security challenges posed by inaction on climate legislation -- including U.S. dependence on foreign oil and global instability caused by climate change -- will help restart the stalled negotiations.

"We believe that will be one of the driving factors that continues to get this moving," Powers said.

He dismissed the notion that the current stalemate caused by Sen. Lindsey Graham's frustration over immigration will doom the bill, arguing that the South Carolina Republican "gets" the national security threats of inaction on climate policy. Indeed, Graham has continually cited the country's dependence on Middle Eastern oil as grounds to pass the bill that he and Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., have crafted.

The Truman National Security Project's Operation Free, a veterans' coalition launched last summer, held meetings with Kerry earlier this week and is meeting with White House energy and climate adviser Carol Browner today. That meeting will also include staff from the National Security Council, Operation Free spokesman David Solimini said. The group plans to meet with several senators as well, including Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and George LeMieux, R-Fla. -- but not with Graham, Solimini said. The group is also sending a letter to Senate leadership urging them to act on climate legislation.

Powers said the only major requirement the veterans have for a bill is a "strong cap on carbon," which the trio's bill was expected to have in some form or another. As for other climate legislation, like the bill sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, which also has a price on greenhouse gas emissions, Powers was noncommittal. "Cantwell-Collins could be another option down the road," Powers said. "We should drive the American Power Act first."

(cross posted from Energy blog)

Carl Forti has been tapped to be political director of American Crossroads, the fledgling 527 that is expected to pour tens of millions of dollars into ad and get-out-the-vote drives for GOP incumbents and challengers in key congressional races year. Forti is a veteran political operative and ex-communications director at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Forti's arrival is good news in the eyes of Steven Law, the president of the new group, who says the GOP vet will "oversee our political program and our independent expenditures involving advertising and direct voter contact through mail and phones."

In 2008, Forti did a stint as national political director for the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and then spent a few months running Freedom's Watch, a conservative political group that spent millions on ads in the last election and was largely bankrolled by Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., "introduced a K Street reform bill Wednesday that would place a lifetime ban on Members of Congress from entering the influence business," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is lobbying hard to kill a provision in financial industry overhaul legislation requiring big banks to sell off their derivatives-trading businesses, and rival banks are welcoming the help, shrugging off attacks on the firm by lawmakers and securities regulators," the Wall Street Journal reports.

• "While the Obama administration's embrace of nuclear energy has angered some environmental groups, it has won solid support from the labor movement," The Hill reports.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., "said Tuesday he will ask the Office of Congressional Ethics to disclose more than 200,000 documents from its investigation of the PMA Group, a day after the House ethics committee publicly rebuked his efforts to expose the details of its probe into the now-defunct lobbying firm," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "EADS may not have a U.S. partner in the Air Force tanker competition, but the European conglomerate has plenty of big political guns at the ready as they go head-to-head with rival Boeing Co. for a contract potentially worth $40 billion," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.

• "A collection of retailers is lobbying to get its signature priority, a credit card interchange fee measure, added to the Wall Street reform bill," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

Three foundations are teaming up to try to get Americans talking about the nation's looming budget woes.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation are pumping $4.2 million into AmericaSpeaks, a nonprofit that has pledged to get "thousands" of Americans to show up at 20 forums across the country in June to discuss the tough budget choices facing Uncle Sam as trillion dollar annual deficits become the norm, not the exception.

The announcement of the effort comes on the same day that President Obama's bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform--charged with tackling the problem--held its first meeting. Liberal groups are wary of the effort, arguing that Peterson in particular has it out for Medicare and Social Security. Campaign for America's Future and other liberal groups promised today to fight attempts to target those programs rather than other ways to deal with the federal debt such as tax rates for the wealthy.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Passage of hard-line immigration legislation in Arizona makes it imperative for Congress to adopt comprehensive immigration reform before November's elections, a group of advocates said" Monday, CongressDailyPM (subscription) reports.

• "House ethics leaders Monday publicly rejected Rep. Jeff Flake's (R-Ariz.) ongoing attempts to force their committee to release details of its investigation into Members' interactions with the now-defunct PMA Group lobbying firm," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which for years saw no need to play a traditional Washington lobbying game, is deploying former lawmakers and crisis specialists as it tries to tamp down the political firestorm threatening its well-honed brand," Bloomberg News reports.

• "Major business trade groups urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to think twice before continuing its pursuit of net neutrality," The Hill reports. "In filings with the FCC on the open Internet proceeding, which are due Monday, the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said the FCC should resist the urge to interfere with broadband until they have thoroughly examined all of the ramifications."

Ben Barnes, Tony Podesta, Brian Wolff, Vincent Roberti Sr. and Frederick "Tripp" Baird III are the top five lobbyist bundlers so far this election cycle, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosure data conducted by the Center for Public Integrity.

Barnes, former Texas Speaker of the House, bundled $641,950 in donations for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, bundled $394,800 for Democratic campaigns, the DCCC and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; Wolff, vice president of external affairs for the Edison Electric Institute, bundled $252,100 for the DCCC; Roberti, a founding principal at Navigators Global, bundled $221,400 for the DCCC, DSCC and for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N,Y. and Baird bundled $210,300 for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other GOP candidates.

Christopher Ornelas is joining the National Association of Broadcasters as executive vice president and chief strategy officer. Ornelas, who will join the NAB on May 10, will report to NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith.

Most recently, Ornelas worked at the law and lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck where he focused on telecommunications and technology policy. In this role, he advocated on behalf of wireline, cable, wireless and satellite operators before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Congress.

Prior to Brownstein Hyatt Ornelas was chief counsel on communications and technology policy in Smith's U.S. Senate office, overseeing all matters relating to communications, media, entertainment and technology before the Senate Commerce Committee. He also spent a decade in the Washington offices of law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "America's largest labor unions are withholding their support for now of legislation that would restrict corporate spending on political campaigns," The Hill reports. "Officials with both the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) said their unions have not decided yet on whether or not to support the legislative response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the Citizens United case."

• "With the legislative year truncated by the health care debate and midterm elections, lobbyists say sweeping updates to the federal tax code are on hold while they fight for smaller tweaks that must reach President Obama's desk by Jan. 1," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "The food industry and major business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are threatening to withdraw support for a long-pending bill to improve food safety, saying they are upset by a proposed amendment that would ban bisphenol-A, a controversial chemical, from food and beverage containers," the Washington Post reports.

• "The nation's auto dealers head to the U.S. Senate" today "to play man-to-man defense to stop a bill that would for the first time put their lending business under a single federal watchdog," the Detroit Free Press reports. "Even though the plan has the support of the Obama administration and key Democrats, past showdowns suggest it's never wise to bet against car dealers."

• Roll Call (subscription) reports on the lobbyists Comcast has hired to help with its merger with NBC.

This week's advocacy and lobbying stories of note in National Journal: (subscription)

"Health Care: Winning The Perception Game:" Attitudes toward the new health care reform law will be shaped by what happens in the first few months of implementation.

"U.S. Chamber Plays Offense - Again:" The business lobby group is central in the financial services reform fight.

"Military Fiber Fracas:" Austrian-made rayon for Army uniforms is at the heart of a 'Buy American' fight.

"A Restless Reformer At The SEIU:" Under outgoing president Andy Stern, the union's membership has more than doubled.

"Inside Washington:" And the dishonor roll, please. The government reform group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a report this week denouncing 11 governors as the nation's worst: elected officials "who champion their personal interests over their states." Nine Republicans and two Democrats made the list.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Anti-abortion groups are poised to launch a multimillion-dollar offensive against a collection of former allies -- House Democrats who also oppose abortion -- in an effort to discredit their credibility with anti-abortion voters and oust them from office," Politico reports.

• "Democrats plan to introduce legislation next week that would sharply limit the ability of foreign-connected companies to participate in U.S. politics and require greater transparency from corporations, unions and nonprofit groups that pay for political advertising, according to a confidential summary of the bill," the Washington Post reports.

A high-powered political briefing yesterday at Karl Rove's Northwest D.C. home (which doubles as his office) was attended by about two dozen big name Republican consultants, fundraisers and operatives. They're fast ramping up three separate groups that intend to spend tens of millions each on ads and get out the vote drives to help scores of GOP Senate and House members in the mid-term elections.

The electoral outlook on key races was sketched out by Rove and former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie, both of whom have already raised millions for a new "527" group called American Crossroads. The luncheon briefing drew such key players as former Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Fred Malek, respectively, the chief executive and the chairman of the American Action Network, a new 501 (c3) and (c4) which plans to do direct advocacy ads this year for candidates and is trying to raise $25 million. Also in attendance was Bill Miller, the political director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which expects to attract $50 million for its issue ad drives this year; and Steven Law, the newly installed president of American Crossroads which hopes to raise $60 million for its political efforts (and has pledges for almost $30 million so far). Law was the chamber's general counsel until a few weeks ago.

The meeting also featured a legal briefing for the three groups about the dos -- and don'ts -- of coordination and the rules for mounting direct advocacy campaigns in light of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and other recent court cases. In general, these outside groups can share certain kinds of information about races to maximize their resources and clout, but can't coordinate with any of the GOP party committees or individual campaigns. In a small sign of solidarity (and efficiency), two of the groups--American Crossroads and American Action Network--have this month moved into adjacent offices at 1401 New York Ave. N.W.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "As Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd," D-Conn., "and ranking member Richard Shelby," R-Ala., "attempt to close a deal to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, lobbying groups are facing the likelihood that they will have to make their case through amendments on the Senate floor," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.

• "Despite passage of sweeping health-care legislation and an epic fight over Wall Street regulation, lobbying expenditures dropped for many major firms and trade organizations during the first quarter of 2009, according to disclosure forms filed in Congress this week," the Washington Post reports.

• "Anti-abortion groups are poised to launch a multimillion-dollar offensive against a collection of former allies -- House Democrats who also oppose abortion -- in an effort to discredit their credibility with anti-abortion voters and oust them from office," Politico reports.

• "Environmentalists are using the 40th annual Earth Day today to step up the pressure for sweeping climate change legislation, but industry stakeholders representing coal, gas and Big Oil plan to be largely silent," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• Lobbying firms "were required to release first-quarter revenues on Tuesday, and some reported record earnings over the past three months as Congress considered major healthcare, energy and financial reforms," The Hill reports.

• "As Senate Democrats target the biggest banks with sweeping financial regulatory reforms, Wall Street is attempting a bank-shot attack, relying on third-party lobbyists not blamed for causing the economic crisis to make its case to Congress," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Even as it waged major battles on health care and financial reform, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday reported a dramatic drop in lobbying expenditures for the first three months of this year compared with the last two quarters of 2009," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

The City of Angels' top lobbyist, Jim Seeley, is retiring after 34 years on the job.

The Los Angeles native started in Washington as a staffer to Minnesota Rep. Walter Judd, then joined the Department of Commerce. He moved on work in the DC office of the state of Illinois. He became the chief federal legislative representative for LA in 1976.

Seeley served under four LA mayors beginning with Tom Bradley, then Richard Riordan, James Hahn and finally, Antonio Villaraigosa.

His friends and colleagues are feting him tonight at the Democratic Club.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has scooped up a counsel to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Arshi Siddiqui will join the firm in its policy practice. Siddiqui joined Pelosi's staff in 2003. She has worked on health reform, the stimulus package, and financial regulatory reform.

Before joining Pelosi's office, Siddiqui worked in private practice in Washington. She started on Capitol as an aide to former Rep. Eva Clayton, D-NC, and Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of California at Davis in and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "With so much money at stake, it is not surprising that more than 1,500 lobbyists, executives, bankers and others have made their way to the Senate committee that on Wednesday will take up legislation to rein in derivatives," the New York Times reports.

• "EADS is planning to announce as early as today that it will submit a solo bid for a lucrative Air Force contract for aerial refueling tankers," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports, citing Reuters.

• "House Republicans, seeing scores of seats within their grasp, are turning up the fundraising heat on corporations and trade associations, groups they hope will push their party over the finish line on Election Day," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Gun-control proponents, outspent and outmaneuvered on Capitol Hill, are pushing back this week using the anniversaries of two high-profile tragedies to make the case for legislation that would close gun show loopholes," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Some gun owners, saying that the National Rifle Association isn't battling hard enough for their rights, are taking the fight into their own hands," the Wall Street Journal reports.

Having spent the last year warring over climate legislation, environmental and industry lobbyists are now facing off over an even higher-stakes trophy: the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency's right to enforce it.

Caught in the middle are the three senators who are gearing up to unveil climate legislation soon. Rumor has it that the bill being written by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., may include curbs on the EPA's authority to regulate carbon emissions.

That's fired up environmentalists and their allies, which now include such diverse players as human rights, labor, alternative energy and veterans' advocates with climate, economic and national security concerns. Senators drafting the bill have set out to win over oil and gas industry heavyweights, environmental activists argue, but they risk alienating progressive lawmakers who may not vote for a bill that targets the EPA.

"We're certainly concerned about the direction things are going," said Alex Posorske, field and communications manager for 1Sky, a nonprofit coalition that endorses greenhouse gas reductions. Coalition organizers have launched a series of local protests around the country in front of the offices of two dozen House members and senators, urging them to defend the EPA.

Continue reading Battle Over The EPA

The National Organization for Marriage, a major player in the fight over same-sex marriage, has promoted Brian Brown as its new president. Brown had previously been the group's executive director.

The National Organization for Marriage was formed in 2007 and is one of the most effective of all interest groups defending traditional-one man, one woman- marriage.

Brown takes over for Maggie Gallagher, who will remain on the executive committee of NOM's board and will continue to work on cultural and strategic projects. Gallagher has been a visible opponent of gay marriage. But she's also been a newer kind of social conservative, using tolerant and accepting language and avoiding controversial anti-gay rhetoric often associated with old school culture warriors like Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell. 

Before coming to NOM, Brown was executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "FedEx Corp. and the Teamsters union are battling over whether wide-ranging aviation legislation will contain provisions to make it easier for unions to organize airline employees and harder for carriers to cut costs by allying with rivals or outsourcing maintenance," the Wall Street Journal (subscription) reports.

• "Lithium batteries that power a host of electronic devices from laptops to pacemakers and mobile phones have become the focus of a fierce debate over how strictly the federal government should regulate their delivery by air," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "With Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) expected to introduce financial regulatory reform legislation this week, AARP is launching a 12-state television advertising campaign today pushing for enactment of the bill," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

When it comes to retaining prominent Washington image makers and legal talent, embattled mining giant Massey Energy has a reputation as a firm that doesn't spare expenses. For the last year, Massey has been using Qorvis Communications for public affairs advice on issues such as climate change legislation which its been fighting, and some advertising help focused on its image in West Virginia. But since the disaster at its Upper Big Branch mine that killed 29 earlier this month, Qorvis has swung into crisis communications mode.

"We're providing strategic counsel regarding the mine tragedy," says Qorvis partner Don Goldberg who recently joined his firm's team to manage the press inquiries and the coal company's message.

Goldberg adds that earlier this year, Qorvis helped set up a debate in West Virginia where Massey's aggressive CEO Don Blankenship squared off against environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr. on a wide range of topics. In recent years, Massey has also turned to some pricey defense lawyers working on different litigation matters including Bob Luskin of Patton Boggs.

Advocacy and lobbying stories from this week's National Journal: (subscription)

"Party Allies Raising Millions:" Partisan groups are testing the new advertising rules created by Citizens United.

"Strange Bedfellows Take On Deforestation:" Corn growers, utilities, and environmentalists find a mutual interest in rain forests.

"Carbon Fee Free-For-All:" The Senate will soon consider carbon taxes on motor fuel. Transportation interests want a piece of the action.

"Inside Washington:" A look at Solicitor General Elena Kagan as potential Supreme Court nominee; Moveon.org helps out Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., fundraising activities by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., National Association of Manufacturers John Engler buys a new house in Michigan, Andrew Breitbart argues there is no proof of racism by "Tea Party" activists; and American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard talks about his life outside of work.

"On The Move:" Applied Materials, a Silicon Valley nanomanufacturer, has tapped Mike Dabbs as its director of government affairs; Linda Rozett is joining the American Petroleum Institute as vice president of communications.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., took a bow Thursday, responding to an annual report on congressional earmarks which found the number of pork projects declined in fiscal year 2009.

"Today the conservative group Citizens Against Government Waste reported on the earmark reforms undertaken by Congress since the Democrats won the majority in 2006," said Hoyer in a statement. "The report was highly positive, noting a 15.5 percent decrease in the cost of earmarks from fiscal year 2009, progress that the group credits to 'greater transparency' and 'reforms that were adopted since Democrats took over Congress in 2006.'"

CAGW President Tom Schatz agreed, with some qualifications.

"Credit for reducing earmarks goes far beyond the Democratic leadership," Schatz said. "Lots of pressure has come from taxpayers and the Tea Party. However the majority leader is correct that Republicans did not do enough and their moratorium, while stricter than [Democratic efforts], is something we think they should have done years ago before they lost their majority."

Hill staffers, lawmakers, restaurateurs and politicos alike enjoyed gourmet cuisine and cocktails at Acadiana last night for the National Restaurant Association's congressional reception celebrating DC restaurant stars. The event capped off the first day of the NRA's 24th annual public affairs conference that concludes this Friday.

Featured guests included Claude Andersen of Clyde's, Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong of Restaurant Eve, and Top-Chef contestants Carla Hall and Mike Isabella, among others. Guests dined on shrimp, oysters, steak sandwiches and a bevy of hors d'oeuvres in the crowded, dimly lit southern restaurant.

Representative Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., socialized with guests alongside his fiancée, Giulia, who works at the GAO. McHenry told National Journal that tax issues are a top concern for the NRA.

Montana's singular voice in the House, Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-MT, also in attendance, said the restaurant industry is in his blood. His father was a restaurateur and a 'short-order'cook. According to Rehberg, the top concern of the NRA is the cost of doing business. The Montanan expressed concerned that the new healthcare bill will pass too much of the cost on to the restaurant industry.

Bob Westbrook shares his concern. Starting this July, Westbrook will become president of the Texas chapter of the NRA. Owner of three franchises of CiCi's pizza, Westbrook said his primary legislative issue is healthcare followed by card check--a measure that would make it easier for workers to form unions--and menu labeling. The restaurant industry wants consistency about any legislation concerning menu labeling, Westbook said. The Lone Star state native named BlackSalt as one of his favorite DC restaurants.

Hotline editor John Mercurio and former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. spoke to the NRA early Wednesday evening. Today Sens. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., are on the conference agenda and tomorrow the restaurateurs will hear from Mike Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the FDA and Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce.

Founded in 1919, the NRA membership includes 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of close to 13 million employees. In 2009, they spent nearly $3 million in federal lobbying.

American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard took another high-profile step to recast the association Wednesday, hiring media consultant and TV veteran Linda Rozett as the group's new vice president of communications.

After a television career that included a stint as producer at Good Morning America, Rozett handled communications for Fred Thompson's short-lived presidential campaign and was the top communications executive at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce before starting her own firm.

She knows the energy field, having also worked at The Edison Electric Institute and the Natural Gas Supply Association. Rozett is the second high-profile hire at API since Gerard set out to remake the association with a 15 percent staff reduction last December. In February, the group hired Deryck Spooner away from the Nature Conservancy in to head a grass-roots activism arm.

Brad Ipema has joined the Financial Services Roundtable as senior counsel for legal and regulatory affairs.

Ipema joins the organization having served as senior consultant for the Regulatory Fundamentals Group in New York City and after building his own law practice specializing in financial services and technology. Ipema earlier served as a deputy general counsel and senior vice president for USAA in San Antonio, TX, and as senior vice president and assistant general counsel for Wachovia in Charlotte, NC.

Pamela Stegeman has signed up as vice president of business planning and development at the Food Marketing Institute.

She previously worked as president of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. Earlier in her career, she spent eight years at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which included work as vice president of supply chain and technology. Stegeman has also been vice president of marketing at the U.S. Office Products Company, and she's held positions with Sprint, Procter & Gamble, and Colgate-Palmolive. She earned her undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and an MBA from Cornell University.

An Arlington, Va.-based organization, FMI conducts food safety, research, and industry relations programs for food retailers and wholesalers. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, FMI's Political Action Committee has spent more than $122,000 this election cycle, with 52 percent going to Republicans and 48 percent going to Democrats. That's a change from the 2008 cycle, when of the roughly $406,000 the FMI PAC spent, 78 percent went to Republicans and 22 percent was directed to Democrats.

A trusted source of data and information on higher education, the College Board -- the developer of the SAT college admission test - announced the creation of an Advocacy and Policy Center today.

Increasing the number of American students who attain an advanced degree and developing solutions to education challenges will be the primary focus of the new Center. Founded in 1900, the College Board developed the common SAT, as well as the Advanced Placement Program, among other initiatives that help transition students to higher education.

"Now more than ever, practical, research-based solutions are needed to improve our education system and enable millions more students to graduate from college prepared for 21st-century success," Gaston Caperton, College Board president and former West Virginia Governor, said in a statement. "The College Board Advocacy & Policy Center is dedicated to helping fill that need."

Assisting underserved populations--low-income students, students of color and first-generation college students--will be a top priority for the new Center. William 'Brit' Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland, will serve as the Chair of this new arm of the College Board. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are providing some financial support.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Six Democratic lobbyists with deep ties to the Blue Dog Coalition, including" former Reps. Bud Cramer of Alabama and Charlie Stenholm of Texas, "unveiled Tuesday a new nonprofit called the Blue Dog Research Forum," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Broadband and Web service companies are beefing up their lobbying forces in Washington as the multibillion-dollar battle over Internet regulations gathers momentum," The Hill reports.

• "Well before Justice John Paul Stevens officially announced his retirement, staffers for the anti-abortion-rights group Americans United for Life were compiling dossiers on his prospective replacements," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "The retirement of Andy Stern, one of America's most powerful union leaders, will send ripples through the divided labor movement, setting the stage for new leaders and new directions for the nation's largest union and the movement as a whole," Politico reports.

• White House ethics adviser Norm Eisen is President Obama's nominee for ambassador to the Czech Republic, the Washington Post reports.

Ethan Rome will succeed Richard Kirsch as executive director of Health Care For America Now, a coalition of union, advocacy and grassroots organizations that supported congressional Democrats' efforts to pass health care reform legislation.

The group, which spent $47 million over the past two years to support reform, said it is now shifting to help support the implementation process of the bill and "to protect health reform legislation from political attacks by opponents in Washington and in state capitals." The organization said it also aims to educate people on the content of the bill as well as "join the debate over regulatory and legislative issues at the national and state levels to ensure that the new law delivers on its promise."

A spokesman said the organization is "still working out" the budget for HCAN's next phase.

Prior to HCAN, Rome directed public affairs for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Former Rep. Mike Oxley, R-Ohio, went on the defensive about the central component of his legacy in Congress last night at a dinner sponsored by the Council for Non-Profit Accountability where he touted the effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, a corporate accountability measure passed in the wake of the Enron scandal.

Oxley said he is perennially surprised to hear the law described as "controversial" considering it passed 423-to-3 in the House and with more than 90 votes in the Senate. Since it was signed, the law has drawn criticism for hitting companies with high compliance costs, for failing to prevent fraud, and for making companies less competitive, even landing on a list of the worst ideas of the decade in the Washington Post opinion pages.

Oxley refuted each argument against the bill that "gave me a new first name," and said the most recent financial downturn may have been worse if not for his legislation. He noted that it increased the strength of corporate boards and said it has been "a remarkable thing to follow how other countries have adopted" the standards in the act. In Oxley's view, the law helped "restore investor confidence" during a period of turmoil for Americans in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. He quoted investors as telling him that the law "helped them sleep better at night."

Oxley closed by raising this year's effort at financial regulatory reform, noting that even though congressional efforts have drawn loud criticism, "At the end of the day, politics is the art of the possible." It does not matter if an idea is sound, he said, if it cannot pass both chambers.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Andrew L. Stern, the most politically influential and controversial union official in the country, is preparing to resign his position as president of the Service Employees International Union, a union official and a senior Democratic official said Monday," the Washington Post reports.

• "The White House and leading Democrats in Congress are close to proposing legislation that would force private companies and groups to disclose their behind-the-scenes financial involvement in political campaigns and advertising, officials involved in the discussions said Monday," the New York Times reports.

• "Business giants General Electric, Toyota and dozens of others are on the verge of a major victory over President Obama's push to rein in their financial arms," The Hill reports.

• "According to a review of Federal Election Commission records, the nation's 10 richest hedge fund managers have dumped nearly $1 million into campaign accounts over the past several years -- with much of it going to senators who've given them a friendly reception on Capitol Hill," Politico reports.

• The Washington Post reports on the PR battle brewing among the administration, Wall Street and union leaders to shape financial regulatory reform on the Hill.

• Heath Care for America Now, the progressive coalition formed in the summer of 2008 to lay the groundwork for passing reform legislation, has decided not to pack up its tent and go home just yet," Politico reports. "With health reform now law, the group will join a long line of interest groups that hang around Washington after their original reason for forming has passed."

Jim Saxton, a former Republican Congressman from New Jersey, has signed on with Duane Morris Government Affairs. He's expected to work as a managing director in the firm's Washington and Cherry Hill, N.J. offices.

Saxton had previously been running his own independent firm. According to the watchdog Center for Responsive Politics, Saxton registered to lobby in 2009 for STARA Technologies, a defense-oriented engineering company.

Saxton was elected in 1984 and served until retiring in 2008. Saxton formerly chaired the Joint Economic Committee and served on the House Natural Resources Committees. He was also a high ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and was heavily involved in merging three military bases into one base in an effort to save jobs in New Jersey during the BRAC program negotiations.

He was considered a moderate and ranked as a centrist in National Journal's annual vote ratings. A 2005 study by the watchdog Public Citizen found that, going back to 1998, 43 percent of eligible former members of Congress have become lobbyists.

Saxton's old 3rd Congressional seat is still considered competitive. It's currently occupied by Democrat John Adler, another centrist who voted against the Obama health care bill recently signed into law.

Jason Brewer is now working as vice president of communications and advocacy for the Retail Industry Leaders Association. Brewer spent the past three years as senior media manager at the National Federation of Independent Business.

Before his time at NFIB, Brewer worked as a spokesperson for then- Michigan State Speaker of the House Craig DeRoche, a Republican. RILA represents more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "As Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) continue closed-door negotiations on financial regulatory reform, activists are ramping up their lobbying campaign against Wall Street," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "When Congress overhauled the nation's telecommunications law in 1996, it happened only after an eight-year knock-down, drag-out battle among powerful stakeholders, including the cable and phone companies," Roll Call (subscription) reports. "Today, another telecommunications lobbying slugfest looms with even more sharp-elbowed industry players, as lawmakers and federal agencies grapple with how to oversee the growing use of broadband technology."

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the nation's top association representing drug companies, made a logical selection in bringing in Chip Davis as a new senior operating officer.

Davis currently works as vice president of corporate external relations at AstraZeneca, a Wilmington, Delaware-based biopharmaceutical company that is a PhRMA member. Davis has been AstraZeneca's official liaison to PhRMA since 2004. In his new role, he will help with PhRMA's leadership transition now that PhRMA head Billy Tauzin is stepping down on June 30.

Davis, who is taking leave from AstraZeneca, will work with AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan (and head of PhRMA's search committee) to choose PhRMA's next leader. Tauzin, the former Louisiana Democrat-turned-Republican congressman, has headed PhRMA for about five and half years. Not without controversy, PhRMA struck a deal with the White House and Democrats to support the health care reform package that recently became law. The deal reportedly limited the amount of money Congress would extract from drug makers.

Legislation by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., designed to circumvent the Citizens United ruling faces a number of hurdles and is unlikely to pass before the midterm elections, according to a panel hosted by the Center for Competitive Politics on Thursday. CCP is a 501(c)3 organization that opposes campaign finance laws.

In response to the "radical" Citizens United ruling, Schumer and Van Hollen in February released a framework for a bill that would prevent foreign-owned companies, government contractors and TARP recipients from spending money on elections, and would require disclosure of corporate and union spending on campaigns both to the FEC and to shareholders.

CCP President Sean Parnell argued that Schumer and Van Hollen are out of step with public opinion, citing a poll his group took last month that showed a favorable response to Citizens United.

"A majority of Americans, when you gave them the basic facts of the case, said that the government should not have been able to prevent Citizens United from running ads," Parnell said.

Continue reading Schumer-Van Hollen Bill Not Likely Before Midterms

Advocacy and lobbying stories from this week's National Journal (subscription):

"Obama's Fractured Coalitions": Frustrated by the president's priorities, activists say that their causes should get the same push as health reform.

"IT Industry, Hispanics Team Up On Immigration": Advocates for information-technology companies have allied with progressive and Hispanic groups to win a broad overhaul of immigration law, but they are also keeping open the option of pursuing a narrow set of tech-friendly legal changes in the next Congress.

"Selling The Government On Movie Magic": Producers of a film about lacrosse hope to find funding for it in the corridors of Washington.

"On The Move:" The Polsinelli Shughart law firm has scored a major coup by hiring an entire health care team from Bryan Cave. The D.C.-based public policy crew features shareholders Cynthia Berry, Alan Parver, and Steven Stranne, as well as senior policy advisers Julius Hobson Jr. and Harry Sporidis; associate Leah Stone; and policy advisers Tim Perrin and Daryl Drevna.

"Inside Washington": The National Republican Senatorial Committee knows that lobbyists are smart cats. Often, it's better to corner a senator's chief of staff than the boss, so the NRSC is hosting a big fundraiser on April 15 and dangling the names of some key behind-the-scenes players.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "A group of public interest groups" on Thursday "urged the" Federal Trade Commission "to investigate two emerging trends in online advertising that critics say pose growing threats to consumer privacy," CongressDailyPM (subscription) reports. "At issue is the auction of individual Internet users for targeted advertising opportunities and the combination of online and other sources of data about Internet users."

From this morning's Earlybird:

• Best Buy recently hired "its first in-house lobbyist based solely in Washington," CNNMoney.com reports.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has hired Leon Buck as assistant vice president for federal government relations in the Washington, D.C. office. Buck was formerly chief of staff to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

Buck has been a lobbyist before -- at the American Red Cross and, before that,  as a co-founder of a lobbying firm called Government Strategies.

The Motion Picture Association of America is having a hard time finding a new leader as the influence of the organization has waned, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The organization has reviewed about two dozen candidates for the job, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn.; outgoing Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; and John Emerson, president of the Capital Guardian Trust Co. and a former deputy assistant to President Clinton, the Times said. Another candidate under consideration is Kevin Sheekey, a former deputy mayor and top advisor to New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The MPAA's former leader Dan Glickman, a former Democrat lawmaker from Kansas, left on April 1.

Click to read the full story.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Organizations representing the nation's military veterans are keeping up pressure on Congress to prevent the landmark healthcare law from shortchanging veterans and other military personnel," CongressDailyPM (subscription) reports.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is losing another top Democratic lobbyist -- this one after a mere six months. Vice President for Legislative Affairs Tom Koonce, hired last October after the association lost two top Democrats to Capitol Hill, is headed to JP Morgan Chase.

Roughly a month after Koonce was hired, the association announced it was seeking to fill a new senior vice president of legislative and political affairs position, effectively trumping Koonce's status as top lobbyist for the organization. That new slot, however, has yet to be filled. MBA spokeswoman Cheryl Crispen says the search -- lead by an outside firm -- was delayed by the holidays and Washington's mega-snow storms, and that the association will now also seek a replacement for Koonce.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Two dozen employees out of nearly 2,900 high-level political appointees worked as registered lobbyists during the two years prior to joining President Obama's administration, a report by the federal Office of Government Ethics finds," USA Today reports.

• "Karl Rove, the former political adviser to President George W. Bush, is appearing in a public service announcement asking people to fill out and mail back their 2010 census forms," AP reports.

• In light of Obama throwing the first pitch at Nationals Park on Monday, CNN.com reports on how Nationals President Stan Kasten has "actively encouraged political operatives of all ideological stripes to hold their fundraisers and receptions at the ballpark, as opposed to more conventional venues such as restaurants or hotel ballrooms."

Neil Alpert, a new fundraising consultant retained by the Republican National Committee's embattled chairman Michael Steele, is already causing some heartburn inside the RNC and outside on K Street due in part to his past. Alpert was once told to repay almost $70,000 by the District of Columbia over spending and other improprieties related to two local baseball groups he chaired. He's been retained by the RNC for about $150,000 a year to help Steele "return his phone calls," says one lobbyist familiar with the new hire.

A second source concurs that Alpert's main job is "make sure that Steele does the phone calls he's not doing." Under Steele, the RNC has been hit with heavy criticism from GOP donors upset about his management style -- including lavish expenses -- and his mediocre record in raising money from the party's larger financial angels. Further, adding to the image of Steele as a chairman who has a soft spot for old consulting buddies, another source says that Alpert helped raise funds for Steele's campaign to win the job of RNC chairman.

On Sunday, Politics Daily broke the story that Alpert, whose title is "special assistant for finance," had been ordered in mid 2007 by the city to pay back some $70,000 to two baseball groups that he had once chaired. The order related to expenses that were either unauthorized or involved funds that couldn't be accounted for by the DC Baseball PAC and the DC Baseball Association. Alpert was also fined $4,000. Politics Daily reported that Alpert paid the fine, but never reimbursed the $70,000 due to a mediation agreement with the two baseball groups.

In its 10-page order to Alpert, the DC Office of Campaign Finance quoted the president of the baseball association Allen Madison as saying that Alpert treated their funds as his "personal piggy bank." Alpert has said that the charges about the baseball groups have been "favorably resolved," and an RNC spokesman has said that Steele and Alpert have a "long and good relationship" and that the new RNC hire will help raise money and find new funds for both Senate and House races.

Kneuer, who has been at PhRMA for more than five years, said she is planning to depart in May and will take the summer off to spend time with her family. She then will consider what is next for her career, which has long been tied to former GOP Louisiana Representative and current PhRMA CEO Billy Tauzin. (Tauzin announced he is leaving the trade group in June.)

"I am purposefully take a break to rethink," Kneuer (right) said of her departure. "It's been a long five-and-a-half years, and a very intense past two-and-a-half years, and it's a really good time to pause and take a fresh look at what is the next new challenge."

Continue reading PhRMA No. 2 Stepping Down

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Labor unions, corporations and wealthy individuals are preparing to break spending records to influence the November elections," the Wall Street Journal (subscription) reports. "But more than in recent years, they will be focusing on races for governor and state legislatures."

• "Lawmakers in both the House and the Senate are pressing the Obama administration to resolve discrimination claims for several different minority farmer groups," The Hill reports. "Hispanics, Native Americans and women farmers have all found champions on Capitol Hill who are trying to work out compensation with the White House, which includes writing letters to administration officials or introducing legislation."

• "The Kansas City, Mo., firm Polsinelli Shughart has scored five lobbyists from Bryan Cave, including three health care specialists," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Bread for the World, a Christian nonprofit organization, is calling on congregations to pray for tax breaks helping low-income taxpayers," The Hill reports. "The group is asking those attending services to observe the Sunday following Easter as 'Tax Day.'"

The nuclear power industry may be stagnant, but the sector's top trade group is banking on turning that around -- and as one sign, it's giving its top executive a hefty salary.

The Nuclear Energy Institute in 2008 paid its president and CEO, at that time Frank Bowman, more than $3 million in total compensation. Bowman was the seventh-highest-paid executive out of more than 500 organizations in all different policy areas, according to a biennial National Journal salary survey. Eight other energy and trade groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, Edison Electric Institute, American Iron and Steel Institute, and American Gas Association, also gave their top executives seven figures in 2008.

At the other end of the spectrum, it apparently doesn't pay to be green. The Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace, the National Wildlife Federation and the American Wind Energy Association were among seven groups paying their chiefs between $400,000 and $100,000. Greenpeace's former executive director, John Passacantando, was the fifth-lowest-paid executive in the survey overall, making a (comparatively) paltry $103,624. The Environmental Defense Fund and World Wildlife Fund paid their executives the most of the green groups, at roughly $496,000 and $486,000, respectively.

The presidents of the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce received salaries of $5.6 million and $3.8 million, respectively. But these groups lobby on much more than just energy and the environment.

Subscribers to National Journal can see the entire survey here, including nonprofits and trade associations that have an office in D.C. with revenue of $10 million or more.

After the jump, see a list of the top 10 compensation packages that groups in the energy/environment sector paid their chiefs.

Continue reading Salary Survey: Nuclear Exec Earns $3 Mln

Top advocacy and lobbying stories in this week's National Journal: (subscription)

"The Envy List:" Love it or hate it, everyone wants to know who makes what in the association, advocacy, and think-tank worlds. (open access)

"The Top 25 Current And Former Executives:" A chart of the highest compensated executives.

"Small But Influential In Washington:" From FreedomWorks to CREW, plenty of groups in D.C. punch above their weight class.

"Large Paydays For No. 2's:" It's not just association CEOs who are well compensated.

"CEOs Gone But Not Forgotten:" The late Jack Valenti is one among many former CEOs who are still receiving payouts from their organizations.

"IRS Form Opens Non-Profits To New Scrutiny:" The IRS's Form 990 has been updated to be more transparent -- much to the unhappiness of nonprofits.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank," D-Mass., "has banned a former staff member who became a banking lobbyist in February from lobbying his committee as long as Frank is chairman," CongressDailyPM (subscription) reports.

• "A group of Ohio ministers and an ethics watchdog group... have separately asked federal investigators to examine whether four House members and four Senators received what amounts to illegal gifts for paying $950 a month, including housekeeping, to stay at the C Street house. But the tenants deny that they are getting breaks on the rent," the New York Times reports.

• "The next battles over President Obama's sweeping revamp of the nation's health care system will be waged in the states -- where health care interests are heavily invested," USA Today reports.

Updated at 4:00 p.m. with corrections.

While much attention is given to the pay grade enjoyed by presidents and chief executives of top lobbying groups, the paychecks of their seconds- and thirds-in-command are ample as well. The average compensation package in our list of health care lobby vice presidents (plus one executive director) for 2008, including base pay, bonuses and perks, is a generous $947,872.

Keeping in mind that numbers are relative and all the executives on our list are well compensated, there are revealing differences between the pay gaps in each organization. Steve Anderson, CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, makes about $500,000 more than his executive vice president and just over twice as much as his senior vice president. Business Roundtable President John Castellani, on the other hand, brings home eight times as much as his executive director and executive vice president. The salaries of health lobby CEOs range from $1.8 million to $5.6 million, whereas their No. 2s and 3s fall in the range of $500K-$1.6 million.

Correction: The original version of this post misidentified the titles of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' vice presidents, and contained an incorrect figure for the total compensation package of Johanna Schneider (Business Roundtable).

National Journal's biennial salary survey found that the compensation of 89 Washington executives exceeded $1 million, a 30 percent increase from two years earlier. So how does one ascend to millionaire status? Many D.C. success stories in trade associations, professional societies, think tanks and interest groups start on Capitol Hill.

Bara Vaida, who wrote the cover story, sat down with headhunter Ivan Adler of the McCormick Group this week to talk about the survey results. In the video below, Adler gives some tips on how Hill staffers can position themselves to make their first move downtown.

Who will have the easiest time? Right now it's senior-level staffers who worked on health care legislation, Adler says.

She will serve as the association's federal, state, and local lobbyist. Hyman previously oversaw government affairs for Lenovo, a PC manufacturer. Before that, she was a vice president at the Consumer Electronics Association. Her own government work has included stints at the Justice Department, in the vice president's office, and in the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

(Photo of Hyman courtsey of CompTIA)

Former Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Dan Glickman is now officially head of Refugees International and has also joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition as chair of the board of its educational arm, the Center for U.S. Global Leadership.

The Center develops educational programs about the importance of diplomacy and international engagement.

The MPAA meanwhile continues to search for a new leader. The search firm Korn/Ferry is conducting the hunt on behalf of the organization. K Street chatter is that MPAA's interim President and CEO Robert Pisano is in the running for the job and that former Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn. also expressed interest in the position.

(Photo of Glickman by Rick Bloom)

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it would extend the bidding deadline for the Air Force's new refueling aircraft by 60 days if EADS North America formally notifies the Defense Department that it wants to compete," The Hill reports.