LegiStorm

"Senator, I choose you!" Former Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.) is one of three Greenberg Traurig lobbyists advocating for Pokemon's business interests.

This is the first federal lobbying registration of Pokemon Co. International, the subsidiary of the Pokemon Co. that handles the company's work outside of Asia. 

The registration follows last month's release of the wildly popular Pokemon GO app, which reached 100 million downloads earlier this week.

Hutchinson was elected to the Senate in 1996 and lost his re-election bid in 2002.

Rob Mangas, ex-chief of staff to former Sen. Wendell Ford (D-Ky.), and Dian Blagman, ex-chief of staff to former Sen. Bob Carr (D-Mich.), join the senator in lobbying for "congressional outreach and monitoring of administrative and legislative action related to technology and intellectual property," according to the disclosure form.

The Republic of Turkey has had a rough month. After an attempted coup and the subsequent state-sponsored crackdown on everything from teachers to the media, the country is badly in need of some good PR.

Enter longtime Hill aide Dan Scandling, now senior director of public affairs for APCO Worldwide, whom Turkey has retained for communication services. As former chief of staff to two members of Congress, Scalding is accustomed to difficult, high-pressure jobs.

The Turkish government is looking for APCO to provide "media relations, crisis communications, third party outreach and social media strategy and development within the United States all in furtherance of promoting positive relations between the Republic of Turkey and the United States," according to a recent disclosure form. APCO's services will cost Turkey $74,200 for just two weeks of services from Aug. 1 to 15.

The firm previously worked with Turkey to promote positive relations beginning in 2000 but that contract lapsed in 2007.

Scandling held several high-powered positions on the Hill, including serving as chief of staff to former Rep. Herb Bateman (R-Va.) from 1990 until 2000 and, most recently, as chief of staff to former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) from 2009 until Wolf's retirement in January 2015.

A former Senate aide is now lobbying to stop the country's next Martin Shkreli.

Amanda Smith recently filed her first lobbying disclosure for 340B Health, which represents hospitals and other health systems that participate in the federal 340B Drug Discount Program. The program was formed, 340B Health's website explains, "to increase the affordability and accessibility of pharmaceutical and clinical care for the nation's poor and underserved populations."

That would make Shkreli, former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, the bane of the group's existence. Shkreli gained notoriety last year after raising the price of a prescription drug by more than 5,500 percent overnight. 

Smith's first federal lobbying comes three years after she joined the group as its grassroots advocacy manager. She previously served as a Democratic law clerk for the Senate Finance Committee.

Smith is a graduate of the Creighton University School of Law and the University of Virginia.

The country's largest public-employee trade union can now count former Senate aide Katie Smith among its registered federal lobbyists.

This is Smith's first federal-lobbying registration.

Before joining the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees earlier this year, she served as an executive assistant to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and, previously, as an aide for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). She also completed an internship with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

According to the lobbying disclosure form, Smith is lobbying Congress, as well as the White House and Department of Labor, on a number of issues, including workplace violence in health-care settings and paid parental leave.

She holds a master of public policy degree from American University and a BA from Clark Atlanta University.

As she makes her federal lobbying debut, former Hill aide Laurie Ellington is hoping for a five-star review from her bosses at Amazon.

Ellington, who has worked as the online retailer's manager of U.S. public policy since last fall, recently filed as a lobbyist for the first time.

According to lobbying disclosures, Ellington is advocating for issues related to high-skilled immigration, veterans' hiring and training, net neutrality, IP-address policy, STEM education and more.

She previously worked as manager of external and state affairs to CTIA - The Wireless Association and, before that, as a legislative assistant to Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.).