LegiStorm

B+S Strategies, a lobbying firm created by two former House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staffers in June, has filed its first federal lobbying disclosure.

Chris Bertram and Beth Spivey had worked for the committee under Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) since 2013 — Bertram as staff director and Spivey as director of outreach and coalitions.

The firm recently disclosed that it's lobbying on behalf of Airlines for America, formerly known as Air Transport Association of America, on airline-policy issues.

This marks the first federal lobbying registration for Bertram, who's worked Senate and House committees for roughly 16 years. Spivey had lobbied before as former vice president for legislative affairs for Rapiscan Systems, an airport X-ray and metal detector manufacturer.

After a 13-year break from Congress while lobbying, Mary Schneider is back. The Houston, Texas native recently joined Rep. John Culberson's (R-Texas) team as his district director.

She had worked as a consultant for the Harris County, Texas, Hospital District, lobbying the federal government on their behalf and on behalf of the Houston Community College System, since 2003.

Schneider also served as deputy regional director for former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas).

As Taylor Swift urges the House Judiciary Committee for reform to musicians' compensation laws, SoundExchange, a major player in the contentious battle, has whisked several congressional staff away to Cleveland to promote the popular musician's cause.

SoundExchange — a non-profit that distributes royalties to record labels, artists and other music-copyright holders — funded the trip last month.

The music industry perennially advocates for updated copyright laws that would reform industry compensation, particularly for online streaming websites and applications. The controversial battle pits record labels, performers and other music creators against distributors such as Pandora, Spotify and the National Association of Broadcasters.

The effort to reach out congressional staff comes as distributions to copyright holders slow, growing by less than four percent last year, far behind the double-digit increases that the company experienced in prior years. As of that year, the company reportedly represented 8.4 percent of all U.S. music-industry revenues.

In Cleveland, staffers visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, attending a presentation on a SoundExchange-sponsored exhibit, "Louder Than Words: Rock, Politics and Power." They also attended briefings on copyright policy and the music ecosystem, including sessions on independent music labels, "the importance of legacy artists" and SoundExchange's history and future.

The following staffers took part in the two-day trip:

• Joel Scott Richard, legislative assistant/counsel to Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.)
• Bobby Cornett, legislative director to Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.)
• Lisette Morton, legislative director to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)
• Shelley Husband, chief of staff and general counsel to Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
• David Greengrass, intellectual property counsel to Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)
• Ashli Palmer, policy director to Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.)

With the exception of Clyburn, who belongs to the House leadership, all members listed serve on the House Judiciary Committee, which handles intellectual property issues.

SoundExchange's disclosure form also listed Brendan Belair, chief of staff to Doug Collins (R-Ga.), as attending the trip, although a disclosure has not yet been released for him.

Following a two-year stint at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gary Woodward is back in Rep. David Scott's (D-Ga.) office — this time as chief of staff.

Woodward served as Scott’s legislative director from 2006 until 2014 and in various capacities for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), former Rep. Denise Majette (D-Ga.), former Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.) and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.).

The Washington, D.C. native had worked as deputy undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA since 2014. 

He replaces Michael Andel, who headed to Aflac in June.

Former Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) has registered as a federal lobbyist for the first time to fight for Medicare payments to a hospital in his district that settled charges of Medicare fraud when he was in office.

Bishop is representing Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center. Bishop indicated in a lobbying filing that he would be focusing on "meaningful use," a Medicare and Medicaid program that incentivizes the use of certified electionic health records.

In 2010, Brookhaven agreed to pay nearly $3 million to resolve allegations of Medicare fraud. The same year, Bishop co-sponsored an earmark directing $150,000 to the Long Island, N.Y.-based hospital for facilities and equipment. The hospital is one of the largest employers in Bishop's former district.

Since losing his reelection in 2014, Bishops has been a principal at Envision Strategy, a government-affairs firm specializing in advocacy, government markets and organized labor.

He had served in Congress since 2003. He previously spent 29 years working as administrator at Southampton College.