LegiStorm

A former House staffer who left the Hill in 1984 has returned after nearly 20 years with an association that lobbies for credit unions.

Pat Sowick become director of program management for Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) this month.

Sowick got her start in the House of Representatives as a legislative assistant for Rep. Ray McGrath (R-N.Y.) way back in 1981. She served three years and then left to work for more than a decade as a congressional liaison for various international broadcasting companies.

In 1997, Sowick became a fixture on K Street, joining the Credit Union National Association as vice president of Washington operations. Sowick stayed with the association 18 years and also served as the treasurer for its PAC, which grew from $500,000 to $4.5 million during her tenure.

By signing on as a scheduler for Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) this month, Keeley Jelgerhuis is at least the fifth member of her family to work for Republicans in the House.

The family's Capitol Hill tradition began in 1992, when uncle Jon Vandenheuvel joined the staff of former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) as campaign manager. When Hoekstra won, Vandenheuvel became the representative's legislative assistant. He worked his way through the ranks to become chief of staff, and then worked as executive director for former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) on the House Republican Conference. Vandenheuvel's time on the Hill lasted more than a decade.

During his final years working for Hoekstra, mother Jane Jelgerhuis also was on Hoekstra's staff, acting as the congressman's director of special projects. Her stint on the Hill lasted about two years.

Cousin Robert Vandenheuvel was the next family member to work in the House, joining the staff of former Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) on the House Ways and Means Committee. Initially working as an intern, Vandenheuvel worked his way up to press secretary before leaving after five years to become the general manager at the Milk Producers Council, a lobbying organization for California dairy farmers.

Sister Jessica Jelgerhuis Newman was next in line. Soon after graduating from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., Jelgerhuis Newman became a scheduler for former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.). She then joined the staff of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) before leaving for the Heritage Foundation to become the special assistant to Executive Vice President Bret Bernhardt.

Keeley, the newest House Jelgerhuis, graduated in 2014 from Covenant College with a bachelor of arts degree in community development and economics.

A former congressional aide with a criminal background is now lobbying for his former boss.

Morris Thomas was convicted of felony grand theft in 1992. A lawyer at the time, he stole money he had recovered for his clients. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and resigned his California bar license.

Despite Thomas' criminal history, former Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) hired him four years ago as his director for California's 25th District. During the 2012 election, McKeon's opponent challenged him about Thomas' background, but McKeon stood by his staffer and won the seat. "As a man of faith, I am a believer in forgiveness and giving people a second chance," McKeon said at the time.

McKeon did not seek re-election in 2014 and instead opened his own lobbying firm, McKeon Group LLC. Thomas then joined him as regional director but only recently became a registered federal lobbyist for McKeon, representing Antelope Valley Transit Authority on transportation issues.

A rifle importer has hired a new gun to lobby Congress to overturn a presidential executive action that bans the importation of vintage World War II rifles.

Red, White and Blue LLC wants to bring a huge supply of M1 Garand rifles back to the United States from South Korea. The firearms are prohibited from private purchase by an executive action aimed at blocking the importation of all military assault weapons. The Chantilly, Va., firm has hired lobbyist Bruce Hock, a former Senate Armed Services Committee staffer, to help bring back the guns. Red, White and Blue already has a contract with lobbyist Michael Pieper, former chief of staff for the late Rep. Barbara Vucanovich (R-Nev.). 

The M1 Garand rifle, the Army's standard-issue firearm from 1936-57, has become a collector's item because of its World War II role. During the Cold War, however, the United States provided hundreds of thousands of them to South Korea for possible use against Russia, making them a scarce commodity in the United States. South Korea recently decided to upgrade its firearms and is looking to sell their old rifles to U.S. collectors to defray upgrade costs.

President Obama's 2013 executive action has been a contentious topic for Second Amendment enthusiasts and gun dealers. Red, White and Blue LLC has spent more than $111,000 in lobbying since 2012. A single M1 Garand with most of its original parts easily can sell for $4,000.

The new military legislative assistant for Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) has a resume steeped in Duke University's perennial basketball program.

While earning his bachelor's degree in public policy studies, Pat Thompson enrolled in the Army ROTC program and worked as the student manager for Duke's basketball team. Following his enrollment in a master's program at Duke, Thompson returned to the court as the team's director of basketball operations. In his new role, Thompson worked closely with team leadership and coach Mike Krzyzewski to schedule the team's practices and organize logistical details, including players' travel itineraries.

Following his graduation from Duke with an MA in Christian studies, Thompson stayed with the team for another year before joining the lobbying group Booz Allen Hamilton as a senior consultant.

With Wittman, Thompson will tap into his ROTC background to help the congressman on military and veterans issues.