LegiStorm

A GOP Senate staffer has moved to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association's lobbying team after eight years on the Hill.

Kirby Miller started earlier this month as director of federal government affairs for the health-care-industry trade group, which wasted no time registering Miller as a pharmaceutical lobbyist.

Miller was most recently health-care legislative assistant to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee. She's also worked for Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) and former Reps. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) and Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.). Before coming to the Hill, Miller was a nutritionist with Unity Health Care, D.C.'s largest network of community health centers.

A staffer to Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) has a stellar new defense and aerospace lobbying gig.

Matts Wilcoxen is now a government-affairs manager at Relativity Space. The aerospace manufacturer, which focuses on space-launch vehicles and rocket engines, wasted no time registering Wilcoxen as a lobbyist. He's working on launch services and the National Defense Authorization Act, among other issues.

Wilcoxen was most recently Horsford's senior legislative assistant and handled the congressman's defense, foreign policy and homeland security portfolios. Horsford sits on the House Armed Services Committee, Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Committee.

Both parties pay their non-white Senate staffers thousands of dollars less per year, according to a LegiStorm analysis of the chamber's most recent salary data.

Hispanic staffers are the lowest paid racial group among Senate Republicans and make 92 percent that of the median white GOP staffer. That difference amounts to $4,700 less per year. Senate Democrats' lowest-paid racial group, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, make 81 percent that of the median white Democratic staffer, or $12,300 less per year.

Non-white state staffers acoss both parties make 91 percent compared to white state staffers, or $5,600 less per year. The gap is higher in D.C., where the Senate pays non-white staffers 86 percent that of white staff, or $9,100 less.

The pay gap holds true across all staff functions and is highest among communications staffers. This does not compare exact job titles.

Among Senate Democrats, racial minorities account for 30 percent of staff. Only eight percent of Senate Republican staffers are non-white.

Rep. Connie Conway (R-Calif.) will be in office for just a few months, but she's already added two lobbyists to her D.C. staff.

Jack Lincoln joined Conway's office from the Northern California Power Agency, where he was a registered lobbyist and manager of federal affairs and member programs. He's now Conway's deputy chief of staff.

Tucker Knott, now a senior adviser to the congresswoman, most recently worked as a Pfizer lobbyist and senior director.

Conway took office in June and replaces former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who stepped down in January to lead the Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. Conway is not running for reelection in November and will leave office at the end of the term.

A GOP staffer with a deep background in veterans' affairs has moved to the telecom industry's biggest D.C. lobbying force.

Chris McNamee is now a government-affairs director at CTIA - The Wireless Association. The industry powerhouse spent more than $12.4 million on its federal lobbying program in the last year. That makes it the biggest telecom lobbying group in Washington, according to OpenSecrets. CTIA hasn't disclosed any lobbying on veterans issues in over a decade, LegiStorm data shows.

McNamee was most recently deputy staff director and general counsel to House Veterans' Affairs Committee Republicans. The retired Marine has also worked for the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and as a Department of Veterans Affairs attorney.