With Tarini Parti and Adam Sneed

SCHWARTZ JOINS CIGNA: Former Max Baucus alum David Schwartz is joining the health insurance company Cigna as head of public policy, the company confirmed to PI. Schwartz was previously Health Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee under Baucus. Baucus left the Senate in February, when he was confirmed to serve as Ambassador to China. He joins Cigna lobbyists Kristin Julason D’Amato, Amy Zettle, Brendan Devine, and Jill Canino in the company’s advocacy operation.

DOW RE-UPS WITH US TRAVEL: US Travel president and CEO Roger Dow has reached an agreement to stay with the association for another four years. The association’s board of directors reached an agreement with Dow that was made official at U.S. Travel’s summer board meeting at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. The news was announced to the association’s staff by board chairman Jim Abrahamson in an early-morning conference call Thursday. "[T]he board recognizes that U.S. Travel has evolved into one of the foremost trade associations in Washington, speaking with relevancy to lawmakers, informing and connecting our industry, speaking out in the media, and effectively uniting the segments of travel with one clear voice,” Abrahamson wrote in a letter to the board. “Continuity is the key, and I think you will all agree that we want to maintain the course we’ve set as we watch this terrific organization continue to flourish under Roger’s leadership, alongside his hardworking team, our highly engaged board and a vast network of committed association members.” Dow has been with the association since 2005.

GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON, where it’s been 49 years since Bob Dylan went electric. On July 25, 1965, Dylan appeared at the Newport Folk Festival backed by a rock band — drawing criticism from some fans and fellow folk musicians that he was abandoning his roots. Those fans and fellow folk musicians were wrong, if you ask us. Send lobbying news, gossip, tips and scoops to [email protected]. And keep up with PI on Twitter by following @ByronTau or @PoliticoPI.

ETHICS OFFICE RECOMMENDED PROSECUTING AN UNREGISTERED LOBBYIST: The Office of Congressional Ethics says that it recommended the prosecution of an entity for failure to register as a lobbyist in the second quarter of this year. “The OCE voted to refer one entity to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for failure to register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act,” according to the office’s quarterly report. The report does not name the entity — and it’s not clear whether charges will ever be filed by the feds. But if criminal charges are on the way against someone downtown for failure to register, it could shake up the public affairs and advocacy world.

“This is big news,” writes Robert Kelner of Covington and Burling. “Very few, if any, complaints have been filed by the usual suspects with the Department of Justice concerning unregistered federal lobbyists. Ironically, the reform groups that typically file complaints against lobbyists and public officials have had little appetite for complaints about unregistered lobbying because it would undercut their main narrative about the LDA, which is that it is so filled with “loopholes” that firms can easily lobby without actually triggering registration.” Lots of folks downtown, especially Obama administration veterans, are calling themselves consultants, advisers, strategists — anything to avoid the scarlet “L.” They’re not usually doing government relations, but if charges are on the way against someone, it could make folks in that space think twice about playing coy. Kelner’s analysis here: http://bit.ly/1o0bc82; the OCE report here: http://1.usa.gov/1pSLWTX

POWELL TATE FILES BELATED FARA PAPERWORK: PR shop Powell Tate has filed a foreign agent disclosure three years after its work for the client ended. The firm represented the Belgian Embassy in 2011 for a short-term, one-month project. The firm helped manage then-Crown Prince Philippe’s trip to Washington, D.C., and New York in May 2011. But it didn’t file the paperwork with the Department of Justice until last week. The laws regarding the representation of foreign governments and individuals require firms to file within 10 days of any agreement. Powell Tate didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the belated FARA filing. The filing also comes after a flap in which two PR firms were forced to belatedly filed paperwork to represent the government of Ecuador after a reporter started asking questions about the relationship. The late paperwork in the Ecuador case showed a whopping PR deal work more than $6 million. Powell Tate’s filing is here — and it includes their full client pitch to Belgium: http://1.usa.gov/1pgP6Cg

TRAVEL TECH HIRES KIESSLING: The Travel Technology Association has hired Matt Kiessling as the association’s new director of coalitions and grassroots advocacy. Kiessling joins the association from DDC Advocacy, where he was an associate vice president overseeing public affairs campaigns for large corporate and trade association clients. He is also a veteran of state and federal political campaigns, and early in his career served as political director of the West Virginia GOP.

FUNDRAISERS NOW CATERING TO K STREET WOMEN: “Fundraising events that cater to women are now part of the fabric of Washington — on both the left and the right,” Andrea Drusch reports in the National Journal. “In the past few months, Rep. Diana DeGette (Democrat of Colorado) hosted a spa day at the Four Seasons Hotel, Rep. Terri Sewell (Democrat of Alabama) hosted a “Ladies Power Lunch,” and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (Democrat of California) hosted a mani-pedi day at Tammy’s Nails on the Hill. All of these fundraisers were attended primarily by women. These events may sound cliched or even patronizing, but it’s also true that they provide an alternative to a dominant fundraising culture that has historically catered to male stereotypes. ‘The landscape of political fundraising is changing,’ says Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, president of Women in Government Relations, a trade association aimed at uniting women in the lobbying industry. ‘It’s not the same old go play 18 holes of golf or cigars and bourbon. " More here, if you’re an NJ subscriber: http://bit.ly/1umSocG

**A message from POWERJobs: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is seeking a Director of Government Affairs for its Arlington, V.A. office. See below or click here for details.**

ZOCDOC NAVIGATES DC WITH PODESTA’S HELP: POLITICO’s Ashley Gold reports: Oliver Kharraz, a digital health entrepreneur and co-founder of New York City-based ZocDoc, is seeking a contract to help the Department of Veterans Affairs with its scheduling woes. It seems like a long shot, but “health care is the challenge of our generation,” Kharraz told POLITICO in an interview Thursday. “There are a lot of levers we can pull to make a lot of these things better.” Kharraz did what wealthy strangers do when venturing into Washington for the first time: He hired a lobbyist. For an initial $20,000, Heather Podesta + Partners is “hand-holding” ZocDoc as it navigates D.C. waters. Kharraz spent part of this week talking to lawmakers on the Hill who are “interested” in the VA scheduling problem. He wouldn’t disclose any names. “Like a lot of late-stage companies, I think it’s important for us to understand the D.C. landscape, and right now we don’t,” Kharraz said. “So we’re leaning forward to try to make a difference.” http://politico.pro/1mN4LoF

ELSEWHERE IN THE INFLUENCE WORLD

FLOTUS: WRITE A BIG FAT CHECK: “First lady Michelle Obama was especially frank Thursday evening when addressing a crowd of about 150 Chicago donors about the best way to influence politics: ‘Write the biggest, fattest check that you can possibly write.’” http://bit.ly/Uy65ou

OPINION PIECE: REVOLVING DOOR IS A PROBLEM: David Dayen doesn’t think much of downtown. http://bit.ly/1kfe0DF

NEW JOINT FUNDRAISING COMMITTEES (Members of JFC):

Zinke Victory Fund (Zinke for Congress, Montana Republican State Central Committee, NRCC)

Murphy Graham Victory for Florida (Graham for Congress, Friends of Patrick Murphy)

NEW PAC REGISTRATIONS:

Citizens for Change (super PAC)

Ceiling PAC (super PAC)

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client)

Capitol Counsel, LLC: National Association of Forest Owners

Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C.: Colorado Telehealth Network

Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C.: Franciscan Alliance

Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C.: Parkview Health System

Leger Strategies, LLC: WPX Energy

Peyser Associates LLC: California State Transportation Agency

Spirit Rock Consulting: Tribal Emergency Management Association

NEW LOBBYING TERMINATIONS (Firm: Client (Type of Termination))

American Defense International: Online Lenders Alliance (Q2 Termination)

Austin Copelin & Reyes: U.S./Mexico Border Counties Coalition (Q2 Termination)

Ben Nighthorse Consultants: Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians (Q2 Termination)

Capitol Tax Partners: UnitedHealth Group (Q2 Termination)

Cavarocchi Ruscio Dennis Associates: Delta Dental Plans Association (Q1 Termination)

Delta Strategy Group: Allston Trading (Q2 Termination)

Madison Associates: The American Printing House for the Blind (Q4 Termination)

Poblete Tamargo: Washington Consulting Group (Q2 Termination (No activity))

USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation: USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation (Q2 Termination (No activity))

**A message from POWERJobs: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is seeking a Director of Government Affairs for its Arlington, V.A. office. This person will be responsible for strategic oversight of lobby initiatives focused primarily on technology, telecommunications, intellectual property and transportation policy and appropriations. Click here for details.**

**Want to see your employment message in our tipsheets? Email us at [email protected].**

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