Bottom Line

• TRANSPORTATION. Patton Boggs has been hired by the Affordable Commuting Coalition, a transportation partnership, to lobby on “issues related to competitive contracting for private transit services.” Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and former Transportation Department Secretary Rodney Slater are lobbying for the group. 

 • FINANCE. Van Scoyoc Associates has been hired by JH Capital Group to lobby on “financial services-related issues and initiatives.” H. Stewart Van Scoyoc, the president and chief executive officer of the firm, is one of the lobbyists on the account.

 {mosads}• HEALTH. Podesta Group has been hired by ViroPharma Inc. to lobby on “FDA issues [and] Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement,” according to disclosure records. Stephen Northrup, former health policy director of the Senate HELP Committee, and Thomas Sparkman, a former HELP Committee intern, are lobbying for the company. 

 • TAX. John McKechnie LLC has been hired by the Defense Credit Union Council to lobby on “credit union field of membership, mortgage lending, consumer legislation, credit union tax exemption [and] debit card interchange,” according to disclosure records. John McKechnie, a former director of public and congressional affairs for the National Credit Union Administration, is the sole lobbyist on the account.

• ENGINEERING. Kountoupes Consulting has been hired by Uranium One Inc. to lobby on “issues related to uranium mining and the uranium market.” Uranium One is more than half-owned by Atomredmetzoloto of Moscow. Lisa Kountoupes, former policy adviser to the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Shawn Whitman, a former chief of staff to Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), are working on the account.

•  BANKING. Franklin Square Group is lobbying for Square Inc., a mobile payments technology firm, on “mobile payments legislation and regulations, privacy,” according to Senate records. Matthew Tanielian, a former counsel to ex-Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.), and Joshua Ackil, a former special assistant to President Clinton, are lobbying for the company.