Bottom Line

• FINANCIAL SERVICES. Tracking the regulations that spin out of the Wall Street reform law has become one of K Street’s favorite pastimes. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has contracted with McGraw Hill Financial to lobby on “Dodd-Frank financial reform implementation,” according to lobbying disclosure records. Marc Lampkin, once general counsel to the House Republican Conference, and William Moschella, a House Judiciary Committee veteran, will be lobbying for the company, along with others at the firm.  

• HEALTHCARE. One of ObamaCare’s architects is now lobbying for a massive public pension fund. Yvette Fontenot of Avenue Solutions, a former senior policy director for the White House Office of Health Reform, has been hired by Lussier, Gregor, Vienna & Associates on behalf of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. Fontenot will lobby on issues related to the Affordable Care Act and the Sustainable Growth Rate. 

 {mosads}• TAX. Two former congressmen are looking into a carbon tax for one of Washington’s most aggressive budget watchdogs. The group Taxpayers for Common Sense has hired Downey McGrath Group Inc. to explore options for a carbon tax. Former Reps. Thomas Downey (D-N.Y.) and Ray McGrath (R-N.Y.) are among the lobbyists on the account.  

 • Tobacco giant Altria has signed up a former chief of staff to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Jeff Bjornstad of Washington2 Advocates will be lobbying for the company on “general consumer products and tax issues.” Bjornstad’s firm joins a well-stocked lobby team at Altria that includes Capitol Tax Partners, Crossroads Strategies and Republic Consulting. 

• Tax reform continues to equal dollar signs for the influence industry. The Hertz Corporation has hired Capitol Tax Partners to lobby on how tax reform issues could affect the equipment and car rental business. Tax policy veterans Jonathan Talisman, once the Senate Finance Committee’s chief tax counsel; Joseph Mikrut, former associate deputy chief of staff for the Joint Committee on Taxation; and Lawrence Wilcox, former tax counsel and legislative director for ex-Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) are lobbying for Hertz.