Bottom Line

•BUDGET. FTI Government Affairs signed eight new clients, including Northrop Grumman Corp. and the city of Huntsville, Ala. The firm will deal with budget and federal programs for the agencies in the Huntsville government, according to lobbying forms. FTI also signed the United Launch Alliance, which “provides reliable, cost-efficient space launch services to the U.S. government” to work on issues regarding the Air Force’s “Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.” Former Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Ala.), who was a member of the House Appropriations Committee, is a lead lobbyist on the accounts.

•TAXES American Continental Group will be lobbying for 7-Eleven on tax reform, but also working on issues regarding “opportunities for veterans,” according to disclosure forms. The convenience store chain has two other federal lobby firms on retainer, FTI Consulting and The Russell Group.

•HEALTHCARE Foley & Lardner signed two new clients, including gym chain PRO Sports Club, to work on issues related to obesity research and “animal health.” Former Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) and Michelle Leeds, former staffer to Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), will be working on the contract.

•IMMIGRATION. Andrea Drumm, a former staffer on the House Judiciary Committee and aide to former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), is subcontracting a lobbying contact through Thorsen French Advocacy. The client, Cultural Care Au Pair, is a large au pair placement agency. Drumm will be working on “issues related to immigration.” 

•ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT BlueWater Strategies, a lobby shop that specializes in natural resources and energy policy, recently registered two new clients — PureSense Environmental and Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), an organization that advocates for increased energy efficiency.  Former congressional staffers are on the account, including McKie Campbell, a former Republican staff director on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

•TECHNOLOGY. K&L Gates is lobbying for Verisign, a Virginia-based company that works with domain names and provides cyber intelligence and security services, including help dealing with Distributed Denial of Service attacks. Former Reps. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) and Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.), will be handling issues regarding “the Domain Name System and Internet Governance,” forms say.