Subject: POLITICO Influence, presented by the National Retail Federation: Take me out to the ($500) ballgame — California Dems: Let’s do lunch — Patagonia backs hemp legalization — Online gambling bill update
From: POLITICO Influence <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 May 2016 12:03:04 -0600

By Brianna Gurciullo | 05/24/2016 02:00 PM EDT

With help from Mary Lee

MEET THE METS: Democratic Reps. Scott Peters of California, Mark Takai of Hawaii (who announced Thursday he won't seek another term because of health issues) and Gerry Connolly of Virginia are heading to the Nats-Mets game tonight at Nationals Park. Individual tickets for their fundraisers are $500 a pop. 

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': Reps. Pete Aguilar, Ami Bera, Julia Brownley, Raul Ruiz and Scott Peters will have a lunch fundraiser in the DNC headquarters tomorrow with Nancy Pelosi, Zoe Lofgren, Doris Matsui and Mike Thompson.

The invitation also lists Xavier Becerra, Lois Capps, Tony C&aacute;rdenas, Judy Chu, Mark DeSaulnier, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, John Garamendi, Janice Hahn, Mike Honda, Jared Huffman, Barbara Lee, Ted Lieu, Adam Schiff, Brad Sherman, Norma Torres and Juan Vargas.

CALIFORNIA THIRSTIN': A House Natural Resources subcommittee is slated to hear two controversial California water settlement agreements today, Morning Energy reports, as "Republican lawmakers continue to seek drought legislation for their parched state. The deals, H.R. 4366, to approve a complex drainage settlement with the powerful Westlands Water District, and H.R. 5217, to approve a similar agreement for other landowners, are likely to be part of the conversation as House and Senate negotiators grapple with the state's overarching water problems. But they've drawn fire from environmental groups and Northern California Democrats who say they give too much away to agricultural interests."

HAPPY TUESDAY! And happy to be your guest host for the next two weeks. The last name is pronounced GER-CHOO-LOW, in case you were curious. Keep those tips coming to me at [email-masked] and Mary at [email-masked].

SAFETY FIRST: Former NASCAR driver Richard Childress will brief Congress members today on what his Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma is doing to prevent child deaths from severe injuries. He'll be joined by North Carolina Reps. Richard Hudson and G.K. Butterfield in the House Energy and Commerce Committee chamber. Members of the committee are forming a bipartisan Pediatric Trauma Caucus. 

NFL TACKLES: POLITICO Pulse reports today that the NFL is fighting back against a Energy and Commerce Committee staff report accusing the league of trying to convince NIH to pull a $16 million research grant from Dr. Robert Stern, a vocal critic of the NFL and how it's handled concussions. "It is deeply disappointing the authors of the Staff Report would make allegations directed at doctors affiliated with the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee without ever speaking to them," an NFL spokesperson said.

** A message from the National Retail Federation: Retailers and employees prepare to be clocked by a Department of Labor sucker punch as new overtime rules prioritizing time cards over careers threaten to lower wages and morale. Just how bad is this #DOLfail? Let us count the ways: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9c2fe7a48df1bc2be1385fc6a850631b7a077ca81e9e64d7f3930f053c6fa712 **

FLY-INS:

- The National Propane Gas Association is on Capitol Hill today. More than 200 members of the propane industry will advocate for including a study of regulations on propane jurisdictional systems in a Pipeline Safety Reauthorization bill, supporting the truck driver 34-hour restart, opposing "excessive" rules for entry-level driver training and backing a five-year extension of the Alternative Fuels Credit and Refueling Infrastructure Credit.

- The National Retail Federation is on the Hill this week. The group is fighting with the Financial Services Roundtable over proposed data breach and standards legislation. As Morning Cybersecurity reports: "The groups are at odds over which legislation to pass because they prescribe different data security standards; FSR favors legislation sponsored by Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.)... Retailers have criticized that version of the bill because they say it's a bad 'one size fits all' solution, and instead favor legislation sponsored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)"

- The Portland Cement Association will be on the Hill today and tomorrow. They'll be joined by Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Reps. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.), and Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). The PCA will talk to lawmakers about passing the Water Resources Development Act, long-term FAA reauthorization and supporting partnerships between the Airfield Pavement Technology program and universities or nonprofits.

SPEAKING OF WRDA: Morning Energy reports: "Harbor and ports interests got a big win in the 2014 Water Resources Development Act when lawmakers and appropriators agreed on a path for ramping up spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The fund's coffers are normally filled from a tax on goods shipped through U.S. ports, but the money has long been diverted to offset other spending. Now, in the House WRDA bill being marked up Wednesday, overseers are seeking to convert that deal to mandatory spending in 10 years. The move draws praise from port interests - although they say the bill leaves out other important aspects of the deal - and groans from budget hawks, who call the delay a
 gimmick to prevent the change from ballooning the bill's price tag. But the real question is what appropriators will make of it."

HEMP LEGALIZATION: Patagonia is promoting a mini-documentary - called "Harvesting Liberty" - to support industrial hemp legalization, Morning Agriculture reports. A bill in the House to legalize industrial hemp has almost 70 co-sponsors. The Senate version has 14.

CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES: Laura Allen is leaving the EPA to take over media relations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Allen formerly worked for the Department of Transportation, Obama for America and Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).

NO GAMBLES: A coalition of conservative groups, including the Institute for Liberty and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, say a provision in Senate appropriations legislation targeting online gambling tramples on the right of states to establish their own gambling laws, report Ben Weyl and Matthew Nussbaum for POLITICO. The provision - pushed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) - includes language that critics say was included on behalf of billionaire casino owner and conservative megadonor Sheldon Adelson.

WALL STREET ON HOLD: Wall Street lobbyists are pressing pause on which presidential candidate to support - for now, Kevin Cirilli writes for Bloomberg. The Financial Services Roundtable, which represents leading Wall Street and Main Street financial firms, launched a Presidential Focus series aimed at pressing candidates on issues relevant to the financial services industry. Larry Kudlow, a former Reagan administration budget official who has advised Trump on financial matters, isn't worried about dealing with banking lobbyists. "You know, maybe some of these K Street folks - nice people, but they should be a bit quaking in their boots. I don't have a problem with that. If they have muscle
 sores, I'll give them a tube of Icy Hot that they can rub in on their feet. But let 'em quake," Kudlow said.

COMPROMISE: Lawmakers are on the verge of passing a reform bill replacing a 40-year-old patchwork law regulating toxic chemicals - a culmination of a decade of work by lobbyists, lawmakers and consumer groups, reports Megan Wilson and Timothy Cama for The Hill. More than 230 companies and groups lobbying on the Toxic Substances Control Act include NAM, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Retail Federation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and a coalition of more than 450 other groups, labor unions and individuals, including Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). The bill is expected to
 reach the floor of the House and Senate this week.

NEW PAC REGISTRATIONS:
www.StopHillary.com
American International Group, Inc. Employee State Political Action Committee (Non-Qualified Non-Party, Lobbyist/Registrant PAC)
Committee for an Honest Member of Congress (Independent Expenditure-Only Committee, Unauthorized)
Fraudulent Right-Wing Science PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only Committee, Unauthorized)
Grassroots Awareness PAC (Non-Qualified Non-Party, Unauthorized)
Support Your Down Ballot Super PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only Committee, Unauthorized)
Yakety-Yak (Independent Expenditure-Only Committee, Unauthorized)

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS:
None

NEW LOBBYING TERMINATIONS:
Northeast Public Affairs, LLC: New England Fuel Institute (NEFI)
Stratagem, Inc.: Baton Rouge General Hospital
Stratagem, Inc.: Choctaw General Hospital
Stratagem, Inc.: Mississippi Hospital Association

TERMINATIONS - NO ACTIVITY:
Duane Morris Government Strategies: Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce
Liebman & Associates, Inc.: VIASPACE, Inc.
Timmons Consulting: Middle East Consulting and Trade Affairs Corporation

** A message from the National Retail Federation: Retail is more than great products, the sound of a cash register, a storefront or a website. Across all states and districts, retail represents a lifetime of opportunities, from first jobs to lasting careers. That's just one of the reasons why when retail thrives, communities thrive. Whether or not you work in the industry, there's no doubt that retail impacts everyone, everywhere, every single day. How well do you know retail? http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6bc945ab9ecc6d8c9fdb99f35879c1bffd6d70bd22c1d22bfd7c4bdfe2f7c5b5 #thisisretail **

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