TaskRabbit hires Heather Podesta Presented by the Consumer Brands Association

With help from Jesse Rifkin, Emily Kopp and Daniel Lippman

ANOTHER FOR NAVIENT: Navient Solutions, the student loan servicer in the crosshairs of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, hired Mike McKay and Burgess Chaka of Empire Consulting Group to lobby on "policies and issues relating to student loans." McKay used to work for Reg. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Financial Services Committee and CFPB supporter. Navient spent $450,000 on lobbying last quarter, including deals with Nixon Peabody, Van Scoyoc Associates and Mercury.


DESCRIBE YOUR TASK: Following the trend of tech companies getting more serious about lobbying, TaskRabbit hired an outside firm for the first time, signing up Heather Podesta, Robert Hoffman, Steve Bailey, Amy Swonger and Jonathan Becker of Heather Podesta + Partners. Did they find each other through the TaskRabbit site? While obviously part of the broader gig economy debate, TaskRabbit specifies working on "issues that impact the company's ability to compete both domestically and in foreign markets, including but not limited to workforce, tax, data privacy/security and trade."

THANKS TO ALL you loyal TipRabbits. Send your leads to [email protected].

OGILVY's TAYLOR TO FENTON: Trish Taylor is joining Fenton as managing director of the D.C. office after seven years as senior vice president at Ogilvy Public Relations. Her clients have included HHS, CDC, Tetra Pak and Feeding America. Joe Wagner, the current managing director of Fenton's Washington office, will lead the health sector agency-wide.

FULL BARS: CTIA announced three hires. Paul Anuszkiewicz joined the Technology Department as vice president of spectrum planning on Sept. 28 after three years as CEO and managing partner at Caten McGuire. Eshwar Pittampalli, formerly director of business development at Open Mobile Alliance, became CTIA Director of Wireless Technology on Nov. 9. James Robertson started Oct. 13 as director of government affairs, reporting to Vice President of Government Affairs Jot Carpenter. Robertson was staff director of the Transportation and Public Assets Subcommittee for the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He also worked as the senior legislative assistant for Rep. Ed Whitfield and legislative assistant and deputy communications director for Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

LOYALISTS, LOBBYISTS: The Washington Post's big feature on the Clintons' fundraising machine included a list of the 146 donors who supported the power couple through all six of their federal races. Representing downtown:

Harold Ickes, Ickes & Enright; Ben Barnes, Ben Barnes Group; Lloyd Hand, King & Spalding; David Jones, Capitol Counsel; Joel Jankowsky, Akin Gump; Jim Blanchard, DLA Piper; John Merrigan, DLA Piper; Heather Podesta, Heather Podesta + Partners; Tony Podesta, Podesta Group; Michael Berman, Duberstein Group; Nancy Zirkin, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

ELSEWHERE IN THE INFLUENCE WORLD:

PARLEY: The presidents of America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America met this month at Poste Brasserie in a tentative step toward uniting on drug pricing, after years when the organizations were at odds, reports Dylan Scott for STAT News. http://bit.ly/1MP26Zr

JUDICIAL, AG RACES : A new tax form indicates the Wellspring Committee, a secretive nonprofit, gave $6.6 million in 2014 to the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative organization active in state judicial and attorneys general races, reports Viveca Novak for OpenSecrets. http://bit.ly/1NbwyjY

FROM MORNING TRANSPORTATION: One of Kevin Brady's first pieces of mail as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee is an appeal to mind transportation programs in tax discussions. "The Highway Trust Fund's chronic cash flow problem is a poster child for the 'broken tax code' and 'ridiculous cycle of … temporary tax provisions' you wish to end," T. Peter Ruane, president and CEO of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, writes to Brady . "The surface transportation program reauthorization bill that Congress will soon consider again dodges a long-term HTF solvency and future transportation investment revenue solution."

FROM MORNING AGRICULTURE: "Coca-Cola, The Hain Celestial Group Inc., Hershey's and PepsiCo have joined 10 other companies to push the U.S. government and other countries to put forth a strong agreement from the Paris climate talks that begin at the end of the month, arguing that action is necessary to stem climate change in order to protect their suppliers and bottom lines. The companies join fellow food makers Mars Inc., General Mills, Unilever, Kellogg Company, Nestlé USA, New Belgium Brewing, Ben & Jerry's, Clif Bar, Stonyfield Farm and Dannon USA in signing on to the letter."

NEW PAC REGISTRATIONS (Type of PAC)

None

NEW JOINT FUNDRAISING COMMITTEES

None

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS (Firm: Client)

Card & Associates, LLC: PillPack

Emanuel Lawrence Jr.: Clergy Financial Strategy and Tax Inc.

Empire Consulting Group: Navient Solutions Inc.

Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP: Quinault Indian Nation

Millennial Bridge Consulting: Twilio

The Gibson Group, LLC: Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

The Madison Group: Preferred Medical Plan, Inc.

Bockorny Group, Inc.: Intoximeters, Inc.

Heather Podesta + Partners, LLC: TaskRabbit

NorthSouth Government Strategies: American Honey Producers Association

NorthSouth Government Strategies: Council of Development Finance Agencies

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

McDermott+Consulting: Adaptive Biotechnologies

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