Staying on the Right Side of Government Ethics Laws
There are many legal compliance issues one has to consider when advocating for clients before government officials. Lobbying, gift, and other government ethics laws can apply, but so too can campaign finance laws. Of course, each jurisdiction has its own laws in these areas, almost all of which differ. This briefing will cover the requirements of federal law, as well as provide an overview of legal compliance considerations when advocating at the state and local levels.
Presenter:  Caleb Burns, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP
Lobbying, Gift, and Campaign Finance Compliance Briefing

Legislating Cyber Risk Management 
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the omnibus spending package for 2016. Buried within this legislation is the controversial Cybersecurity Act of 2015, covering a wide range of topics, from information-sharing liability protection, to authorization for the private sector to operate “defensive measures” for cybersecurity purposes. Still, one item not included was a national data breach notification law that would preempt state laws with a federal one that in some cases could be less strict. With more than 5,000 breaches of personal information in the United States since 2005, and over 700 breaches affecting over 176 million records last year alone, the states are certain to keep pressing the issue until Congress acts. This session will focus on what’s included in the new federal law, what important issues got left on the cutting room floor for the next Congress and the states to continue to handle, and offer insights into just how effective these legislative remedies will prove in combating cyber risk.
Presenters:  Steve Chabinsky, Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Chief Risk Officer, CrowdStrike
Greg Garcia, Executive Vice President, McBee Strategic
Legislating Cyber Risk Management

Where Drone Legislation Is Headed Next
Congress charged the Federal Aviation Administration with integrating unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, into civilian airspace with the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. But states have still been very active on the issue, with 45 introducing 168 drone-related bills in 2015 alone, 26 of which were enacted, most of them creating task forces to study drones and addressing privacy concerns about their use. The recent negative headlines drones have been drawing have also fueled state action. This session will focus on state legislative proposals likely to surface in 2016 legislative sessions, particularly as smaller consumer drones that can be operated with little or no training grow in popularity, and concerns rise about the prospect of drones colliding with commercial aircraft or being used for terrorist attacks.
Presenters:  Josh Turner, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP
Brian Wynne, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
This presentation is available upon request to meeting attendees only and is not intended for public distribution. Please email your request to Diane Case.

Higher Education’s Admissions, Affordability and Accountability Challenges
Colleges and universities have become one of the nation’s most formidable lobbying forces, employing more lobbyists last year than any other industry, with the exception of drug manufacturing and technology. Colleges are in every congressional district, and 1 in 40 U.S. workers draw a paycheck from a college or university. Over the last two decades, the higher-education industry has beaten back dozens of government proposals to hold it more accountable – from efforts to tighten rules for accrediting schools, to proposed requirements to divulge more information about graduation rates and eliminate funding for state agencies that fail to close substandard schools. This session will focus on the legislative challenges with which these institutions will be expected to have to contend in 2016, with emphasis on such key issues as admissions, affordability and accountability. 
Presenters:  Bethany Little, Principal, EducationCounsel
D. William Moreau, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Jennifer Poulakidas, Vice President, Congressional & Governmental Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Transforming the Federal Regulation of Higher Education as America Prepares for the Challenges of Tomorrow

When Will the Haze Clear?: Marijuana Legalization and the States
Marijuana could well be the biggest issue of 2016. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently allow marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. Of those, Alaska, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Oregon, and Washington have also legalized recreational pot use with several more poised to join the group in 2016. At least six to eight states are expected to have ballot measures this year, promoting some level of marijuana legalization. Marijuana’s path to legalization may be further complicated by a Supreme Court suit brought by Nebraska and Oklahoma, claiming that Colorado’s new law legalizing recreational use of marijuana have undermined both states’ “own marijuana bans, draining their treasuries, and placing stress on their criminal justice systems.” This session will address what’s next for marijuana legalization, and the strategies being deployed in the states to resolve this unsettled area of the law. 
Presenters:  Kelley Duke, Director, Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC
Tony Fiore, Of Counsel, Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter
When Will the Haze Clear?: Marijuana Legalization and the States

Building a National Lobbying Network
While over $3 billion is spent annually on federal lobbying alone, the influence industry remains a highly fractured one, with no one firm commanding more than 3% of the market. This session aims to determine how SCG Legal can help its member firms capture a greater share of this market by marketing its firms collaboratively. Speakers will focus on strategies designed to provide your firm with alternative ways of highlighting its capabilities in the federal lobbying arena, as well as to cross-sell more traditional legal and state lobbying services.
Presenters:  Alina Gorokhovsky, Chief Marketing Officer, Wiley Rein LLP 
David Poisson, Chief Executive Officer, SCG Legal