LegiStorm

Senate freshmen are among the best paying senators, according to a LegiStorm analysis of salary data from the most recent disclosure.

Overall, Senate freshman had a median office salary of $63,886 compared to $59,044 for all senators. On the House side, freshman had a median office salary of $48,344 compared to $50,388 for the House at-large.

Among the top ten highest paying Senate offices, three first-term Senators made the list: Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) with a median office salary of $81,823, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) with a median of $75,728 and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) with a median of $75,275. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), came in spot 11 paid a median of $73,259.

Among representatives serving their first terms, Rep. Ross Spano (R-Fla.) topped the staff salary list at a median of $61,162. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) was the highest paying Democratic freshman, with a median office salary of $60,000.

On the other end of the spectrum, Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) was the lowest paying freshmen with a median office salary of $38,382.

Freshmen legislators for both the House and Senate steered clear of high office turnover compared to peers, according to LegiStorm staff turnover index. None of the freshmen made the list of top 10 offices with the highest turnover.

A Democratic Senate aide has headed to the environmental advocacy world.

Adena Leibman started earlier this month as Environmental Defense Fund's senior oceans policy manager. Leibman holds a JD in addition to a master's degree in marine science.

She spent the last four years working for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), most recently as natural resoures counsel and appropriations manager.

Former Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), who represented the Sacramento area in the House from 1991 to 2009, will be lobbying to bring a museum on religion to D.C.

Doolittle, who is Mormon, has registered to lobby for the National Museum of American Religion or NMAR Inc.

The mission of the museum, proposed for D.C., is the "tell the story of religion in America through the lens of religious liberty." Doolittle will be building congressional support for the project and trying to get assistance with acquiring a building, according to his filing.

The concept for the museum dates back to 2010, but this is the first time the group has lobbied. Early documents outlining the project list a goal of opening in 2025.  

The daughter of Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) has joined her dad in the Longworth House Office Building.

Keighle Joyce is now counsel to the House Administration Committee under ranking member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.).

Keighle, a 2019 graduate of the University of Cincinatti College of Law, was previously a clerk for the committee and for the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

After more than two decades serving House Republicans, one aide has finally left for the private sector.

Nicole Scott is now director for federal relations at ONEOK, a Fortune 500 natural-gas company based in Oklahoma.

Scott comes from the office of Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), where she most recently worked as a senior adviser, and has also served as Republican staff director to the House Agriculture Committee.