LegiStorm

A Democratic House staffer has moved to law firm Dykema Gossett's legislative team.

Michael Snider joined the law firm this month as a legislative specialist. Dykema Gossett maintains federal lobbying registrations with about 18 clients who range from city governments to Little Caesars Pizza.

Snider spent the last year working for Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), where he was most recently a legislative assistant.

Looking for a pay bump? Three members now pay their staff a median salary in the six figures, according to a new LegiStorm analysis.

Sen. John Fetterman's (D-Pa.) staffers have made a median annual salary rate of nearly $103,900 in the first nine months of the senator's freshman term. Reps. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) each paid their median staffer an annual rate more than $101,700 since January.

This analysis, which includes only those staffers working full time and on a permanent basis, examines Senate personal-office salary rates from October 2022-September 2023 and House personal-office salary rates from January-September 2023. For Fetterman and other freshman senators, the data spans from January-September 2023.

During that time, Fetterman's median staffer made an annual rate that is 44% higher than the Senate median of $72,000. Annual pay rates for Gooden's and Grijalva's median staffer were 47% higher than the House's $69,000 median.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) paid the lowest rates of their respective chambers, with a $46,700 median among Cuellar's personal-office staff and a $48,800 median among Grassley's.

Senate Republicans are having a harder time retaining staff than their Democratic counterparts.

Compared to Democrats, Republican personal offices averaged 14% higher staff turnover in FY2023, according to a new LegiStorm analysis of Senate salary data from October 2022-September 2023.

Republicans also made up nine of the top 10 member offices with the highest turnover. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), whose office yielded the highest rates, lost staffer at double the chamber's average.

Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) rounded out the chamber's highest staff departure, with rates at least 68% above average.

Though Senate Democrats have historically higher turnover rates than Republicans, the GOP's personal-office turnover grew by 33% from FY2022-FY2023. Senate Democrats' turnover decreased by 14% during that period.

High turnover doesn't necessarily indicate that an individual member is difficult to work for. But over time, consistently poor staff retention can result in lower productivity and effectiveness and may indicate a workplace that staffers wish to avoid.

LegiStorm's staff turnover index is salary-weighted, meaning that the departure of a higher-paid staffer, such as a chief of staff, will count proportionately more than a staff assistant or other lower-paid staffer. LegiStorm considers only full-time, non-temporary staff and excludes all interns and fellows.

A veteran Hill staffer has departed for the U.S. Telecom Association.

Ben Elleson is now senior director of government affairs at the trade group. He most recently served as a senior policy adviser for Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.). He previously worked for over 11 years for Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), including as his deputy chief of staff and legislative director.

The U.S. Telecom Association, currently branded as USTelecom, has a long and sustained presence on Capitol Hill. It was founded in 1897 as the Independent Telephone Association of America. In 2022, the last full year for which records are available, the U.S. Telecom Association spent $2.73 million on federal lobbying. 

Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) has a new legislative director.

Rebekah Rodriguez is back on Capitol Hill this month after over a year as the director of federal affairs for the bipartisan lobbying outfit Boundary Stone Partners. Rodriguez lobbied on behalf of a variety of energy companies, with a focus on carbon removal and capture technology, hydrogen power and the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, among other issues.

Rodriguez previously worked for Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) and the House Natural Resources Committee. She also served as deputy executive director of the Conservative Climate Caucus, founded and still chaired by Curtis.