Government Relations
Federal Relations
The Director of Government Relations serves as the University’s liaison with the Administration, Congress, federal agencies and the many higher education associations and coalitions headquartered in Washington, D.C. As an advocate for JSU’s missions in education, research and service, and on behalf of the University’s legislative and regulatory interests, the staff directly serves the JSU administration, faculty, staff and students to help enable high-quality educational opportunities for the benefit of our students and the state of Alabama.
Resources and Updates
US House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov/representatives/
US Senate - http://www.senate.gov/
The White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/
State Relations
The Director of Government Relations serves as the primary liaison with the Alabama Legislature, the Office of the Governor and state executive agencies. The staff provides immediate support to the JSU President and his staff in legislative, public policy and political analysis, as well as helping identify new opportunities for partnering with state government.
Resources and Updates
Alabama.gov - http://www.alabama.gov
County Officials - https://www.calhouncounty.org/govt/index.html
Find Your Legislators - https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
Governor’s Office - https://governor.alabama.gov
Higher Education Partnership -https://www.higheredpartners.org
State Legislature - http://www.legislature.state.al.us/
State Office & Agencies - http://www.archives.state.al.us/govtoff.htm
Lobbying Activity
If at any time you lobby a government official while employed by the University, you must be familiar and comply with policies and laws that govern your actions.
The Director of Government Relations, Leigha Cauthen, is responsible for coordinating the University’s lobbying activities. University employees’ authority to lobby government officials is restricted without prior authorization. Questions about lobbying activities should be directed to Leigha Cauthen at govrelations@jsu.edu.
Federal Compliance
University employees must refrain from engaging in lobbying activities without specific prior authorization by the Director of Government Relations and/or the President. It is important to know that civil and criminal penalties apply to individuals and organizations that fail to accurately track and disclose contacts with federal officials.
State Compliance
All relevant information regarding lobbying is found at the Alabama Ethics Commission.