Updated at 5:10 p.m.
Steptoe & Johnson on Wednesday notified Congress that former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston (D-La.) and his son, N. Hunter Johnston, have stopped advocating for Jefferson Parish, La., after the duo lobbied for the municipality for at least a dozen years.
The firm ended its government advocacy relationship with Jefferson Parish on Dec. 31, according to a lobbying termination report filed with Congress. Steptoe received $120,000 last year for lobbying related to funding for flood control projects and reimbursement for Federal Emergency Management Agency community disaster loans, which the parish received after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
According to N. Hunter Johnston’s biography, the lobbyist “was extensively involved in the Congressional response to Hurricane Katrina, representing the City of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish during this critical time and is closely identified with the flood control programs that have been implemented to protect this key area of the country.”
The former senator, who lobbies for Steptoe as part of an alliance with his firm, Johnston & Associates, referred a request for comment to his son. N. Hunter Johnston, a Steptoe partner, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A parish spokeswoman didn't have an immediate comment.
Steptoe was one of three firms that lobbied for the parish last year, according to congressional records. But only Adams and Reese, which received $120,000 for its government advocacy work for the parish in 2011, is still registered to lobby for the municipality. Bell Heroux, which took in $30,000 for its lobbying efforts on behalf of the parish last year, ended its government advocacy relationship with the municipality on Sept. 21.
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