Word on the Hill: A Healthy Talk

By Alex Gangitano

Posted February 23, 2017 at 5:00am

Learn about staying healthy this year from the Library of Congress.

As part of the LOC’s Office of Health Services and the Library of Congress Professional Association’s “Living Well Brown Bag Series,” Dr. Neal Barnard is speaking at noon today in the Mumford Room on the 6th floor of the Madison building.

Barnard is the president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and founder of the Barnard Medical Center. The author of 18 books, he has previously attended events on the Hill with the Congressional Vegetarian Staff Association.

This event is free and open to the public, so staffers are encouraged to attend.

Also happening today …

There’s a lunch panel discussion with experts from the R Street Institute and the Brookings Institution on “What Role Should Congress Play in Regulation?” It’s at noon in the Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC209-08 and is open to Capitol Hill staffers, minus interns, with no RSVP required.

There’s a happy hour with House Republican Leadership communicators and the Capitol Hill Press Corps at Barrel (613 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) at 6 p.m. This event is closed and invite-only.

Nominate someone for a D.C. award

The deadline for nominations for the 32nd annual Mayor’s Arts Awards is Friday. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities will present the awards at the Lincoln Theatre in September.

Nominations for individuals and organizations are being accepted in these categories, courtesy of the commission: Excellence in Visual Arts, Excellence in Performing Arts, Excellence in Arts Education, Excellence in Creative Industries, Excellence in the Humanities and The Larry Neal Writers’ Award for Adults and Youth.

Check out further guidelines and instructions – you have until 4 p.m. on Friday.

Lewis to Bard College

Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., will deliver this year’s commencement address at Bard College, the school announced Tuesday. Bard’s Class of 2017 graduation is on May 27 and is expected to include 435 undergraduates and 141 graduate students. Lewis will also receive an honorary doctorate of civil law.

Staffer shuffle

Adam Wood is the policy director at the Republican Main Street Partnership where he will run a job/résumé bank, track its members’ legislative initiatives, and serve as a liaison to members’ staff. He said he has some happy hours and other events for staffers on the horizon. Wood previously served as legislative director to former Rep. Renee Ellmers.

New Politics, an organization that helps those who have served in the military, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other service programs run for public office, announced David Heifetz as its new chief communications officer. Heifetz is a former speechwriter and policy adviser in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs under President Barack Obama. Doug Pardo, who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, is the senior director.