Import Trade Associations on the Low-End of Lobbying Expenses for Q4
Trade associations focused on customs and other importer issues spent relatively little in Q4 of 2012, according to public lobbying records. Several groups that are heavily involved in policy-making for customs issues don't spend nearly as much as some of the major companies that are involved in the issues, the records show. For instance, the American Association for Exporters and Importers (AAEI) and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA) combined spent less than $10,000 for lobbying in Q4, the records show. Lobbying toward improved enforcement for antidumping/countervailing duties (AD/CVD) was among the issues that gained in attention, the filings show.
Among the lowest spending groups involved in customs issues, were the AAEI, USA-ITA, and the Coalition for New England Companies for Trade, all of which said they spent less than $5,000 on lobbying in Q4, as they did in the same quarter in 2011. The U.S. Business Alliance for Customs Modernization (BACM), made up of large companies that seek to improve trade processing, spent $10,000 on lobbying by Sidley Austin, the same as Q4 2011, the records show. The Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders spent $10,000 in the quarter for Lindsay, Hart to lobby on the customs reauthorization bill, the Lacey Act and funding for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), said the group's filing. The lobbying disclosure database is available (here).
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) also spent $10,000 in Q4 for lobbying by Kent & O'Connor, down from the $20,000 spent by the NCBFAA in the same period last year. Legislation being followed for the NCBFAA was Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion Act of 2011 (S-1133) , Drug Safety Enhancement Act (HR-1483), Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion Act of 2011 (HR-3057), (S-1581) FAIR Enforcement Against Duty Evasion Act of 2011, Customs Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2012 (HR-6642), RAMP Act (HR- 104), Harbor Maintenance Act of 2011 (S-412), Securing Maritime Activities through Risk-based Targeting for Port Security Act (HR-4251).
Customs Reauthorization Among Top Issues
The Certified Importer Program Coalition spent $20,000 on lobbying by Akin Gump in Q4, seeking to "establish a voluntary program for companies' supply chains to ensure imports are secure," it's filing said. The group, which spent the same amount in Q4 last year, was also following the customs reauthorization bill, the filing said. The customs reauthorization bills, introduced at the end of 2012, were also among the issue lobbied on by DHL Express, which spent $20,000 on "issues affecting importers and carriers," the filing said. Other groups following the customs reauthorization include the Intellectual Property Owners Association, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones and the National Association of Manufacturers. For many lobbying reports, the customs bills are among many issues listed, making it impossible to determine how much lobbying was actually done on a specific issue.
(See ITT's Online Archives 12121023 for summary of the the customs reauthorization bill introduced by House Republicans. See ITT's Online Archives 12121419 for summary of a similar bill introduced by House Democrats.)
AD/CVD Enforcement
Improvements to AD/CVD enforcement was another top issue for trade associations in Q4. The R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the American Honey Producers Association and the Chamber of Commerce all listed AD/CVD enforcement legislation as among the issue their lobbyists worked on.
An ad hoc group of companies seeking improved antidumping/countervailing duty enforcement was among the top spenders on customs issue in Q4 in 2012, . The group, which calls itself the New Shipper Bond Petitioners Coalition (NSBPC), spent over $1 million in the quarter for lobbying from Kelley Drye & Warren. According to the group's filing, the New Shipper Bond Petitioners Coalition is lobbying on "enforcement of antidumping orders and collection of duties secured by 'new shipper' customs bonds." The group plans to contact both House of Congress on the issue, said the filing. The Q4 lobbying report was the first such report from Kelley Drye, which registered in May as a lobbyist for the NSBPC, on behalf of the group.