July 7th, 2016
Watch: The Latest in TPP Footwear Advocacy on the Hill 
FDRA members continue to lead the charge explaining to  Members of  Congress the importance of passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation free trade agreement that will involve 40 percent of the global economy and provide half a billion dollars in savings to the footwear industry the first year of implementation. Quinn O'Rourke from Portland-based LaCrosse Footwear joined u s in D.C. for a busy day on Capitol Hill  to discuss how this agreement impacts the U.S. footwear industry. 

Watch the Video from Quinn on why he  took  action:

We are urging everyone in the industry to take 2 0 seconds to send a letter to their Member of Congress in order to  build upon the positive momentum we currently have following the May 2016 FDRA Footw ear Hill Day.  Be sure to ask you r friends and family to send a letter as well.  Take 20 Seconds to Send a Letter to Congress 

Watch: President Obama Slow Jams the TPP News on the Tonight Show
President Obama used his appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last month to promote TPP. During the opening monologue, Jimmy Fallon listed TPP as one of several achievements from the Obama's administration -- "he worked with 11 other countries to sign the historic Trans-Pacific Partnership"-- and Obama participated in one of the featured segments, "Slow Jam the News," highlighting TPP during the skit. Obama is the first sitting president to appear on a late-night talk show. 
 
Watch President Obama Slow Jam the News on TPP: 

Next Week: Trade Talks Between the  US and EU Continue
The United States and European Union will hold the 14th Round of negotiations July 11th through July 15th in Brussels for a maj or free trade agreement between the two economies known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). In June, FDRA signed a joint statement on TTIP with the European and US footwear industry associations calling for the elimination of footwear trade barriers through the agreement. FDRA President Matt Priest said,  "TTIP means jobs, lower costs, and innovation that will propel the footwear industry into a new era of growth and global competitiveness. FDRA believes in breaking down ev ery trade barrier, and we are all in on TTIP." Last week, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström expressed optimism that the US and EU could still conclude TTIP this year, despite Great Britain's vote to leave the EU Read the FDRA Press Release and Joint TTIP Statement

Listen: It's the Economy!
With the 2016 presidential election just months away, voters continue to rank the economy as one of the top issues, just as they have in past presidential elections. A Gallup pole from last month found that eighteen percent of adults ranked the economy as the most important problem facing the nation.  Helping to make sense of recent economic trends, Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for  the National Associat ion o f Manufacturers (NAM), joined FDRA this week on our podcast Shoe-In. Chad discussed the economy from a manufacturing and retail perspective as well as the role that trade plays in increasing domestic manufacturing. For more info visit: 

ICYMI: Trade Call Last Week - Legislation We Discussed
Last week on our trade call, we highlighted three important new laws that impact the industry. Congress passed all three bills with overwhelming bipartisan support and the President signed each of them into law over the past two months. 

The  Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act modernizes the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). We are watching closely to see whether the law's expansion of EPA authority for evaluating and managing chemical risk under TSCA will scale back some of the aggressive product safety action at the state level. The law freezes state action on a chemical during the EPA's risk evaluation. 
 
The Defend Trade Secrets Act  gives U.S. businesses the right to sue in federal court for the theft of trade secrets. This is important to footwear innovation, because before the new law was enacted, federal civil law covered intellectual property like patents and trademarks but it did not cover trade secrets such as customer lists, software codes, and manufacturing processes. 

The new Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) process will allow Congress to provide temporary tariff relief for certain products not domestically produced, including some footwear. Under the new process, businesses will submit petitions to the independent, non-partisan International Trade Commission (ITC) -- instead of individual Members of Congress -- and the ITC will prepare a report that Congress will use to craft a final MTB bill. The ITC is expected to start accepting petitions before October 15, 2016. FDRA will lead a robust effort on behalf of the footwear industry to be sure we take advantage of this important opportunity to lower duties

Stay tuned for important updates from FDRA on each of these issues. 
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Don't Miss: Portland Footwear Forum 2016
The footwear industry is in an age of disruption, and everything we do is changing from how we design, produce, ship and sell shoes -  making it even more important for companies and employees from a wide swath of departments to understand changes across various segments and work together to address them. Be sure to join us in Portland on August 18th for our Footwear Forum to hear from experts and industry leaders for critical updates on trade, global sourcing, supply chains, compliance, and retail. The Footwear Forum is a one-day event held at the Portland Timbers Stadium.