NATIONAL MILK PRODUCERS FEDERATION for NATIONAL MILK PRODUCERS FEDERATION

Food Industry (safety, labeling, etc.) FOO

Labeling - Ensured food labeling is based on sound science. Food Safety - Monitored implementation of new food safety law.

Contacted: Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); State, Dept of (DOS); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); SENATE; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Transportation TRA

Truck Weight Limits - HR 763 and S 747 - Supported legislation to increase truck weight limits within certain guidelines on federal interstate highways. Provided information on impacts to domestic dairy industry from cancellation of NAFTA Cross-Border Trucking Pilot Program.

Contacted: Office of Management & Budget (OMB); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); SENATE; U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); State, Dept of (DOS)

Bills named: H.R. 763 (112th)

Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities FIN

Provided information on impacts of Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations and rulemaking, including HR 1840.

Contacted: SENATE; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); State, Dept of (DOS); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)

Bills named: H.R. 1840 (112th)

Trade (domestic/foreign) TRD

Import and Export Issues of Concern Trade Preference Programs Pending Free Trade Agreements Free Trade Agreements Under Negotiation Provided information on preference program changes. Provided information related to trade issues with our free trade partners, particularly Mexico re: NAFTA trucking dispute. Provided information related to Free Trade Agreements (FTA) pending Congressional approval (Colombia, South Korea and Panama). Provided information related to the Trans-Pacific FTA. Provided information on the Central America FTA implementation. Opposed efforts to require mandatory country of origin labeling for dairy products. Provided information on geographical indications efforts by European Union. Worked on Russian trade challenges over SPS demands. Provided information regarding various countries' dairy certification requirements. Provided information related to dairy trade issues with Morocco and Russia. Provided information related to animal issues for upcoming Codex Alimentarius Commission meetings. Opposed efforts to weaken/defund WTO Brazilian cotton settlement.

Contacted: Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); State, Dept of (DOS); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; SENATE; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

Agriculture AGR

2008 Farm Bill - Monitored and provided relevant information as needed on implementation. Provided information on industry consideration of long-term structural revisions to dairy programs and policies, including Foundation for the Future and HR 3062, the Dairy Security Act of 2011

Contacted: Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); State, Dept of (DOS); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Bills named: H.R. 3062 (112th)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

Fiscal Year 2011 Appropriations Legislation, including HR 1, HJ Res 44 and HJ Res 48. Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Legislation, including HR 2112 and HR 2584. Fiscal Year 2011 Agriculture Appropriations - Sought funding for agriculture programs, including Johne's disease management, Market Access Program, FMD, Dairy Indemnity Program, Farm Bill energy programs and conservation programs. Fiscal Year 2011 Interior/Environment Appropriations - Worked on efforts to bar funding for certain activities (See CAW Section). Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations - Sought funding for agriculture programs, including Johne's disease management, Market Access Program, FMD, Dairy Indemnity Program, Farm Bill energy programs and conservation programs, Foreign Agriculture Service funding. Also, opposed attempts to prohibit funding for WTO Brazilian cotton settlement. Fiscal Year 2012 Interior/Environment Appropriations - Worked on efforts to bar funding for certain activities (See CAW Section).

Contacted: U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); SENATE; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); State, Dept of (DOS)

Bills named: H.R. 2584 (112th), H.J.Res. 48 (112th), H.R. 1 (112th), H.J.Res. 44 (112th), H.R. 2112 (112th)

Energy/Nuclear ENG

Energy Initiatives - Worked to incentivize biogas production, energy efficiency measures and assistance, etc. Biogas Tax Incentives - Supported efforts to establish tax incentives for biogas production. Anaerobic Digestion - Supported efforts at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure existing Farm Bill energy programs provide opportunities for the development of anaerobic digestion systems on dairy farms. Biofuels - Monitored legislation and regulations effecting domestic biofuels production and use. Farm Bill Energy Title - Advocated for funding and reforms to the Farm Bill Energy Title, especially the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Contacted: U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Labor, Dept of (DOL); State, Dept of (DOS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); SENATE; Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)

Immigration IMM

Immigration Reform - Worked on efforts to reform immigration rules relating to agriculture workers. H-2A and E-Verify - Advocated for certain reforms in Congress, and monitored these issues at the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor. H-2A Improvement Act - S 852 and HR 1720 Supported legislation to allow dairy farmers access to the seasonal worker (H-2A) visa program as a viable means for a legal workforce. A bill to provide for comprehensive immigration reform - S 1258 Supported legislation for a comprehensive immigration plan, including a pathway to citizenship and inclusion of AgJobs legislation. Legal Workforce Act HR 2164 Supported amendments to include a diary labor fix in this bill. Opposed passage through Committee. Accessibility Through Electronic Verification Act S 1196 Opposed legislation that will mandate electronic verification to all employers regardless of industry without an opportunity for a legal path to employing a new workforce. HARVEST Act of 2011 - S 1384 - Supported amendments to include specific dairy labor issues. American Specialty Agriculture Act - HR 2847 - Supported amendments to include specific dairy labor issues. Access to Agricultural Labor Act of 2011 - HR 3024 - Supported passage of this legislation.

Contacted: State, Dept of (DOS); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); SENATE; Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

Bills named: H.R. 2164 (112th), H.R. 2847 (112th), H.R. 1720 (112th), H.R. 3024 (112th)

Animals ANI

Animal Welfare - Provided educational outreach on animal welfare practices of the dairy industry and opposed any new, more restrictive regulations on this issue. Food, Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) - Support funding for this system to provide the industry with information on how to avoid drug, pesticide and environmental contaminant residue problems. Mandatory Animal ID - Support steps to make this mandatory. Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment - HR 965 and S 1211 - Oppose legislation to avoid "overuse or misuse" of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture due to inappropriate limitations on needed antibiotics. Nonambulatory Cattle - Monitoring efforts to address animal handling, especially nonambulatory cattle regulations and procedures. Antibiotic Tissue Residue - Monitored and provided information relating to efforts to expand the scope of testing for antibiotic tissue residue.

Contacted: Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); State, Dept of (DOS); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bills named: H.R. 965 (112th)

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

Clean Air and Water - Addressed concern to greatly expand the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency through the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Supported legislation to halt efforts by EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Clean Water Act Sec. 308 Rulemaking - Opposed efforts for EPA to implement a rulemaking from a settlement agreement. Chesapeake Bay Initiative - Supported efforts to remove funding for the EPA Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Florida Numeric Nutrient Criteria - Supported efforts to remove funding for EPA's development of numeric nutrient criteria (NNC) for Florida's waters under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Coarse Particulate Matter - Supported efforts to remove funding to modify ambient air quality standards for coarse particulate matter under the CAA. Clean Water Act Guidance - Opposed EPA efforts to expand the federal CWA jurisdiction through guidance, not via rulemaking.

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); SENATE; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); State, Dept of (DOS); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)