Page 7 - FDRA

Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America | 7
the brunt of higher costs when purchasing
lower valued footwear. Priest says this make
current tariff rates “doubly recessive.”
To overcome these policies, the FDRA
was instrumental in creating a bill known as
The Affordable Footwear Act. Introduced
in Congress in 2006, the bill garnered sup-
port from more than 157 legislators on both
sides of the political aisle, but never emerged
from committee as necessary to allow for of-
ficial vote. The measure was recently pushed
for, with more than 91 legislators approving,
with similar results. Priest says little is being
focused on in the way of trade legislation at
the moment, but he is ultimately confident
the bill will gain traction and be passed. This
is one of the FDRA’s greatest priorities.
Studies show the shoe industry gen-
erates some $60 billion in annual revenues,
and represents more than 10 percent of the
billions annually collected by customs. Priest
says the industry is not only an important
part of the national economy, but an es-
sential driver of jobs, whether it is a forklift
driver in California involved in distribution,
a shoe designer working out of St. Louis or
New York, a warehousing employee in Ten-
nessee, or a shoe retailer working out of To-
peka, Kansas. “This industry has a long his-
tory as a driver of jobs, so our point is if we’re
constantly going to pay these duties which
line the pockets of government, it under-
mines our ability to drive job growth.”
STEPPING-UP TO SAFETY
In April, the FDRA will host the 2013 Prod-
uct Safety and Environment Workshop in
Washington D.C., which is just one example
among the plethora of educational programs
and workshops FDRA routinely conducts
throughout the world. The FDRA has been
the industry’s fundamental source of infor-
mation and intelligence allowing members