Poly Labs reposted this
USFMA's fall meeting was a major success thanks to Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. (makers of REPREVE® ) in North Carolina, which hosted more than three-dozen reps from leading domestic footwear manufacturers and suppliers to advance our ambitious policy agenda in Washington. A special shout out to Jon Bosworth, chief of staff for Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR), the top Democrat and former chair of a member of the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee, who provided an insider update on legislative priorities on Capitol Hill, and Nicholas Halmrast, regional representative for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), for also joining the meeting. Attendees also got to tour new member KARL MAYER's Stoll Showroom in Greensboro and Unifi’s state-of-the-art REPREVE Manufacturing Facility in Yadkinville. The two-day gathering drew reps from USFMA members BASF; New Balance; Bixby International; Dela; The Haartz Corporation; Kamik Canada Inc.; Meramec Group, Inc.; Okabashi Brands, Inc.; Polylabs; Precision Testing Labs; Rogers Foam Corporation.; Rubberlite, Inc.; Signet Mills; and University of Massachusetts Lowell. USFMA also welcomed new members KX Inc.; ORISOL.GLOBAL; Drexel University; Worthen Industries; COMUNITYmade, INC. and Draper Knitting Company. The association is advocating for the Import and Security Fairness Act to prevent businesses from exploiting import loopholes – the de minimis threshold – that could harm domestic industries, and tracking The Americas Act intended to increase supply chain investments in the Western Hemisphere to ensure it doesn’t harm domestic manufacturing. USFMA has also joined a broad coalition of businesses and trade associations calling on Congress to pass The American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act that would restore the ability to deduct research and development expenses in the year they are incurred. Member companies also discussed efforts to ensure proposed language in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act is adopted seeking an assessment of current policy that allows military servicemembers to wear foreign-made boots on duty – a major loophole to the Berry Amendment that mandated US-made footwear. USFMA is also advocating that the U.S. Army test whether it should make dedicated boots for female soldiers, rather than rely on unisex form, fit and function. Next year, USFMA is planning a full-scale push to ensure that the United States Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard require Berry Amendment-compliant boots and dress shoes for servicemembers on duty. USFMA membership offers an active forum for information exchange, innovation, collaboration, and networking. It is also the epicenter for military footwear R&D, pursuing appropriations from Congress, and leading industry-wide campaigns to grow domestic manufacturing of footwear through fair trade, strong manufacturing policies, and programs that strengthen the supplier base.
