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LOBBYING REPORT |
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page
2. Address
| Address1 | 1314 South 18th Street |
Address2 |
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| City | St. Louis |
State | MO |
Zip Code | 63104 |
Country | USA |
3. Principal place of business (if different than line 2)
| City | St. Louis |
State | MO |
Zip Code | 63104 |
Country | USA |
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5. Senate ID# 401104707-12
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6. House ID# 438810001
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| TYPE OF REPORT | 8. Year | 2021 |
Q1 (1/1 - 3/31) | Q2 (4/1 - 6/30) | Q3 (7/1 - 9/30) | Q4 (10/1 - 12/31) |
9. Check if this filing amends a previously filed version of this report
| 10. Check if this is a Termination Report | Termination Date |
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11. No Lobbying Issue Activity |
| INCOME OR EXPENSES - YOU MUST complete either Line 12 or Line 13 | |||||||||
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| 12. Lobbying | 13. Organizations | ||||||||
| INCOME relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period was: | EXPENSE relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period were: | ||||||||
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| Provide a good faith estimate, rounded to the nearest $10,000, of all lobbying related income for the client (including all payments to the registrant by any other entity for lobbying activities on behalf of the client). | 14. REPORTING Check box to indicate expense accounting method. See instructions for description of options. | ||||||||
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Method A.
Reporting amounts using LDA definitions only
Method B. Reporting amounts under section 6033(b)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code Method C. Reporting amounts under section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code |
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| Signature | Digitally Signed By: Natalie J. Higgins |
Date | 4/20/2021 4:59:03 PM |
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code TAX
16. Specific lobbying issues
Under your proposed tax plan, you have endorsed a number of provisions which would be harmful to family owned
businesses, including a large number of our Members. Specifically, we ask that you reconsider the following
profound tax increases as these proposed changes would compound the financial and compliance burden on next
generation family business owners including many of our Members:
Death Tax Plan: Under your proposed tax plan, you have proposed a return to 2009 law for the death tax ($3.5
million exemption and 45% rate vs. $11.7 exemption for individuals/$23.4 million for couples in 2021 and 40%
rate). This would more than triple the number of taxpayers currently subject to the death tax including many of our
Members.
Step up in basis repeal: Stepping up the basis of property protects next generation business owners from the
potential of paying double taxes by virtue of a 40% death tax and then another large capital gains tax upon the sale
or future passing on of the business. Such an action demands an immense amount of liquidity simply to pay the
taxes on a business for which there has been to corresponding influx of cash as there would be in the event of a sale.
Capital Gains Due at Death: Death is not a predictable event and when a business owner passes away, inheritors
under your plan owe capital gains taxes as if a profitable sale of the family business had occurred. This presumes a
high degree of liquidity that the average small business owner does not have and would jeopardize many family
businesses.
Taxing Capital Gains as Ordinary Income: A part owner of a large family business would potentially have to pay
the ordinary income tax rate on a small business they inherited at death versus the capital gains tax rate. Again, this
proposed policy presumes liquidity that the average small business owner does not have and would, as a result,
jeopardize many family businesses.
Repeal of LIFO (Last In/First Out): Any repeal of the Last In/First Out accounting method should not be adopted.
There are approximately 10,000 businesses that use the LIFO method based on IRS statistics and most of the
businesses that use the LIFO method are small businesses rather than large, publicly traded companies.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
President of the U.S.
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
| First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Natalie J. |
Higgins |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code LBR
16. Specific lobbying issues
EDA expresses its opposition to the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act
(H.R. 842/S. 420).
The PRO Act would drastically restructure Americas labor laws resulting in economic upheaval
that would cost millions of American jobs, threaten vital supply chains, and greatly diminish
opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The bills attempts to achieve its primary
objectives of increasing union density and union leverage at the bargaining table without regard
for the negative impacts the legislation would have on workers, businesses, and the economy.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
| First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Natalie |
Higgins |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code ROD
16. Specific lobbying issues
Past Administrations and their respective infrastructure initiatives have focused on urban and suburban infrastructure
while failing to address the unique needs of rural communities. We ask that your Administration prioritize rural
communities and these unique needs as part of a comprehensive infrastructure renewal effort. American agriculture
takes immense pride in feeding the world and our industry creates millions of jobs for U.S. workers. Plainly, our
neglected and deteriorating infrastructure threatens our position in the world market. We appreciate that your plan
specifically includes roads and bridges, locks and dams, railroads, electrical, water systems and broadband.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
President of the U.S.
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
| First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Natalie |
Higgins |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code AGR
16. Specific lobbying issues
Proposed Class (b)(9) can be renewed in its current form, and potentially
clarified with certain definitions. The Copyright Office, however, should not permit the
expansion of Proposed Class (b)(9) in the guise of so-called renewal as part of a broader
Proposed Class 12. First, expanding the exemption to include third-party service providers
likely exceeds the permissible scope of these Section 1201(a)(1)(B)-(C) proceedings by
violating the separate prohibitions on trafficking in circumvention tools and services as provided
in Section 1201(a)(2) and 1201(b)(1), which are not subject to this triennial exemption
procedure. Second, as noted in the Notice, the Copyright Office reviewed and declined to adopt
the remaining proposed expansions in the 2018 Section 1201 Exemption Rulemaking. 85 Fed.
Reg. 65,307 nn.201, 204. There is no reason to reach a different outcome here. Any proposed
renewal should be subject to the same limitations as embodied in the current regulations, and
additional definitional clarifications are warranted.
Proposed Class 16 exceeds the permissible scope of an exemption in these proceedings.
Section 1201(a)(1)(B) limits the scope of any anti-circumvention exemption to users of a
copyrighted work which is in a particular class of works, if such [users] are, or are likely to be
in the succeeding 3-year period, adversely affected by virtue of such prohibition in their ability to
make noninfringing uses of that particular class of works[.] (Emphasis added.) As the
Copyright Office noted, this rulemaking process requires a showing of distinct, verifiable and
measurable adverse impacts on noninfringing uses, which cannot be hypothetical, theoretical,
or speculative and must be real, tangible, and concrete. Id. (citing Commerce Committee
Report at 37; Section 1201 Study at 119-21). For these reasons, broad proposed categories
such as fair use works or educational fair use works [are] inappropriate. Id. (citing 2015
Recommendation at 100 (citing 2006 Recommendation at 17-19).
Here, the Copyright Office correctly noted that Proposed Class 16 is not limited to particular
users or types of devices or particular uses. Id. Indeed, as written, Proposed Class 16
sweepingly applies to an unlimited set of users for all computer programs-irrespective of
any particular type of machine or device-for any lawful uses.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. Copyright Office
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
| First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Natalie |
Higgins |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code COM
16. Specific lobbying issues
The Federal Communications Commissions (Commission) recent failure to stay the Ligado Order, and to thereby
respect that congressional purpose as articulated in the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), is problematic given Congress clear view that the Ligado Order
insufficiently and/or erroneously assessed the real-world risks of the harmful interference that would be caused by
Ligados proposed terrestrial network. A broad cross-section of commercial and federal users across industries and
professions, including farmers and ranchers who rely on satellite services to meet their precision agriculture needs,
are fundamental to our economy, national security, and safety. We respectfully urge the Administration to work with
your counterparts in the Senate and ensure that that the Commission reverses its decision denying the Petition for
Reconsideration and to Stay the Order in favor of an immediate stay and reconsideration of that decision.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
President of the U.S.
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
| First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Natalie |
Higgins |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
Information Update Page - Complete ONLY where registration information has changed.
20. Client new address
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21. Client new principal place of business (if different than line 20)
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22. New General description of client’s business or activities
LOBBYIST UPDATE
23. Name of each previously reported individual who is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client
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ISSUE UPDATE
24. General lobbying issue that no longer pertains
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AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
25. Add the following affiliated organization(s)
Internet Address:
| Name | Address |
Principal Place of Business (city and state or country) |
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26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
FOREIGN ENTITIES
27. Add the following foreign entities:
| Name | Address |
Principal place of business (city and state or country) |
Amount of contribution for lobbying activities | Ownership percentage in client | ||||||||||
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28. Name of each previously reported foreign entity that no longer owns, or controls, or is affiliated with the registrant, client or affiliated organization
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 |
CONVICTIONS DISCLOSURE
29. Have any of the lobbyists listed on this report been convicted in a Federal or State Court of an offense involving bribery,
extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering?
| Lobbyist Name | Description of Offense(s) |