Clerk of the House of Representatives
Legislative Resource Center
135 Cannon Building
Washington, DC 20515
http://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov 		Secretary of the Senate
Office of Public Records
232 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510
http://www.senate.gov/lobby
LOBBYING REPORT

Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page

1. Registrant Name Organization/Lobbying Firm Self Employed Individual
NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL

2. Address

Address1
P.O. BOX 2995
 Address2
​
City
Cordova
 State
TN
 Zip Code
38088-2995
 Country
USA

3. Principal place of business (if different than line 2)

City
​
State
​
Zip Code
​
Country
​
4a. Contact Name b. Telephone Number c. E-mail
​Mr.
​R E SHELLABARGER
​9012749030
​bshellabarger@cotton.org
5. Senate ID#
​27571-12
7. Client Name Self Check if client is a state or local government or instrumentality
​NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL
6. House ID#
​303760000
TYPE OF REPORT 8. Year
​2015
 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
​
11. No Lobbying Issue Activity
INCOME OR EXPENSES - YOU MUST complete either Line 12 or Line 13
12. Lobbying 13. Organizations
INCOME relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period was: EXPENSE relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period were:
Less than $5,000
Less than $5,000
$5,000 or more $
​
$5,000 or more $
​160,000.00
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.
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

Signature
Digitally Signed By: R E SHELLABARGER
 Date
4/20/2015 3:29:18 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 AGR

16. Specific lobbying issues

Implementation of H.R. 2642, the Agricultural Act of 2014

Testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee regarding implementation of the Agricultural Act of 2014

Comments to USDA regarding the interim rule for the Conservation Stewardship Program

Comments to USDA regarding the interim rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Participation in agricultural coalition letter to House and Senate Budget Committees conveying opposition to proposed cuts for crop insurance in the Administrations budget

Contacts with Senate offices regarding amendments to Senate budget resolution for FY 2016

Letters to House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittees conveying the cotton industrys requests for FY2016 funding of select programs

Communications to House and Senate leadership regarding the extension of tax provisions of importance to agriculture

H.R. 636, the America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2015

WTO Doha Round multilateral trade negotiations, specifically concerning U.S. negotiating positions with respect to trade in agricultural products and disciplines on domestic support for agriculture

Communications with USDA and USTR concerning Chinas policies and WTO obligations

Communications with Congress, USTR, USDA, State Department and Department of Commerce concerning the Turkish governments anti-dumping investigation of US cotton imports

Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and yarn forward rule of origin for textiles and apparel

U.S.-E.U. free trade agreement negotiations

Communications with the Administration regarding port labor negotiations

Letter to CFTC regarding the definition of bona fide hedging in the proposed rules on position limits for derivatives and aggregation of positions

Letter to House Judiciary Committee regarding H.R. 185, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015

Issues related to the use and registration of crop protection products in communications with EPA Office of Pesticide Programs

H.R. 897, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015

Testimony before house Agriculture Committees Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee regarding EPAs proposed rule for the Clean Water Act to define waters of U.S. for permitting purposes

Participation in coalition letter to EPA seeking the re-opening of the comment period for proposed water quality standards regulatory clarifications

H.R. 594, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act

Issues related to the cottonseed industrys petition with EPA for a Renewable Identification Number

OSHA proposed rule to revise its Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting regulations

Participation in agricultural coalition letter to House Agriculture Committee regarding mandatory labeling for foods containing biotechnology-derived products

Written communications to members of Congress conveying opposition to any action impacting the utilization of biotechnology

Contacts with EPA regarding pollinator risk assessment for pesticide registrations for cotton

Meetings with USDA Agricultural Research Service regarding honey bee health research

Participation in the meeting of EPA's Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee

Issues related to new EPA pesticide label language for certain neonicotinoid products

Comments to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the petition request to list the Monarch Butterfly as an endangered species

Comments to EPA regarding the proposed revision of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone

EPAs proposed label language for a newly formulated 2,4-D product

EPAs Environmental Impact Statement for a newly formulated Dicamba product

USDA-APHIS environmental assessment of corn and soy varieties resistant to 2,4-D

USDA-APHIS environmental assessment of cotton and soy varieties tolerant to Dicamba

Meeting with USDA-APHIS regarding surveys to determine scope of Old World Bollworm infestation

Contacts with USDA-FSA regarding the enforcement of cotton shipping standards

Contacts with USDA-FSA regarding the Extra Long Staple Cotton Competitiveness Program

Contacts with USDA-FSA regarding the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program

Comments to USDA-AMS regarding cotton classification fees

USDA NASSs Consumption on the Cotton System and Stocks survey

Contacts with USDA regarding Cotton Outlooks planned changed in the quality characteristics of the A Index

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), Commerce - Dept of (DOC), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), State - Dept of (DOS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)

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
Gary M.
Adams
​
​
Robert Craig
Brown
​
​
Sidney A.
Johnson
​
​
Robbie
Minnich
​
​
W. Harrison
Ashley
​
​
Reece
Langley
​
​
Matthew
Valesko
​
​
Christine
Birdsong
​
​

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

Address
​
City
​
State
​
Zip Code
​
Country
​

21. Client new principal place of business (if different than line 20)

City
​
State
​
Zip Code
​
Country
​

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

First Name
Last Name
Suffix
First Name
Last Name
Suffix
1
​Mark D.
​Lange
​
3
​E. Keith
​Menchey
​
2
​John
​Maguire
​
4
​
​
​

ISSUE UPDATE

24. General lobbying issue that no longer pertains

​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​

AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

25. Add the following affiliated organization(s)

Internet Address:

Name Address Principal Place of Business
(city and state or country)
Street Address
City State/Province Zip Country
City
State Country

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
Street Address
City State/Province Country
City
State Country
%

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