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
10/20/2015 9:36:59 AM

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

Comments with other agricultural commodity groups to USDA-FSA regarding the implementation of changes in the Conservation Reserve Program required by the Agricultural Act of 2014

Cotton industry requests for funding of select programs in FY 2016 Agriculture Appropriations bills (H.R. 3049 and S. 1800)

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 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

H.R. 897 - Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015

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

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

Comments in response for the EPA federal register notice regarding the analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the production and transport of cottonseed oil for use in biofuel production

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

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

Comments in response to the EPA federal register notice regarding risk management approaches to identifying options for protecting the monarch butterfly

H.R. 1105 - Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015

Participant in coalition letter to Senate Committee on Finance regarding the extension of certain expired tax policies

Participant in coalition letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives regarding the extension of expired and expiring tax provisions

H.R. 9 - Innovation Act

H.R. 1599 - Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015

H.R. 1732 - Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015

S. 1140 - Federal Water Quality Protection Act

H.R. 2289 - Commodity End-User Relief Act

Final rule by EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers for defining jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act

S. 1500 - Sensible Environmental Protection Act of 2015

H.R. 2898 - Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015

S. 1894 - California Emergency Relief Act of 2015

S. 1660 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify and make permanent bonus depreciation

S. 1946 - the Tax Relief Extension Act of 2015

Participant in coalition letter to Senate Committee on Finance regarding the renewal of tax provisions and passage of legislation to extend bonus depreciation

S. 1298 - Port Transparency Act

Participant in coalition letter to Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee regarding the inclusion of the Ports Performance Act (S. 1298) as part of the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015 (S. 1732)

S. 1647 - the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act

Participant in coalition letter to Senate regarding its multi-year surface transportation legislation

Participant in coalition letter to the House of Representatives regarding the passage of multi-year surface transportation legislation

H.R. 3129 - the Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act

Comments in response to the US Trade Representatives notice regarding the proposed designation of Generalized System of Preferences for five cotton products from least developed beneficiary developing countries

Participant in coalition letter to President Obama regarding engagement with China on agricultural innovation and trade

Participant in coalition letter to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs regarding the introduction of the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 (S. 2006)

USDA-FSA approval of specification recommendations for cotton bale packaging materials

Meetings with USDA-FAS regarding MAP and FMD and program funding allocations

Meetings with EPA regarding review and approval of labels for dicamba and 2,4-D use on herbicide tolerant cotton varieties

Meetings with USDA and Congress in support of policy for cottonseed

Comments to the Department of Transportation-National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations proposed rule regarding the consideration of requirements for rear impact guards and other safety strategies on single unit trucks


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 Review Commission, State - Dept of (DOS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Transportation - Dept of (DOT)

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
​
​
Jody
Campiche
​
​

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
​
​
​
3
​
​
​
2
​
​
​
4
​
​
​

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)
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