THB AFFORDABLE FOOTWEAR COALITION

THB AFFORDABLE FOOTWEAR COALITION
October23,2008
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
The HonorableHarrv Reid
Majority Leader
U.S.Senate
The Honorable John A. Boehner
Republican Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
TheHonorableMitch McConnell
RepublicanLeader
U.S.Senate
Dear SpeakerPelosi, LeadersReid, McConnell and Boehner:
Recently, in the midst of economic turmoil, Congressworked together to pass legislation
that would unfreeze credit and reintroduce liquidity to the market. As leaders in the retail
industry, we applaud Congress'sefforts to quickly addressa growing financial crisis. Amid the
concernsof major financial institutions failing, it is important to remember the millions of hard
working families acrossthe country that have been hit hardestby a souring economy and merit
direct relief. Toward that end, we urge our leadersin Congressto passthe Affordable Footwear
Act (H.R. 3934/S. 2372), which would offer timely relief to consumerson the cost of a basic
necessity- all children's footwear and other moderatelypriced shoes.
Fortunately, this bipartisan legislation, sponsored by over one-third of the House of
Representativesand fourteen Senators,is something that Congresscan move on quickly when it
returns to Washington,DC after the elections.
The Affordable Footwear Act would eliminate the highest and most regressivetariffs on
footwear no longer manufacturedin the United States. The legislation is supportedby retailers
and domestic footwear manufacturers alike. Most importantly, the Affordable Footwear Act
would eliminate duties that no longer serve any purpose except to raise the cost of shoesto hard
working consumers. These tariffs go back to the Smoot-Hawley laws passedin the 1930s and
have not been changed since - even though the footwear in the bill has not been manufactured in
the United Statesfor decades.
Understandably, amid the urgency to pass the recovery bill, popular and important
legislation like the Affordable Footwear Act was put aside. However, Congresscan still act this
year, as it now seemslikely it will return this sessionto consider another stimulus measureto
help jumpstart the economy. The Affordable Footwear Act is the perfect opportunity to provide
a tangible tax cut that would immediately stimulate the economy and provide a benefit to Main
Street Americans. We urge the inclusion of Affordable Footwear Act in appropriate legislation
that passesduring the lame duck sessionto assiststruggling Americans.
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Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
StevenJackson
CEO
ACI International
Los Angeles,CA
KurtNath Tandem
AssociateGeneralCounsel
Adidas
Portland, OR
Rick Boume
Presidentand COO
ASICS America Corporation
Irvine, CA
Alan Colman
CEO
Atsco Footwear
Avon, MA
Robert Campbell
CEO
BBC International
Boca Raton,FL
Jim Weber
Presidentand CEO
Brooks Sports,Inc.
Bothell, WA
Ronald A Fromm
Chairman and CEO
Brown ShoeCompany
St. Louis, MO
Alex Del Cielo
JamesSalzano
Executive Vice President
The Clarks Companies
Newton Upper Falls, MA
Tim Boyle
Presidentand CEO
Columbia SportswearCompany
Portland, OR
Angel Martinez
Chairman and CEO
Deckers Outdoor Corporation
Goleta,CA
Michael Muskat
Presidentand CEO
Deer Stags,Inc.
New York, NY
Joe Russell
CEO
Elan-Polo,Inc.
St. Louis, MO
Jeffrey A. Shepard
CEO and President
FootstarInc.
Mahwah,NJ
Hal Pennington
CEO
Genesco,Inc.
Nashville, TN
Jim Issler
Presidentand CEO
H.H. Brown ShoeCompany
Greenwich, CT
Frank Arnstein
CEO
Inter Pacific Corp.
Los Angeles,CA
Harvey K. Gerdy
CEO
International SeawayTrading Corp.
Boca Raton,FL
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Camuto Group
Greenwich, CT
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Lavnence Tarica
CEO
Jimlar Corporation
Great Neck, NY
Jim Kimberlin
President
LJO,Inc.
Wayne, NJ
Gregg Foss
President
Laird, Ltd.
Marietta, GA
Ron McCray
Chief Administrative Oflicer
Nike Inc.
Beaverton,OR
Robert T. DeMartini
CEO
New Balance Athletic ShoesInc.
Boston,MA
Matthew E. Rubel
Chairman
PaylessShoesource,
Inc.
Topeka, KS
Alan Luchette
Nine West Footwear Corp.
New York, NY
Michael Laemmermann
COO/CFO
PUMA North America, Inc.
Westford, MA
Bob Moore
CEO
Prime Tanning Co.,Inc.
Berw-ick,ME
William J. Sweasy
Chairman and CEO
Red Wing ShoeCompany,Inc.
Red Wing, MN
Bjoern Gulden
CEO
Rack Room Shoes
Charlotte,NC
Dale Whitney
President
RenaissanceImports, Inc.
Matthews, NC
Uli Becker
Presidentand CEO
Reebok InternationaI, Ltd.
Canton, MA
Michael Rupp
President
The Rockport Company, LLC
Canton, MA
Greg Tunney
CEO
RG Barry
Columbus, OH
Bobby Tucker, Sr.
CEO
ShoeShow,Inc.
Concord, NC
Mark Lemond
President
ShoeCarnival
Evansville,IN
David Weinberg
Skechers
USA, Inc.
ManhattanBeach,CA
Bret Rasmussen
Presidentand CEO
Kuru Footwear
Salt Lake City, UT
GreggRibatt
PresidentandCEO
The StrideRite Corporation
Lexington.MA
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AFF$R.BABLEFOOTWEARCOALITION
Letter tc Ccngresslona! Leadership * Page 4 of 4
BryanP. Collins
President
Topline Corporation
Seattle,WA
JeffreyB. Swartz
PresidentandCEO
The TimberlandCompany
Strattram,NH
Mark Feldman
GeneralManager
Valley LaneIndustries
New York, NY
Larry Skaggs
CEO
TrimfootCO.,LLC
Farmington,MO
EduardoCastro-Wrieht
PresidentandCEO
Wal-MartU.S.
Bentonville.AR
Eric Wiseman
CEO
VF Corporation
Greensboro,
NC
MichaelBerkson
President
Stanbee
Carlstadt,NJ
BlakeKrueger
PresidentandCEO
WolverineWorld Wide Inc.
Rockford.MI