Advertising
In March 15th, 2006, then Senator John Kerry knowing that for nearly six years we had a policy in place under Executive Order (E.O.) 13170 which directed federal agencies to create greater opportunities for small disadvantaged small business owners to participate in federal procurement. Kerry sent a letter to Comptroller General U.S. Government Accountability Office requesting a report.
– NAHP and NNPA want to have a yearly total federal dollars report on advertising channeled to SDB’s and MBE’s to ensure it is meeting its responsibility to reach out to all sectors of the American economy and in keeping its commitment to minority entrepreneurs and a GAO on all federal dollars (civilian and military) spent on publications.
Labor
In June, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed increasing the salaries test of the white collar exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from its current threshold of $23,660 to $50,440 annually ?a 102 percent increase. If finalized without any changes, this would mean that many currently exempt employees would no longer be considered exempt, and therefore, would need to be paid overtime for more than 40-hours of work in a week if they make an annual salary of less than $50,440.
– We are requesting more reasonable increases as the Administration should not address a decade of inaction with a 102 percent increase in the salary threshold as many newspapers said they would be forced to make cuts to newsroom staff in order to accommodate the DOL’s proposal.
Content Providers
In February 6th, 2016 a letter to the FCC commissioner was sent addressing several concerns regarding original content, diversity inclusion and intellectual property. NAHP and NNPA publications have evolved into media platforms creating original content addressing our respective communities overlapping with now mainstream media outlets both on broadcast and internet.
– The Commission is under congressional mandate to regulate the cable, satellite and broadcast industries.NAHP and NNPA in partnership with MMTC and the Concerned Organizations urges the Commission to consider the unintended consequences of recent set top box proposal on diverse and independent programmers.
Taxation
NAHP and NNPA have learned of a proposal being discussed on the House Ways and Means Committee that would limit the ability to deduct costs of advertising as an ordinary and necessary business expense. It proposed requiring businesses to spread out over 10 years the deduction for half of the cost of their advertising. Current law allows businesses to deduct these costs in the year they are incurred.