March 29, 2018
- Senator Targets DTC Ads
- State Privacy Bills Introduced
- Online Advertising Webinar Scheduled
- Senate Committee Considers FTC Nominees
- AAF Club Members Meet with State Lawmakers
Senator Targets DTC Ads
Senator Claire McCaskill, D-MO, has introduced legislation
to take away the federal tax deduction for the advertising of
prescription pharmaceuticals. Similar legislation has been introduced in
past Congresses but not given serious consideration. However, with
President’s recent emphasis on lowering the price of pharmaceuticals AAF
will keep a close watch on this bill.
In
supporting the bill, the Senator mischaracterizes the deduction of this
normal and necessary business expense as a taxpayer subsidy and a
reason for high drug prices. AAF is unaware of any research that shows
that DTC advertising raises drug prices. In fact, past Federal Trade Commission
studies have shown that advertising helps to lower the price of
products. DTC advertising can also be an important source of information
for consumers and often prompts visits to their physicians who can then
recommend the appropriate course of action.
State Privacy Bills Introduced
Bills have been considered in the Maine and Massachusetts legislatures intending to protect the privacy of their citizens’ online data. AAF and many of our industry allies have written
to lawmakers in both states explaining the effectiveness of current
federal privacy protections and the harm that would come to consumers if
states were to adopt inconsistent and overly restrictive requirements.
While the Massachusetts legislation addresses both privacy and net
neutrality, the industry letter only addresses the privacy issues. Both bills have been the subject of hearings, but no votes as of this writing.
Online Advertising Webinar Scheduled
AAF
is a strong supporter of self-regulation, as both a smart business
practice and a defense against overzealous government regulation. The
AAF supported Digital Advertising Alliance establishes and enforces responsible privacy practices across the industry for digital advertising.
The DAA has scheduled a Webinar
for April 5 on a vital matter for the digital ad ecosystem in 2018...
making sure brands, publishers, and their advertising partners are
ensuring proper transparency and notice on their sites and apps, just as
they do in their interest-based ads. This free webinar is open to all
AAF members.
DAA will be joined by corporate counsel as well as a representative of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (which helps to enforce the program) for a DAA Principles compliance focused Webinar
that will provide stakeholders with practical steps to take now to
ensure consumer transparency and control are being adequately provided
on sites and in apps. Interested members can register for this free
webinar here.
Senate Committee Considers FTC Nominees
In
February, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
held a hearing on President Trump’s four nominees to serve as Federal
Trade Commission Commissioners:
-
Joseph Simons (Chairman), former antitrust co-chair at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison,
-
Rohit Chopra, former senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America and assistant director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
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Noah Joshua Phillips, chief counsel for Senator John Cornyn, R-TX, and
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Christine Wilson, former senior vice president for legal, regulatory and international at Delta Air Lines and partner at Kirkland & Ellis.
For
the past year the Commission has been led by only two Commissioners,
Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen and Commissioner Terrell McSweeny. The
Committee has advanced all four nominations to the full Senate. No vote
has yet been scheduled.
AAF Club Members Meet with State Lawmakers
AAF
members in many states have visited with state legislators in their
state capitols to educate them about importance of advertising in their
states to help create jobs and grow the economy and the harm of
potential anti-advertising laws.
On February 6th, AAF’s 4th District
(Florida) had a very successful Advertising Day in Tallahassee. AAF's
Florida members have met with lawmakers every year since 1987 when the
state enacted – and quickly repealed – a tax on advertising and other
services. The event occurs whether or not there is pending legislation
related to the advertising industry. As AAF's 4th District Government
Relations Chairman Mike Bates said, "By showing the flag every year, we
help prevent detrimental laws from being introduced at all."
AAF Omaha and AAF Lincoln
team up each year to host a Legislative Meet & Greet with Nebraska
State Senators in the capitol of Lincoln to speak with state
representatives about issues important to the advertising community.
This year’s event was held on February 7th and featured a brief
presentation from Ryan Horn, AAF Omaha Legislative Team Member, about
the role advertising plays in cultivating a creative Nebraska, and Andy
Roback the CEO of Flood Communications who talked about the role his
television and radio stations play across the state of Nebraska in
supporting young people in rural communities with interests in
broadcasting and advertising.
On March 13th, AAF Des Moines
hosted their 11th annual legislative breakfast at Iowa’s Ad Day at the
Capitol. Members of AAF Des Moines met with legislators at the Iowa
State Capitol to discuss the importance of advertising in the state and
about the club’s efforts that were voiced on the federal level during
the tax reform bill. AAF Des Moines has a long history of prioritizing
the role of government relations and continually works to grow their
efforts beyond their annual event at their Capitol.
For more information about conducting a legislative event in your state, contact AAF's Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, Clark Rector.
The next AAF Day on the Hill will be in Washington, DC in early 2019. Look for more information on that exciting event soon.
<< 2018 Reports | View all Government Reports >>
The AAF protects and promotes advertising at all levels of government through grassroots activities. Our nation-wide network monitors advertising-related legislation on local, state and federal levels. We put our members face-to-face with influential lawmakers while encouraging self-regulation as a preemptor to government intervention, when appropriate of course. To learn more about our advocacy efforts, click here.