Page 6 - AAPA Year End Report

AAPA: Your Voice in Washington
Ongoing Advocacy
FY 2017 Appropriations
Congress failed to pass nal appropriations for FY 2017, though it did approve two Continuing Resolutions to keep the govern- ment funded through spring. At the time of the Congressional adjournment, AAPA was making progress in increasing funding for the Corps of Engineers and DERA grants and was expecting to maintain funding levels for TIGER, Port Security Grants and NOAA navigation programs. Final appropriations are expected to be approved by Congress in early 2017.
CBP Staf ng
During 2016, AAPA increased its advocacy efforts on the issue of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staf ng, requesting that increased staf ng at ports become a higher priority. AAPA orga- nized a letter to appropriators from 30 stakeholder organizations on the issue and discussed it with top policymakers at the spring and fall AAPA member y-ins. Additional attention was brought to this issue through a Congressional PORTS Caucus event, where CBP publicly acknowledged it was 500 of cers short in the seaport environment. To get more of cers hired quickly, AAPA also worked with CBP and ports to attract veterans to CBP.
Other Issues
AAPA submitted comments this year on Federal Maritime Com- mission Changes to Admissibility Standards as well as the IRS Proposed Rule to Clarify Political Subdivision for Tax-Exempt Bonds. AAPA is awaiting agency action. On the legislative side, time ran out in the 114th Congressional session to nalize ballast water reform and DERA reauthorization. We expect Congress to continue working on these issues in 2017. AAPA also continues to advocate for automatic full use of HMT and the blocking of the Rotterdam Rules.