REGION 1 RVP NOTES – MARCH 2007

 

     An NEB meeting was held 28 February – 2 March 2007…Below are my informal notes and observations.

 

  1. Actions taken:

 

    1. Approved new Bylaws/ Standing Rules Amendment Forms, Proposed Convention Resolution Form and a brief summary of Roberts Rules as they apply to motions made from the floor of the assembly.

 

    1. Committee appointed to study and prepare a policy on how the Research Leadership & Development Committee is to be funded, how it is to report and what support should be provided by headquarters. Composed of Secretary Nat Brown and RVPs Dick Thissen and Augie Stratoti

 

    1. A silver Circle Program was approved that will be open to all members on a voluntary basis. For a $25 donation, a silver circle pin or tie tack will be provided. Donators will be recognized in the NARFE Magazine.

 

    1. Revised the fees for obtaining Pre-retirement Seminars - $200 to Coordinator for preparing and getting a signed contract, $100 to person providing the lead that results in a signed contract. The new PRS Coordinator for Region 1 is Bill Carroll, 5 Meadow Lane, Lynnfield, MA, Telephone, 781-334-4366, E-mail, wpcarrollesq@comcast.net

 

    1. National Secretary is to prepare a new procedure that provides automatic distribution of new or revised By-laws to the Federation and Chapter secretaries and the RVPs.   

 

6.  ECAC Committee was dissolved.

 

7.  Approved motion to bring Association in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation to reflect two classes of membership which were approved by the convention:  voting and non-voting members.

 

        8.  Approved retaining current method of calculating Life Member rates.

 

9.  Approved preparation of referendum to increase the Treasurer’s salary to make it comparable to the Secretary’s.  Both officers have had increases in their workload and are now equal in scope and responsibility.  This Referendum will be at no cost, since we are owed a free Referendum by the company that conducted the last Referendum because of an error they made. This Referendum is necessary as an issue of fairness to compensate the Treasurer for what he is currently doing.

 

10.    Approved a proposal to consider reorganizing the H.Q. organization to combine the Secretary and Treasurer positions into a Secretary/Treasurer position and redistribute some of the workload to the National VP.  This will be the subject of a potential second referendum and will be discussed at the meeting of the Federation Presidents in Louisville on 24 and 25 July.

 

11.    The 2007 Membership Plan was approved and will be distributed shortly.  Successful recruitment strategies have been renewed;  strategies that were not effective were dropped. 

 

12.    The NARFE Strategies Development Plan was completed and approved and is being prepared for distribution.

 

13.    Approved the report of the NARFE investment committee that showed the investments are performing very well, averaging approximately 10% return overall with one account approaching 15% return.  The Treasurer reported that NARFE is in good financial condition.

 

  1. The subject of OMOV was discussed.  Discussion will be held at the Federation Conventions to obtain member interest and feedback.

 

  1. The new NARFE Premier Federal Credit Union provided $15 for each NARFE eligible member to appropriate local NARFE/Chapters and was responsible for adding 3400 new members to our roles in December 2006.

 

  1. For any chapters that want to purchase banners, matching funds will be available up to August.  None after 1 August.

 

  1. NARFE requests that Chapters promptly notify them of all deceased members.  Keeping them on the rolls wastes valuable funds.

 

  1. Membership – National Secretary Brown reported that mailings to members who were dropped for at least one year have resulted in approximately 7% reinstatements.  This program will be continued. During 2006, there were over 10,000 fewer members lost than in 2005.  During the past three months of 2006, there were more members gained than lost.

 

  1. New Chapter and Federation President’s pins are available from NARFE Mart, for $4.00 each.

 

  1. Legislative News – 

 

    1.  NARFE PAC was very successful in the 2005-2006 cycle.  Total member contributions were over one-quarter million dollars.  NARFE contributed to 259 congressional candidates.

230 of these candidates, which were from both parties, won their races, 214 in the House, 16 in the Senate.

 

    1. The NARFE legislative staff has been working very hard to encourage the new Democratic leaders to support the NARFE legislative initiatives. The Bill for GPO/WEP Repeal (H.R. 82) sponsored by Rep Howard Berman (D-CA) has approximately 250 co-sponsors.  The Senate companion Bill, S. 206, sponsored by Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has approximately 20 co-sponsors.

 

The recently introduced Premium Conversion Bill has a very impressive list of co-sponsors.  H.R. 110, sponsored by Rep Tom Davis (R-VA), includes among the co-sponsors Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Oversight and Government Reform and 19 members of the House Ways and Means Committee.  Charlie Rangel, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has indicated support for the bill subject to the new pay as you go rule. The Senate counterpart, S. 775, introduced by Sen. John Warner (R-VA) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) on National Legislative Action Day during the Legislative convention includes Senate Finance Committee members, John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), Olympia Snow (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME).  John Sununu (R-NH) also was one of the original sponsors, good coverage from Region 1.  The bills are supported by a coalition of 35 military, veterans and uniformed services organizations as well as most organizations representing postal workers and annuitants.  We need to support our NARFE legislative staff by contacting our state representatives and senators to co-sign and support the legislative initiatives.

 

    1. The Legislative Conference which was held on 4, 5, and 6 March was one of the best ever, bringing together the largest group of NARFE members ever to attend a legislative convention (Approximately 300 attendees).  22 members from Region 1 were present. Five informative breakout sessions were held. On the morning of March 6th, a majority of the attendees visited their Representatives and Senators on Capitol Hill to lobby for support of our priority legislation and the preservation of our current benefits. Talking papers are available on the following issues: FEHPB; Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s); Premium Conversion; Medicare Part D & the Employer Subsidy; Medicare Part B Premium Means Testing; Medicare Part B Penalty; Long Term Care Insurance Tax Relief; Social Security Privatization; Social Security Government Pension Offset (GPO); Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP); Increased Survivor Benefit Option; Adjusted Deferred Benefits for Federal Employees; Retirement Computation Credit for Retired VA Nurses; and Part-timers Annuity. To obtain copies of these papers, go to the NARFE web page at www.narfe.org sign in and click on Legislation, look down the left hand side of that page and click on “ISSUES/POSITION PAPERS” all fourteen are listed. Click and print out the ones you want.

 

4.   As many of you may have heard, OPM has not applied for the Medicare employer subsidy. GAO report, GAO-07-141, written at the request of Sen. Akaka (D-HI) reports that obtaining the subsidy would lower FEHB Premiums. Since taking the subsidy involves only intragovernmental transfers, there would be no overall cost to the Government by taking the subsidy. Most of the Representatives and Senators do not know about this issue. We need to let them all know how important obtaining the subsidy is for lowering costs of health care for all Federal employees and retirees. Sen. Akaka will be holding hearings in the spring. HQ staff will be meeting with Congressional leaders. If we have Congressional support, we might be able to force OPM to reverse their position and apply for the subsidy by next open season.

 

5.      A number of Region 1 members have been writing to the Region 1 RVP to ask me to support and encourage pursuit for Legislative issues. While we are always pleased to hear from members, it should be pointed out that it not necessary to write to convince us to back support for the pursuit of Legislative issues. The NEB’s primary function is to "Maintain and Enhance the Earned Benefits" of Current Federal Employees, Annuitants and their Spouses.  We are committed to that mission, and as seen from the actions of the NEB in approving the Legislative Program for the new Congress and the actions of the Legislative Staff in pursuing the sponsorships and support for our Legislative initiatives, we are in the best position in many years. What is needed now is for every member to support the fine work done by the Legislative Staff by personally contacting your local Congressional representatives to support our primary Legislative initiatives.

 

                   Augie Stratoti, Regional Vice President, Region 1