NATIONAL ACTIVE AND RETIRED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

“Everything we gain, everything we lose, is by act of Congress.”

Updated 06/06/2008

Current GEMS Legislative Update

The NARFE Legislative Hotline, number 631, released Friday, June 6 (2008). Planning for August's “Meet Your Candidates Month” is the lead item. The next Hotline is set for Friday, the 13 th of June. (496 words; 3:16)

As reported in the May issue of NARFE , page 15, and an earlier Hotline, this year NARFE has declared August as “Meet Your Candidates Month.” During the August summer recess, set to begin after the last House votes on Friday, August 1 st and continuing until September 8 th , NARFE federation and chapter leaders are planning multi-chapter forums and other meeting formats with incumbents, challengers and candidates, particularly in the still growing number of open seats. A week-long series of conference calls, connecting Regional Vice Presidents, National Officers and Legislative Department staff with most federation Presidents and National Legislative Chairs has just concluded. Federation leaders will take the lead in organizing NARFE forums with Senate candidates. District/Area Officers and Congressional District Liaisons coordination with federation officers will be crucial for successful forums with candidates for the House of Representatives. Future Hotlines will provide additional information. (Internet resources will be critical in finding candidate contact information. In addition to using a search engine such as Google to find a specific candidate, www.thegreenpapers.com , has one stop shopping for Senate and House candidate web sites at www.thegreenpapers.com/G08 .)

On June 5 th , the House-Senate conference report on the fiscal year 2009 budget resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 70) passed the House (214-210 http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll382.xml ). The Senate had adopted the final budget measure on June 4 th (by vote of 48-45 http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00142 ). The budget resolution is a tax and spending blueprint for the fiscal year that runs October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. The budget resolution guides congressional committees but does not require presidential action nor does it carry the force of law. This budget resolution contains no reductions in civil service retirement benefits. However, as reported in May's NARFE magazine (pages 10-12), during House consideration a budget substitute was debated and defeated (157-263) that could have resulted in reductions to federal civil service retirement and health benefits.

NARFE members, especially those who participated in the nation's largest one day food drive, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, on May 10 th , will be pleased to learn that a new record amount, 73.1 million pounds of food donations, was collected by city and rural letter carriers. The food was delivered to local food banks, pantries and shelters to help needy families in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.

(NARFE members who obtain this Hotline from America on Line ® may want to review recent issues blocked by their ISP. Use the NARFE web site, www.narfe.org , to search the Hotline archive.)

Thank you for using the Hotline. This weekly legislative message is available to telephone callers (703/838-7780 and toll free at 1-877-217-8234), posted on NARFE's Internet site, www.narfe.org , made available to NARFE-Net Coordinators; and broadcast to more than 44,000 GEMS e-mail addresses. Each delivery channel is a service of the NARFE, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

One last thought, your Tennessee Federation is always looking for a few good men and women who are willing to use their abilities to serve on committees or other work such as legislation. If you are interested contact John Wells.

NARFE Legislative Action Center Legislative Hotline Message Legislative Quarterly News

110th Congress Information (E-Mail address, District Offices Phone & FAX ->> Click Here.

Tennessee Federation of Chapters

Last Modified: June 6, 2008