Updated
6/05/2008
August is Meet Your Candidates Month
Politics is not a spectator sport. NARFE members, chapters and federations must actively participating in the political process. This should be encouraged and celebrated. However, when it occurs the Legislative Department is eager to learn what is taking place. Chapter or multi-chapter forums with one or more congressional candidate(s) can have immediate and lasting impact. It is where an enduring relationship can be planted for later cultivation. This applies to candidates of either political party, or none, as well as incumbents, their challengers and open seat candidates. Of course, this applies to the 35 Senate races too. See the May issue of NARFE in which Laura Scott, Legislative Assistant, urges members to plan now for “August: Meet Your Candidates Month” (page 15).
With the August "Meet your Candidates Month" we have an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the 111th Congress which will be seated in January 2009. But we will need to put our energy into it to get all of the previous cosponsors back from the 110th Congress, and then get the bills out of committee. To do this will take every members efforts. The Federation (8), District (9) and Chapter Officers (172) alone are not as much of an impact when working with congress as is the effect of all of the NARFE Tennessee Federation members (4628). numbers count, they translate to votes. There are about 40,000 Retired and 73,000 current federal employees in the state of Tennessee. If they were all members we would have event greater impact.
| |
Federation Members |
As of 04/15/2008 |
Congressional |
NARFE |
District |
Members |
1 |
560 |
2 |
506 |
3 |
472 |
4 |
415 |
5 |
470 |
6 |
544 |
7 |
572 |
8 |
437 |
9 |
265 |
|
4342 |
Members not in Tennessee |
257 |
|
NARFE Eligible Annuitants (OPM Estimate) & "Federal Government Worker (Census) ” |
| (from www.census.gov) as of 6/28/06 |
| By Congressional District |
|
OPM Est. |
Census |
Sum |
|
|
|
|
11,227 |
|
|
|
|
13,675 |
|
|
|
|
14,713 |
|
|
|
|
11,768 |
|
|
|
|
10,823 |
|
|
|
|
10,804 |
|
|
|
|
14,429 |
|
|
|
|
11,615 |
|
|
|
|
13,352 |
|
|
|
|
112,406 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Another set of Information for your use
|
The Federal Family in Tennessee |
|
|
Taken from the June 2008 NARFE Magazine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Monthly |
Employee |
Survivor |
Active |
Military |
Annuitants |
Annuities |
Annuitants* |
Annuitants* |
Federal |
Retirement |
on Roll* |
($000s)* |
|
|
Employees** |
System*** |
42,647 |
$79,662 |
31,997 |
10,650 |
49,271 |
49,597 |
| Average Montly Annuity |
75.03% |
24.97% |
|
|
$1,868 |
|
|
|
|
Total Number of Federal Retired folks affected by Legislation |
|
42,647 |
|
|
|
49,271 |
49,597 |
|
|
|
|
|
141,515 |
If the Acitive Federal and Military Retires have spouses at the same rate as the |
Federal Retires have survivors. |
|
Active |
Military |
|
|
|
|
Federal |
Retirement |
|
|
|
|
Spouses |
Spouses |
Then we can expect to have the following spouses |
12,304 |
12,386 |
| Total Number of Federal Retired folks affected by Legislation, |
|
|
|
|
including Spouses -->> |
166,205 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Fiscal Year 2006, ** Based on workplace, Fiscal Year 2002, *** Fiscal Year 2008 |
|
Click Here-->> NARFE'S LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE 110th CONGRESS (2007-2008)
Our priority legislative bills in the 110th. Congress:
Current Cosponsors - 62 (32D 2I, 28R) This is 3 short of the 109th Congress
and no Cosponsors from TN.
Current Action -> S.773 has been referred to the following committees
Read twice and referred to the
Committee on Finance.
- Legislation to allow federal and military retirees to pay their health insurance premiums with pre-tax compensation was introduced this week by Senators John Warner (R-VA) and Jim Webb (D-VA) and by five original bipartisan cosponsors, including Senators John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Trent Lott (R-MS) and John Sununu (R-NH). Rockefeller, Snowe and Lott are members of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill.
- Senator Warner and Webb's bill (S. 773) would amend the tax code to allow Federal civilian and military retirees - as well as active duty military employees - to pay their health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis, as active federal civilian employees can already do. Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) introduced the House version of the bill, H.R. 1110, on February 16, with 28 bipartisan cosponsors.
- "Federal and military retirees lose ground every year health insurance premiums skyrocket”, NARFE President Margaret L. Baptiste said. “The Premium Conversion legislation that Senators Warner and Webb and Rep. Tom Davis have sponsored would help retirees and survivors living on fixed incomes keep pace with rising health insurance costs.”
- S. 773 and H.R. 1110 is supported by the Military Coalition -- a group of 35 military, veterans and uniformed services organizations -- and most organizations which represent federal and postal workers and annuitants.
- “Many federal employees don't even know they enjoy an average tax savings of about $820 a year because Premium Conversion is an automatic benefit handled by their employing agency. In fact, they many not know they have it until it is gone when they retire”, Baptiste added. “That's why federal workers who will want premium conversion in the future -- when they'll need it the most -- should be fighting for it now by helping us support this important legislation.”
-
The Legislative Program for the 110th Congress is ordered into three categories to illustrate their priority as NARFE legislative goals. The first priority is to preserve the earned retirement benefits of annuitants and employees. Second, is legislation that would provide enhanced benefits to a significant share of NARFE's current and future membership. And third, are other key positions. See link to the full text of the program
Current Cosponsors - 332 (199D & 133R) This is 8 short of the 109th Congress
and 8 Cosponsors from TN, David Davis (R-1st), Zach Wamp (R-3rd) , Lincoln Davis (D-4th),
Jim Cooper (D-5th), Bart Gordon (D-6th), Marsha Blackburn (R-7th), John Tanner (D-8th)
Stephen Cohen (D-9th). John J. (Jimmy) Duncan (D-2nd) is the on one from TN not a co-sponsor.
Current Action -> H.R.1110 has been referred to the following committees
House Ways and Means , House Oversight and Government Reform , House Armed Services
- On Friday, February 16, Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) introduced legislation, H.R. 1110, to allow civilian and military retirees and active duty military to pay their government health care premiums with pre-tax dollars. Premium Conversion would provide the typical federal retiree with hundreds of dollars in annual tax savings. Davis, who saw his identical bill in the 109 th Congress die, despite gathering 340 cosponsors, (displayed in state delegations: http://capwiz.com/narfe/issues/bills/?bill=7148181&cs_party=all&cs_status=C&cs_state=ALL ) introduced his 110 th Congress legislation with a prominent bipartisan cast of original 28 cosponsors. They are: Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Jon Porter* (R-NV), House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen* (D-MD), Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Howard Coble (R-NC), Eleanor Norton (D-DC), Al Wynn (D-MD), Eric Cantor* (R-VA), Dave Camp* (R-MI), Pete Stark* (D-CA), Jim Ramstad* (R-MN), John Lewis* (D-GA), Sam Johnson* (R-TX), Xavier Becerra* (D-CA), Phil English* (R-PA), Stephanie Tubbs Jones* (D-OH), Jerry Weller* (R-IL), Mike Thompson* (D-CA), Ron Lewis* (R-KY), Rahm Emanuel* (D-IL), Paul Ryan* (R-WI), Shelley Berkley* (D-NV), Kendrick Meek* (D-FL), and Allyson Schwartz* (D-PA). Of these 28 original cosponsors, 19 (marked with *) serve on the Ways and Means Committee, the committee with jurisdiction for all tax bills. Links for the text of this legislation are not yet available at NARFE or on Thomas, as soon as they become availalbe this page will be updated with the new information.
- Repeal
of the Social Security Government Pension Offset and Windfall
Elimination Provision GPO/WEP; New bills have been introduced (H.R. 82 and S. 206), contact will need to be made to get all of the cosponsors in 109th Congress to again cosponsor the new bill in this the 110th Congress.
H.R. 82, To repeal entirely both the Government Pension Offset (GPO)
and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
Representative Howard Berman (D-CA-28)
Current Cosponsors - 345 (214D & 131R) , 50 more than the 109th Congress,
and seven Cosponsors from TN David Davis (R-1st), John J. (Jimmy) Duncan (D-2nd), Zach Wamp (R-3rd) , Lincoln Davis (D-4th),
Bart Gordon (D-6th), Marsha Blackburn (R-7th), & Stephen Cohen (D-9th). The only TN Representatives not co-sponsors are Jim Cooper (D-5th), & John Tanner (D-8th)
Current Action -> Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Congressman
John S. Tanner is a member of this Committee.
S. 206, To repeal entirely both the Government Pension Offset (GPO)
and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Current Cosponsors -
37 (30D 1I & 6R) , 4 more than the 109th Congress, and none from TN
Current Action -> Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. The are no Tennessee Senators on this Committee.
Current Status of Legislation in 110th Congress ->> click here
How each of you can help
If we snooze we lose! We
encourage everyone to frequently (say once a quarter or even once a month) e-mail and/or phone your elected officials. To
do this, NARFE headquarters provides
a toll free telephone number to the capitol switchboard. To contact the
Washington office of your senator or representative call this
number 1-866-220-0044 and ask
for his or her office by name, or if you do not know who your
representative is, tell them your city and state or zip code and they will look it up.
Note: postal mail, because of security concerns takes weeks to reach
officials in Washington so emails and telephone calls are better. Each of your legislators maintain offices in
Washington DC and in their districts. For a list of all the phone numbers,
FAX numbers and the mailing addresses, Click
here.
To keep current on the latest legislative information, go to
the NARFE national website and sign up to receive the weekly GEMS messages
via email. You can also call the toll free Hotline number 1-877-217-8234
to hear the weekly hotline message. Current GEMS message can be found here, ->> Click here
For a map showing the Congressional Districts by
Tennessee counties, ->> Click here
Many legislators do not list their email
addresses, but you Use
this handy box to write an email message to your elected officials. Enter
your zip code and click GO!: You will see a list of your
elected officials, then click email under their picture. You
can choose from selective topics or compose your own message.
Be a proactive Citizen Lobbyist
Click Here => for PowerPoint Presentation on
"Grassroots Legislative Advocacy" 65 slide, 4.2mb is size
If you don't have PowerPoint on your computer
Click Here => for Powerpoint Viewer software
Communicating with Elected Officials ->> Click Here
Information on 110th Congress Members from Tennessee ->> Click Here
References for what is happening on Capital Hill
| Fed Week | Federal Times | Mike Causey's Federal Report | Stephen Barr - Federal Diary |
Information below is for reference and legislative history only since new legislation introduced in the 110th Congress will have new numbers, but likely the same language.
H.R. 994, To allow federal civilian and military retirees to pay FEHBP
premiums with pre-tax dollars (Premium Conversion)
Representative Tom Davis (R-VA)
Final Cosponsors - 340
S. 484, To allow federal civilian and military retirees to pay FEHBP
premiums with pre-tax dollars (Premium Conversion)
Senator John Warner (R-VA)
Final Cosponsors - 65
H.R. 147, To repeal entirely both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)
Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA-25)
Final Cosponsors - 328
S. 619, To repeal entirely both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Final Cosponsors - 30
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 Matt Bauer.
Matt Bauer
198 Cedar View Dr
Murfreesboro , TN 37130-1320
Phone: 615-890-2956
To find your District Legislative Officers -->> Click Here |
