NARFE NEWSLETTER GREATER BOWIE-CROFTON AREA CHAPTER 1747
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Volume 35 No. 5
facebook.com/narfe1747 or narfe1747.org
January 2017
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS are held at the Bowie Senior Center, 14900 Health Center Drive, Bowie, 20716 in Room 4. Meeting dates are the third Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM except in July and August. There is never a charge to attend and all meetings are open to the public. Please check your current newsletter or our website for any changes. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS are held the first Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM in Conference Room 125, Bowie Senior Center. All chapter members are welcome. NOTE: Chapter meetings are cancelled when Prince George’s County schools are closed due to inclement weather. Otherwise, meetings are held as scheduled.
COMING ATTRACTIONS General Meeting: Thursday, January 19: Diane Polangin of Total Tax Service speaks on the 2016 tax changes and what is new for you. General Meeting: Thursday, February 17: Ernie Walker, from the Emergency Preparedness section of the Prince Georges Emergency Management Office speaks on how to make emergencies a bit easier to survive.
The Holiday Lunch Seen at the Holiday Lunch. Top row: Luz Naval; Jackie Wilson; Middle row: Tom Lee and son; Ed Bice and Flash Gordon; Bottom row: Fran Catterton, Jackie Wilson and Mary Kirk; Margie and Peter Hall. More pictures on page 3.
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federal legislation Dr. Howard Waterworth
NARFE Federal Benefits Institute— Another benefit of Membership It is well known among members that NARFE has benefited federal employees and retirees since 1921. Most of the benefits to us have been the result of NARFE’s influence on politicians in Washington and Annapolis. We will never know the combined value of NARFE headquarters and individual members on our salaries or annuities, and the preservation and improvements of our benefits over the years. In 2015 NARFE established a new program known as Federal Benefits Institute whose purpose is to serve its members directly. According to B. Boel at NARFE headquarters, research has revealed that baby boomers are far more distrustful of and disinterested in advocacy as a recruitment platform so the Institute is a benefit that speaks directly to member needs. Its goals are to increase both recruitment and retention, which ‘has been a great success’. NARFE research revealed that core prospective members are feds within 5 years of retirement thru those who retired within the past 5 years. The Institute was designed to meet their needs and those of current members. This institute is an on line repository, driven by live webinars that are archived for members. The Institute sponsors webinars on subjects of direct interest to NARFE members. Both live and archived webinars are free to members. For example, the most recent webinar on Federal Employees Health Benefits and Medicare garnered over 2000 registrants. Previous webinars dealt with a wide variety of subjects such: Exploring TSP withdrawal options, Claiming social security, Survivor benefits, Key decisions for Feds of all ages, From employee to annuitant: master the process, What’s the best retirement date, Will you be ready for retirement, and Post retirement checkup. NARFE produced 10 webinars in 2016 and is budgeted to produce 15 more in 2017 on other issues relevant to Feds and retirees. As of October 2016 over 1,500 members have been recruited via this program. The Institute also houses NARFE white papers, fact sheets and other resources for members. Under the heading ‘New Facts for Feds’, NARFE members can obtain information on such topics as: Steps to take before you retire, How to apply for retirement, FERS annuity supplement, Court-ordered benefits, Survivor benefits under FERS, Early retirement under FERS, Applying for Medicare part B, Leaving federal service, and Re-employed annuitants. Also available to members are free “White Papers” on issues such as: How much money do you need to retire, 10 worst mistakes Fed employees and retires make, FAQ about your Federal benefits, Speeding the retirement journey, Top 10 things Fed spouses need to know, Survivors benefits guide, and Guide to TSP withdrawal options. The webinars are promoted via online advertising and emails to members and prospect lists. Prospective new members pay $39.95, which includes a one-year membership in NARFE. 2
STATE Legislation Ed Bice
USM and AARP United Seniors of Maryland and AARP has announced their annual Legislative Forum will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, in Annapolis at the Miller Senate Office Building. The event is scheduled for 8:00am until 1:30pm. Delegation caucus meetings are scheduled as part of the program. The cost for the event from USM is $15 which includes a year's membership in USM. The cost from AARP is free if you are an AARP member. AARP is es free busses from various locations also sponsoring 5 free busses in Maryland. Register online at http://aarp.cvent.com/MDJan17 with your AARP number to see if you are close to any bus locations. The Forum will include breakfast, coffee, sweet treat, and or Flash more information. a box lunch. See Ed Bice for further for information.
NARFE’s Maryland Federation, the SLC and Member Roles The principal responsibility of our state federation is to support NARFE’s mission. To do that we have a State Legislative Committee (SLC), comprised of members from our 29 chapters. The SLC role is to persuade the Governor, his staff, the Senate and House of Delegates to take legislative actions that will support the mission of NARFE. Success in supporting NARFE’s mission depends heavily on convincing legislative decision makers that SLC staff members who meet with them do indeed represent the interests, needs and requirements of their constituents. To accomplish this the SLC depends on input and participation by chapter members. We need NARFE members to make their wishes known through communication with their elected representatives through telephone, mail, e-mail, individual meetings and attendance at legislative hearings. Our immediate goals are: 1. to support state legislation beneficial to current and potential federal annuitants and to oppose legislation contrary to our interests. (this concerns about 300,000 current Maryland resident federal employees and retirees as well as other senior Maryland residents who are likely to benefit from such actions on our part); 2. to promote the general welfare of current and potential federal annuitant residents recognizing our need for adequate income and services to maintain their quality of life in Maryland; and 3. to establish the recognition by members of Maryland’s General Assembly that NARFE members include a large number of highly experienced individuals in areas of state responsibility and need to be viewed as resources for Maryland.
The SLC will undertake needed actions to keep our members informed of relevant legislation be-
Continued on page 4
See page 4 for contact information for legislators from State Districts 23 and 33.
Holiday Party
treasurer's report
If you did not attend our Holiday Party on December 15th, you missed a great time with fantastic food and great conversations. There were 30 people who attended this year, with 2 members from the former Chapter 1122. We did our usual 50/50 drawing, with the winner walking away with $30 (enough to pay for their lunch). Howard Gordon brought a Christmas Trivia game. Can you answer: What State grows more Christmas trees than any other (answer at the end of this article)? Also 26 members walked away with a door prize. We would like to thank: Planet Fitness, PNC Bank, Bank of America, Darling Real Estate, Jackie Wilson, Bob Cullen, Jerry Kursban, and Frances Steburg. Our Chapter gave a free lunch. Hopefully next year we will be bigger and better.
Balance on: October 31 Receipts: Disbursements: Balance on: November 30
$9359.42 1209.62 350.46 $10188.58
Reserve for Alzheimer's Fund
$100.00
Balances are for 2016.
DAYS TO REMEMBER January 1 January 16: January 20:
Answer: Oregon grows more Christmas trees than any other state.)
More People at the Holiday Party. Above, Donna Minner, Below: Virginia and Calvin Dorn and Dale Grant.
New Year's Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Inauguration Day
Are you interested in attending the NARFE 2017 Legislative Training Conference on March 12–15 in Alexandria, Virginia? Chapter 1747 will pay your registration and mileage fees.
chapter board Officers President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer Assistant Treasurer
Jerry Kursban Frances Steburg Lillie Watson Jacqueline Wilson Howard (Flash) Gordon Louise Cole
301-261-3329 301-352-0297 301-383-1597 301-464-2745 410-672-6528
jkursban@gmail.com4 feks@msn.com lwatson16@hotmail.com missJackieV@aol.com flash@acm.org col9135@aol.com
Howard Waterworth Vacant Jessica Forman Vacant Bob Cullen Ed Bice Ed Bice Howard (Flash) Gordon Ed Bice Frank Lee Howard (Flash) Gordon Jacqueline Wilson
301-731-3063 843-347-9287 301-262-4783 301-464-3748 301-464-3748 301-464-2745 301-464-3748 410-672-5065 301-464-2745
hwaterworth11@gmail.com
Committee Chairs Federal Legislation Membership Newsletter Production Programs Service Officer State Legislation Alzheimers Fund NARFE-Net Coordinator NARFE-PAC Photographer Social Media Coordinator Sunshine
jessicafforman@gmail.com ba3537@aol.com debice@netzero.net debice@netzero.net flash@acm.org debice@netzero.net fllee0716@verizon.net flash@acm.org missJackieV@aol.com
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State Legislationc continued from page 2
ing proposed, and provide analyses of it, dates of legislative hearings and activities underway involving such legislation. SLC will provide updated in-
formation to the chapters for inclusion in chapter newsletters and keep chapter legislative officers informed on a weekly basis or more during the state’s legislative session which runs from the second week in January through mid-April.
Reach Out and Touch Your Representative.... District 23 Sen. Douglas Peters Del. Marvin Holmes Del. Joseph Vallario Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith
douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us marvin.holmes@house.state.us.us joseph.vallario@house.state.md.us geradine.valentino@house.state.md.us
301-858-3631 301-858-3310 301-858-3488 301-858-3101
District 33 Sen. Edward Reilly Del. Michael Malone Del. Tony McConkey Del. Sid Saab
edward.reilly@senate.state.md.us michael.moore@house.state.md.us tony.mcconkey@house.state.md.us sid.saab@house.state.md.us
410-841-3568 410-841-3510 410-841-3406 410-841-3551
The Polls Were Wrong Again—It's Trump, Not Clinton!
President-elect Harry Truman holds a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune that proclaimed [incorrectly] "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.
It’s 1948. In that election, Republican governor of New York Thomas Dewey was the predicted presidential winner. Every poll and even Truman’s wife Bess thought Dewey would win. Some newspapers even set their headlines, “Dewey Wins” before the polls closed. As we know, the president-elect was Harry Truman. It’s 2016. The majority of polls predict that Hillary Rodham Clinton would win the presidential election by a landslide. She did win a majority of the individual voters. But the electoral college decides the outcome of presidential elections and Clinton did not have a majority of their votes. Despite protests and demonstrations, electors from the 50 states did not deviate from their pledges. The president-elect is Donald Trump.
The Electoral College The electoral college process was set up in the Constitution. According to Wikiipedia, when Americans vote for a President and Vice President, they are actually voting for presidential electors, known collectively as the electoral college. It is these electors, chosen by the people, who actually elect the country's chief executive. The Constitution assigns each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of the state’s Senate and House of Representatives delegations. In 2016, the number of electors per state ranges from 3 to 54, for a total of 538 electors. These electors assemble in their respective state capitals on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December. They are pledged and expected, but not required, to vote for the candidates they represent. The electors cast separate ballots for president and vice president. Once these votes are cast, the electoral college ceases to exist for another four years when new elections will create a new electoral college.
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These electoral vote results are counted and certified by a joint session of Congress, held on January 6 of the year succeeding the election. A majority of electoral votes (currently 270 of the 538 electoral votes) is required to win. If no candidate receives a majority, then the President is elected by the House of Representatives, and the Vice President is elected by the Senate, a process known as contingent election.
Greater Bowie-Crofton Area NARFE News NARFE News is published ten times a year (monthly from September through June) by Greater Bowie-Crofton Area Chapter 1747, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, P.O. Box 504, Bowie, MD 20718-0504 . Vol. 35, No. 5 Dues payments, gifts, and contributions to NARFE are not deductible as Charitable Contributions for income tax purposes.