From the President NARFE’S MISSION STATEMENT To support legislation and regulations beneficial to federal civilian employees and annuitants and potential annuitants under any federal civilian retirement system and to oppose those detrimental to their interests. To promote the general welfare of federal civilian employees and annuitants and potential annuitants, to advise and assist them with respect to their rights under retirement, health and other employee and retiree benefits laws and regulations, and to represent their interests before appropriate authorities. To cooperate with other organizations and associations in furtherance of these general objectives.
The Way Forward
I
am excited about what NARFE has accomplished as an association thus far, setting the stage for our next 100 years.
We have launched a new website and a new online community (FEDHub). We have had key advocacy wins in postal reform and employee benefits legislation. Instead of focusing on policies that were not politically viable, NARFE drafted compromise language that everyone could get on board with—and that was the language signed into law. This underscores NARFE’s strength as a nonpartisan organization that both chambers of Congress and the administration can count on to help them reach the finish line with important pieces of legislation. NARFE has provided testimony before congressional committees, participated in meetings with government agencies, administration officials and coalition partners, and stood beside you in town hall meetings. NARFE remains the go-to resource for the federal community among the media and policymakers. And you know we will continue to advocate for federal pay increases and full COLAs for FERS retirees, support efforts to reform or repeal the GPO and WEP, and provide substantive feedback on efforts to modernize the civil service. None of this would be possible without your involvement in NARFE. Members drive what we do and are the engine behind every ounce of progress.
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NARFE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022
So, thank you for being an active part of our association and supporting our continued efforts to increase awareness of the value and contributions of federal employees and retirees. While I am proud of our accomplishments, we have more to do to remain the federal benefits experts. Coming up is NARFE’s premier training conference, FEDcon22, August 21-23 in Scottsdale, AZ. FEDcon22 will have top-notch advocacy training, federal benefits information, and a leadership development track to help grow membership, increase member engagement at all levels of the association and dive into the practice of succession planning. Taking cues from ongoing popular content in NARFE Magazine and FEDHub, we have created a stellar lineup of content and speakers to ensure you get a lot of bang for your buck. Potential new leadership will help steer the path for our association. This is an election year for NARFE, and ballots are included in this issue. To read candidate statements and get more information, go to www.narfe.org/2022election. Remember to exercise your right to vote for the candidates that can best represent us. I wish you all good health, and please stay safe.
KENNETH J. THOMAS NARFE NATIONAL PRESIDENT natpres@narfe.org