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Friday, June 2, 2017
House passes budget, but denies amendments to increase raises
Work on a compromise will begin next week The N.C. House followed the lead of the Senate this week and rushed through its budget proposal with little debate, passing it just after midnight this morning. While it is a better budget than the Senate's, with a $1,000 pay raise for state employees and a 1.6% one-time bonus for retirees, it still falls short of addressing the true needs of both groups. Active employees also get five additional vacation days in the proposal. The days are not bankable, but can be used at any time during their employment. SEANC worked with Rep. Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe) to put forth an amendment to give all state employees and teachers the same raises, which would have amounted to $1,220 this year and $2,650 next year. Jordan explained the amendment in a Facebook Live session with SEANC during the floor debate Thursday. But House leaders ruled the amendment out of order, and then voted down an appeal to reconsider it, effectively killing it with no vote. The House also rejected an amendment to change the 1.6% one-time bonus for retirees into a 2% cost-of-living adjustment, which would be recurring, as well. SEANC Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins explains both amendments in this week's Legislative Update video (above). House Speaker Tim Moore said that conferees from the House and Senate will begin meeting to hash out differences next week. The Senate’s budget included a $750 raise and nothing for retirees, so a compromise between those two proposals will likely be the end result. SEANC will keep you informed on the latest as the conference process develops. Be ready to call and email conferees when they are named to let them know state employees and retirees are counting on them to do the right thing. Stay up-to-date with SEANC alerts by text message by texting the word “SEANC” to 787753, and be sure to keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Change your plan, win a grand!
With Senate Bill 375 passing, your right to have SEANC dues, insurance premiums and other payments easily deducted from your paycheck is under direct threat. SEANC is asking all members to consider switching over to bank draft, where payments are pulled from members’ bank accounts each month instead of their paychecks. We have launched a contest to incentivize members to make the switch! We will give away 25 prizes of $1,000 to randomly selected members who have made the switch to bank draft or annual pay by the SEANC Convention. Five winners will be selected from each region. Anyone who has switched to bank draft or annual pay by the convention will be entered into the drawing. The 25 winners will be selected at the convention on stage. Additionally, everyone who makes the switch by July 1 will be entered into a drawing for $500! If you haven’t already, please visit apo.seanc.org to switch over to bank draft today!
State Health Plan conducting audit of
dependent coverage eligibility As part of an ongoing effort to to provide stability and predictability, the State Health Plan is conducting an audit to verify eligibility of dependents covered. This audit will focus on all plan members with dependents under the age of 75 as of April 19, 2017. Members should have received a letter by the end of May, with a request to provide documentation of their dependents which will need to be provided by July 31, 2017. Failure to respond and produce the required documentation will result in termination of dependents’ coverage under the plan effective August 1, 2017. Click here to learn more about the required documents necessary to keep your dependents covered.
SEANC Scholarship Foundation Bowl-a-Thon on July 22
Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowl-a-Thon on July 22 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m. or 3-5 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the NC Aquarium, Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, gift baskets and much
more! Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play, or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents. Questions? Email Carri Derrick.
Summertime Fun! Theme park tickets are on sale at your nearest State Employee’s Credit Union and with the water parks now open, you can splash into savings! What a great way to spend time with family and friends!
Auto Insurance As with any purchase, it’s important to shop around for the necessities, such as auto insurance. Have you been with your current auto insurance provider for years? Are you getting the best rate available? How is the customer service when you need it? Sometimes we need to take a step back and look at our finances to make sure we are
getting the most Bang for our Buck. SEANC offers auto insurance through three companies. Take advantage of the special discounted group insurance rates you can receive as a SEANC member! Convenient payment plans such as payroll deduction, bank draft and direct billing are also available. Use the links and telephone numbers below for more information and to receive a quote: Liberty Mutual, 800-230-0827 MetLife, 800-438-6388 Travelers, 888-695-4640
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Friday, June 9, 2017
House, Senate could roll out budget next week This week at the legislature was filled with a lot of talk about redrawing district maps because of a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, though House and Senate conferees continue to meet to work out a budget compromise. The three proposals on the table include the following:
Several members came to the legislature this week to lobby for better pay and retiree cost-of-living adjustments. They met with the House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) and the House Rules Chairman David Lewis (R-Harnett), as well as House Minority
Leader Darren Jackson (D-Wake) and Sen. Don Davis (D-Pitt), among others.
It is possible that a compromise could be worked out and voted on by next week. Members should reach out to their legislators during this negotiation period to remind them that they are working with a surplus of more than $800 million while their employees and state retirees continue to suffer from years of adequate pay increases and cost-of-living adjustments.
Change your plan, win a grand!
With Senate Bill 375 passing, your right to have SEANC dues, insurance premiums and other payments easily deducted from your paycheck is under direct threat. SEANC is asking all members to consider switching over to bank draft, where payments are pulled from members’ bank accounts each month instead of their paychecks. We have launched a contest to incentivize members to make the switch! We will give away 25 prizes of $1,000 to randomly selected members who have made the switch to bank draft or annual pay by the SEANC Convention. Five winners will be selected from each region. Anyone who has switched to bank draft or annual pay by the convention will be entered into the drawing. The 25 winners will be selected at the convention on stage. Additionally, everyone who makes the switch by July 1 will be entered into a drawing for $500! If you haven’t already, please visit apo.seanc.org to switch over to bank draft today!
Are you good at math? We need you! The SEANC Audit Committee is seeking candidates for election to a 3-year term, to be decided at the Annual Convention in September. Candidates shall have financial experience that includes accounting principles, serving as the treasurer for SEANC or other organizations, business operations/reimbursement and compliance officer responsibilities, or similar related experience. OK, so it’s a little more complicated than the headline suggests. Candidates must submit a resume of relevant experience to be screened by the Audit Committee with a report made to the Board of Governors. This will ensure the professional financial experience necessary to serve on the Audit Committee. Please email resumes to SEANC Director of Operations Chuck Stone cstone@seanc.org or Audit Committee Chairman Keith Renner at vrkeithr@yahoo.com or send to the SEANC Central Office to Chuck Stone’s attention no later than August 1, 2017. All resumes received after August 1, 2017, will not be considered.
Join the 4th Branch and Fight to Protect
your Retirement Benefits! Your hard work and years of service should be honored. That’s why we’re inviting you to join the 4th Branch in the fight against the unfair taxation of military, federal, state and local government retirees’ benefits in North Carolina. Depending on your years of service and when you retired/will retire, you might not be exempt from state income tax on your retirement benefits. This is an unfair tax policy, and our state should level the playing field and equitably honor the service of the more than 300,000 retirees this policy already impacts. Join the 4th Branch and you’ll receive timely news, alerts and legislative calls-to-action – and you’ll be provided with the messages and means to contact lawmakers easily in a few clicks. Groups supporting the 4th Branch include SEANC, the National Active & Retired Federal Employees Association, the NC Association of Educators, chapters of the Military Officers Association of America throughout NC, and more. Sign up TODAY and help protect your benefits!
State Health Plan conducting audit of dependent coverage eligibility As part of an ongoing effort to provide stability and predictability, the State Health Plan is conducting an audit to verify the eligibility of dependents covered. This audit will focus on all plan members with dependents under the age of 75 as of April 19, 2017. Members should have received a letter by the end of May, with a request to provide documentation of their dependents which will need to be provided by July 31, 2017. Failure to respond and produce the required documentation will result in termination of dependents’ coverage under the plan effective August 1, 2017. Click here to learn more about the required documents necessary to keep your dependents covered.
Summertime Fun! Theme park tickets are on sale at your nearest State Employee’s Credit Union and with the water parks now open, you can splash into savings! What a great way to spend time with family and friends!
Auto Insurance As with any purchase, it’s important to shop around for the necessities, such as auto insurance. Have you been with your current auto insurance provider for years? Are you getting the best rate available? How is the customer service when you need it? Sometimes we need to take a step back and look at our finances to make sure we are getting the most Bang for our Buck. SEANC offers auto insurance through three companies. Take advantage of the special discounted group insurance rates you can receive as a SEANC member! Convenient payment plans such as payroll deduction, bank draft and direct billing are also available. Use the links and telephone numbers below for more information and to receive a quote: Liberty Mutual, 800-230-0827 MetLife, 800-438-6388 Travelers, 888-695-4640
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Friday, June 16, 2017
Final budget compromise to be released Monday This week, House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger met behind closed doors to negotiate a final budget. While Speaker Moore informed reporters Thursday that progress was being made in negotiations, we are hearing that the final budget will not be released until Monday evening with votes taking place Thursday and Friday. Information has not yet been released on pay raises for active employees and a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for retirees in the budget compromise. The House budget proposed a $1,000 base salary increase for state employees and five additional days of leave, as well as a 1.6-percent one-time COLA for retirees. The Senate budget proposed a $750 or 1.5-percent salary increase for state employees and nothing for retirees. Now is the time for SEANC members to contact their legislators and let them know that if the final budget offers state employees and retirees anything less than the House pay plan, they should vote "NO" on the budget.
Leadership believes state government should be run like a business. Let your legislators know that a strong business invests first and foremost in its workforce and stands behind the working families who give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage during and after their employment. Stay up-to-date with SEANC alerts by text message by texting the word “SEANC” to 787753, and be sure to keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter as news on the budget develops.
Contact your legislators
State Health Plan seeks to help with dependent coverage audit The State Health Plan (Plan) is currently conducting a Dependent Eligibility Verification Audit for members who cover dependents under the age of 75. It is VERY important that all members with dependents take action on this! Failure to respond and produce the required documentation will result in termination of dependents’ coverage under the plan effective August 1, 2017. Some members have had difficulty navigating the upload process. To help, the Plan has created videos that guide members through each step. The videos along with Frequently Asked Questions and other resources are available on the Plan’s audit website at https://shp.nctreasurer.com/Pages/Dependent-Eligibility-Verification-AuditInformation.aspx. The Plan has conducted audits in the past. But they never saved the documents for future verification. That is why this audit is being conducted digitally. “There should be a way, once I tell how old my son is, for the State Health Plan to determine his eligibility,” Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, said in a recent interview. “But right now, that isn’t always possible. So we’re doing this audit now, and getting this information digitally, so we don’t have to ask for the same document in the future.”
Change your plan, win a grand!
With Senate Bill 375 passing through the Senate, your right to have SEANC dues, insurance premiums and other payments easily deducted from your paycheck is under direct threat. SEANC is asking all members to consider switching over to bank draft, where payments are pulled from members’ bank accounts each month instead of their paychecks. We have launched a contest to incentivize members to make the switch! We will give away 25 prizes of $1,000 to randomly selected members who have made the switch to bank draft or annual pay by the SEANC Convention. Five winners will be selected from each region. Anyone who has switched to bank draft or annual pay by the convention will be entered into the drawing. The 25 winners will be selected at the convention on stage. Additionally, everyone who makes the switch by July 1 will be entered into a drawing for $500! If you haven’t already, please visit apo.seanc.org to switch over to bank draft today!
SEANC adds 386 new members in May! SEANC would like to welcome the 386 new members who chose to stand with their coworkers in support of public services in May, including 172 from the Department of Public Safety and 32 from local governments! New members also came to the association from the departments of Administration, Agriculture, Natural and Cultural Resources, Commerce, Environmental Quality, Health and Human Services, Information Technology Services, Justice, Public Instruction, Public Safety, Revenue and Transportation, the General Assembly, The Administrative Offices of the Courts, N.C. Housing Finance Agency, the Secretary of State’s office, Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Fayetteville State University, N.C. A&T State University, N.C. Central University, N.C. School of the Arts, N.C. State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNCCharlotte, UNC-Pembroke, Winston-Salem State University, Blue Ridge Community College, Catawba Valley Community College, Central Piedmont Community College, Central Piedmont Community College, Edgecombe Community College, Johnston Community College, Mayland Technical College, Pitt Community College, Rockingham Community College, Southwestern Community College, UNC Hospitals, and Alamance, Caswell, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, High Point, Wake and Wayne County school systems. Thanks to Executive Order 5, signed by Gov. Roy Cooper last month, SEANC’s member relations team is ready to come to your worksite and give a presentation on our many benefits and recruit new members! Simply fill out this form or click the button below if you would like for us to come to your office or worksite. Click here
Discount in the Piedmont Area of North Carolina Need to relax? Contact Massage Envy at 2619 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro. SEANC members will receive a corporate membership of $54.00. Give them a call today…(704)
749-5000.
We can chat! Do you have a question about Insurance, Purchasing Power or Member Discounts and don’t want to talk on the phone? You can by going to www.seanc.org and click on the blue "Contact Us" button on the bottom right corner of your screen (shown below).
So Let’s Chat…we are here for you! Are you looking at this on your work email? Click here to subscribe to the Scoop with your personal email.
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Legislature approves budget with raises, COLAs The House and Senate passed their state budget compromise this week with little debate. It includes: A base pay increase of $1,000 for state employees. Three additional bonus leave days for employees, which are valid throughout the worker’s continuous employment with the state but cannot be cashed in or paid out at retirement. 1-percent true cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees. Step-movement for State Highway Patrol, Assistant and Deputy Clerks and magistrates. $18.4 million to complete the third and final phase of custody-level pay adjustments for correctional officers, custody supervisors and prison administrators. Increased salaries for teachers averaging 3.3 percent, and raises for principals and assistant principals. The creation of a study of state employee total compensation. As we stated on Monday when it was announced, the $1,000 increase and 1-percent true
COLA are steps in the right direction, but more work has to be done to alleviate the strain put on state employees and retirees who have lost 10 percent of their buying power since 2010. For a worker making $30,000 per year, the $1,000 raise equates to more than 3.3 percent of salary. The 1-percent true COLA is better than a one-time bonus for retirees because it increases pension checks for years to come. The Senate gave its final approval to the budget on Tuesday, and the House’s final vote came Thursday. It’s now up to Gov. Roy Cooper to either sign it or veto it. He signaled this week that he will likely veto it, calling it “worse than either the House or Senate budget proposal” and “the most fiscally irresponsible budget I’ve ever seen.” Given that the Republicans own veto-proof majorities in both the House and Senate, Cooper’s veto would be largely a symbolic gesture. The pay raises and COLA will take effect on July 1 and will be reflected in checks beginning in late July.
State Health Plan seeks to help with dependent coverage audit The State Health Plan (Plan) is currently conducting a Dependent Eligibility Verification Audit for members who cover dependents under the age of 75. It is VERY important that all members with dependents take action on this! Failure to respond and produce the required documentation will result in termination of dependents’ coverage under the plan effective August 1, 2017. Some members have had difficulty navigating the upload process. To help, the Plan has created videos that guide members through each step. The videos along with Frequently Asked Questions and other resources are available on the Plan’s audit website at https://shp.nctreasurer.com/Pages/Dependent-Eligibility-Verification-AuditInformation.aspx. The Plan has conducted audits in the past. But they never saved the documents for future verification. That is why this audit is being conducted digitally. “There should be a way, once I tell how old my son is, for the State Health Plan to determine his eligibility,” Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, said in a recent interview. “But right now, that isn’t always possible. So we’re doing this audit now, and getting this
information digitally, so we don’t have to ask for the same document in the future.”
Change your plan, win a grand!
With Senate Bill 375 passing through the Senate, your right to have SEANC dues, insurance premiums and other payments easily deducted from your paycheck is under direct threat. SEANC is asking all members to consider switching over to bank draft, where payments are pulled from members’ bank accounts each month instead of their paychecks. We have launched a contest to incentivize members to make the switch! We will give away 25 prizes of $1,000 to randomly selected members who have made the switch to bank draft or annual pay by the SEANC Convention. Five winners will be selected from each region. Anyone who has switched to bank draft or annual pay by the convention will be entered into the drawing. The 25 winners will be selected at the convention on stage. Additionally, everyone who makes the switch by July 1 will be entered into a drawing for $500! If you haven’t already, please visit apo.seanc.org to switch over to bank draft today!
Are you good at math? We need you! The SEANC Audit Committee is seeking candidates for election to a 3-year term, to be decided at the Annual Convention in September. Candidates shall have financial experience that includes accounting principles, serving as the treasurer for SEANC or other organizations, business operations/reimbursement and compliance officer responsibilities, or similar related experience. OK, so it’s a little more complicated than the headline suggests. Candidates must submit a resume of relevant experience to be screened by the Audit Committee with a report made to the Board of Governors. This will ensure the professional financial experience necessary to serve on the Audit Committee. Please email resumes to SEANC Director of Operations Chuck Stone cstone@seanc.org or Audit Committee Chairman Keith Renner at vrkeithr@yahoo.com or send to the SEANC Central Office to Chuck Stone’s attention no later than August 1, 2017. All resumes received after August 1, 2017, will not be considered.
We can chat! Do you have a question about Insurance, Purchasing Power or Member Discounts and don’t want to talk on the phone? You can by going to www.seanc.org and click on the blue "Contact Us" button on the bottom right corner of your screen (shown below). So Let’s Chat…we are here for you!
Are you looking at this on your work email? Click here to subscribe to the Scoop with your personal email.
Share this email:
Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. View this email online. 1621 Midtown Place Raleigh, NC | 27609 US This email was sent to awise@seanc.org. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
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Friday, June 30, 2017
Legislature adjourns! House holds solid in battle for state employee rights The General Assembly adjourned the 2017 Long Session early Friday morning after passing a flurry of bills in the wee hours. While the frenzy of the budget may have settled this week, SEANC’s team of lobbyists were working around the clock to make sure that state employees and retirees were protected from harmful legislation as a last minute push to hear Senate Bill 375 surfaced in the House. Sponsored by Sen. Ralph Hise, Senate Bill 375 would take away our members’ rights to have SEANC dues, insurance premiums, PAC donations and any other payments deducted easily from their paycheck. Throughout the week, the bill was scheduled several times to be heard in the House Rules Committee, but ultimately was pulled from the calendar. However, we were not out of the woods with Senate Bill 375 just yet. Through a proposed committee substitute, the language from Senate Bill 375 was then inserted into Senate Bill 374. Also sponsored by Sen. Hise, Senate Bill 374 would impose unnecessary regulations
on associations like SEANC; the proposed committee substitute effectively combined all of the dangerous and damaging legislation into one bill. SEANC thanks all of the representatives – Republican and Democratic – who saw that this bill will do unnecessary harm to public services and the people who provide them and stood with us. By the end of the Long Session neither Senate Bill 374 nor 375 was heard in the House Rules Committee. However, this would not have been possible if it were not for key legislators who not only stood with us but stuck their necks out for us within their own caucus.
Please call Reps. Nelson Dollar, John Bell, Jonathan Jordan, Donny Lambeth, Linda Johnson, Chris Malone and Larry Strickland and thank them for going the extra mile against this harmful legislation amidst clear pressure from Senate leadership to have the bill heard. We thank these legislators for their consistent efforts in this fight to ensure that state employees and retirees continue to have their voices heard. Click here to find contact information for each. Although the 2017 Long Session has officially come to an end, the adjournment resolution called for two more special sessions in the next two months. Legislators will return on Aug. 3, where they are scheduled to deal with any bills Gov. Roy Cooper may veto and bills remaining in conference between the House and Senate. They are also scheduled to return in September to address legislative redistricting. While the adjournment rules outline specific matters which may be taken up in special session, it is never a guarantee. The best way to ensure your membership, insurances and products are protected is by making the switch to bank draft today. Earlier in the week, the House and Senate voted to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of the state budget. State employees will receive a $1,000 pay raise and three days of bonus leave in the budget. Retirees will see a 1-percent true cost-of-living adjustment. The budget takes effect tomorrow, July 1, and the increases should be reflected in paychecks in late July. Also this week, both the House and Senate passed resolutions honoring the life and memory or Sgt. Meggan Callahan, a correctional officer and SEANC District 63 member who was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution in late April. Callahan’s family was on hand at both sessions for the vote Tuesday.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
As we celebrate the 241st birthday of our great country next week, SEANC hopes you will keep in mind the many state employees who are unable take the day off because they are securing our prisons, working in our hospitals, keeping our roads safe and working in other vital jobs to keep the state moving forward. If you are on vacation, be sure to check out the many SEANC discounts at attractions at Myrtle Beach and beyond. Or visit a State Employees Credit Union to get a deal on the best theme parks around!
Change your plan, win a grand!
With Senate Bill 375 passing through the Senate, your right to have SEANC dues, insurance premiums and other payments easily deducted from your paycheck is under direct threat. SEANC is asking all members to consider switching over to bank draft, where payments are pulled from members’ bank accounts each month instead of their paychecks. We have launched a contest to incentivize members to make the switch! We will give away 25 prizes of $1,000 to randomly selected members who have made the switch to
bank draft or annual pay by the SEANC Convention. Five winners will be selected from each region. Anyone who has switched to bank draft or annual pay by the convention will be entered into the drawing. The 25 winners will be selected at the convention on stage. Additionally, everyone who makes the switch by July 1 will be entered into a drawing for $500! If you haven’t already, please visit apo.seanc.org to switch over to bank draft today!
SEANC Scholarship Foundation Bowl-a-Thon on July 22 Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowl-a-Thon on July 22 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m or 3-5 pm. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the NC Aquarium, Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, gift baskets and much more! Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents. Questions? Email Carri Derrick.
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Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. View this email online. 1621 Midtown Place Raleigh, NC | 27609 US This email was sent to awise@seanc.org. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.