FederalDaily - February 5, 2007

House Passes FY 2007 Funding Bill

The House overwhelmingly passed a $463.5 billion stopgap appropriations measure that would pay for government operations for the rest of this fiscal year while providing slight hikes to a myriad of important federal agencies. The measure, H J Res 20, passed on Jan. 31 by a 286-140 margin with bipartisan support and was sent to the Senate. Fifty-seven Republicans voted for it, despite some GOP complaints about the way the resolution was presented. The bill must be cleared by Feb. 15 to avert a partial government shutdown. Under the measure, most programs will continue to be funded at FY 2006 levels—adjusted for increased costs. Limited funding increases were granted for veterans and military healthcare, public housing and the federal workforce. For example, the U.S. Park Service would see an additional $100 million for visitor services this year to help make up for a serious ongoing budget shortfall, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey, D-Wis. Not everyone will be happy with the measure, Obey admits. “I don’t expect people to love this proposal; I don’t love this proposal, and we probably have made some wrong choices,” Obey said. To see more, go to: http://appropriations.house.gov/

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AFGE to Appeal CBP Election Ruling

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) intends to appeal a Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) decision that handed a rival union the right to represent more than 20,000 Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees.
The AFGE said on Feb. 1 that it rejected as flawed the decision by Washington regional FLRA Director Robert Hunter. Hunter upheld an election certifying the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)—which won the June vote by a 7,349 to 3,426 margin—as the exclusive CBP representative. “AFGE believes Mr. Hunter got wrong a number of issues dealing with the numerous advantages and institutional benefits CBP provided NTEU during the campaign,” AFGE General Counsel Mark Roth said. “It is our duty as a labor union to bring light to, and stand up against management wrongdoings.” AFGE claims CBP virtually cut off AFGE’s ability to communicate with CBP employees prior to the election. The union did not specify when it intended to file the appeal with the full FLRA board, but it has until March 19 to do so. NTEU leaders were not happy. “This outrageous action by AFGE has the impact of depriving thousands of CBP employees from having any union representation,” said NTEU President Colleen Kelley. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org or www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=699.

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Report: Up To 200,000 Vets Homeless Each Night

Nearly 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night and twice that many veterans experience homelessness during the year, said a report released Feb. 1 by a coalition of advocates for the homeless. Things are generally tougher for homeless male veterans—who are more likely to be homeless for an extended period of time than homeless male non-veterans, said the report, “Ending Homelessness Among Veterans Through Permanent Supportive Housing.” The study is a joint effort by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) and Volunteers of America. The report offers some solutions. For example, affordable permanent housing coupled with supportive services helps prevent and end homelessness among veterans, particularly those with chronic disabling health problems such as mental illness, substance addiction or HIV/AIDS, the report said. “At this time, when so many of us are thinking about our soldiers abroad, I think most Americans would be shocked to learn that the health, housing and income support needs of our poorest veterans are not being adequately met,” said Cheryl Beversdorf, head of NCHV. To see more, go to: www.nchv.org/news_article.cfm?id=268

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TSP Monthly Returns for January 2007

Rates of Return were updated on February 1, 2007.

The monthly G, F, C, S, and I Fund returns represent the actual total rates of return used in the monthly allocation of earnings to participant accounts. The returns are shown after deduction of accrued TSP administrative expenses. The F, C, S, and I Fund returns also reflect the deduction of trading costs and accrued investment management fees. The most current G, F, C, S, and I Fund rates of return are shown above. Returns are updated after the monthly allocation of earnings, usually by the fourth business day of the month.

For more on TSP, click here.

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