Federal Daily - July 14, 2009

Committee OKs Bill to Suspend USPS Health Care Pre-Funding

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously approved a bill that would reverse a 2006 postal reform law that requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to “pre-fund” retiree healthcare benefits, a practice that drains $5 billion a year from USPS coffers. The committee approved the bill, H.R. 22, on July 10, which clears it for a vote in the full House soon—likely before the August recess. The bill, introduced on Jan. 6 by Reps. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and John McHugh, R-N.Y., would allow USPS to pay for retiree health benefits out of its Retiree Health Benefit Fund—as it did before Congress imposed the pre-funding requirement—instead from its operating budget. The bill, which is expected to save USPS more than $2 billion per year, authorizes such payments through Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. No other federal agency is required to pre-fund retiree health care benefits. American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President William Burrus praised the bill. “We are pleased by the vote and eager for H.R. 22 to become law,” he said. “But we are mindful of the long-term financial challenges facing the Postal Service.” The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion in FY 2008, and with continued losses in FY 2009, USPS could reach its $15 billion statutory debt limit and would be unable to pay its bills later this year. To see more, go to: http://apwu.org/news/webart/2009/09-078-hr22update-090710.htm.

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Panel Approves SSA Budget Boost for New Hires

A House Appropriations subcommittee on July 10 approved a 10 percent increase in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 funding for Social Security Administration (SSA) staffing. The increase could support as many as 1,645 SSA new hires. The House Labor/Health & Human Services (HHS)/Education Appropriations subcommittee approved $11.45 billion for the Social Security Administration’s Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) budget for FY 2010, a $1 billion increase over FY 2009. The SSA appropriation matches the FY 2010 budget request tendered by President Obama and is part of the larger Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, which calls for $160.7 billion in funding for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The panel’s vote was applauded by the Federal Managers Association (FMA), which represents the managers and supervisors in SSA’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR). FMA pointed out that the funding would allow the hiring of 1,645 new employees, boosting SSA staff levels to a total of 65,114. The larger staff is necessary to reduce the 747,000 ODAR case backlog, said FMA President Darryl Perkinson. He called such increased staffing “vital to reduce the backlog and tackle increased workloads stemming from the current recession and aging population.” To see more, go to: www.fedmanagers.org/public/announcement.cfm?id=356.

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Air Force Launches Sexual Assault Prevention Web Site

The Air Force on July 10 announced the launch of a new Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Web site designed to raise awareness of the crime and offer programs to provide education and victim advocacy. The new SAPR Web site furnishes prevention and awareness information and suggestions for reducing and eliminating sexual assaults in the Air Force, said Lawna Swellander, the Air Force’s sexual assault prevention and response operations chief. The Web site contains a range of material, including policies and general information for victims and the public, and discusses the availability of medical treatment, advocacy and referral services. The site also includes contacts for local sexual assault response coordinators and links to military and civilian organizations. The site is at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/library/sapr/index.asp.  To see more, go to: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123158259.

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