The Foreign Service Journal, December 2003

2 $)6$ 1(:6 ‡ '(&(0%(5 Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Steven Tipton: tipton@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Grievance Attorneys Harry Sizer: sizerhs@state.gov, an d Charles Henderson: Hendersonch@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Lindsay Peyton: peyton@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ken Nakamura: nakamura@afsa.org Corporate Relations/Executive Assistant Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 AFSA Internet and E-mail addresses: AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org AFSA NEWS: afsanews@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: limbert@afsa.org STATE VP: cranelk@state.gov RETIREE VP: jones@afsa.org USAID VP : wcarter@usaid.gov FCS VP: charles.ford@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John W. Limbert STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Louise K. Crane USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Bill Carter FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Charles A. Ford FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Vacant RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: George F. Jones SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Danny Hall STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Pamela Bates, Cynthia G. Efird, Scot L. Folensbee, Raymond D. Maxwell, John C. Sullivan, Jim Wagner USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Thomas Olson FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Crawford RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Gilbert Sheinbaum, David E. Reuther, Theodore S. Wilkinson, III, Stanley A. Zuckerman IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Alex Belida FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Vacant AFSA NEWS BRIEFS AFSA Urges Solution to USAA Problem Last spring, AFSA learned that USAA decided to exclude from membership all future Foreign Service officers in foreign affairs agencies other than the Department of State. Then-AFSA President John Naland wrote a letter to USAA protesting this decision and urging reconsideration. USAA replied that the USAA Board of Directors had made the decision based on strict criteria for evaluating the eligibility of federal agencies. According to the USAA reply, the other foreign affairs agencies do not meet the criterion that states that “the agency must function under a published, institutionalized mission state- ment that explicitly refers to national security or national defense, both at home and abroad.” Following this completely unsatisfactory reply from USAA, AFSA President John Limbert wrote to the CEO of USAA to explain that non-State Foreign Service personnel have the same conditions of service and the same status as do their colleagues at State. “Our FCS and FAS colleagues, whatever their agency mission statements say, clearly support national security by supporting U.S. exports and the U.S. economy. In the case of USAID, it has the same mission statement as the State Department — a mandate that explicitly refers to national security.” Limbert urged USAA to reconsider the decision to exclude USAID, FCS and FAS from membership eligibility. USAA has received the letter, and preliminary indications are that it is not seen as a high-priority issue at USAA, and may not be put before the USAA Board until mid-2004. AFSA does not accept this delay, and is currently seeking other ways to push the issue. Find more details on this controversy at www.afsa.org/aidvp/usaa.cfm. As we go to press ... TAX RELIEF (FINALLY!) Years of hard work by AFSA—and especially Legislative Affairs Director Ken Nakamura—with crucial support from the State Department and the military community, have paid off. On Nov. 5 the House passed (by a vote of 420-0) and sent to the president the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act. This includes a provision changing the 2-in-5 year residency requirement for exemption from capital gains tax to a 2-in-10 year requirement. The president signed the bill on Nov. 11. For details, go to the AFSAWeb site or see AFSANews next month. AFSA Press Release on October Gaza Bombing AFSA issued a press relelase on Oct. 15 condemn- ing the terrorist attacks that resulted in the deaths of three American security guards attached to a U.S. peacekeeping mission in Gaza. The press release received wide national media placement. Media entities quoting AFSA included: Fox News , Yahoo News , and the Associated Press , as well as the Baltimore Sun , Washington Times , and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.