The Foreign Service Journal, June 2005

6 AFSA NEWS • JUNE 2005 D uring the first half of 2005, AFSA has been busy tracking issues important to the Foreign Service. The State authoriza- tion bill, and the Fiscal Year 2005 supplemental, in partic- ular, contain language essen- tial to the Foreign Service. Here is where AFSA stands on current key legislative issues: State Authorization Bill This year the ForeignRelations autho- rization bill has beenmoving through the legislative process but, once again, its fate is uncertain. The Senate version (S. 600) was pulled from the floor after progress was halted for the pope’s funeral, and it was unclear in early May when or if the bill would return for consideration. Meanwhile, the House International Relations Committee was drafting its own bill. AFSA has continued to emphasize the importance of the authorization bill. We are working with theHouse International Relations Committee, hoping for a draft favorable to the Foreign Service. To that end, AFSA State Vice President Louise Crane testified on April 14 before the HIRC Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations. Chair Chris Smith, R-N.J., reacted positively to AFSA’s requests, especially those regarding pay disparity, embassy security and soft targets. AFSA has been encouraged by the subcommit- tee’s favorable reaction, because it is directly responsible for writing the State Department section of the authorization bill. Appropriations In upcoming months, Congress will appropriate funding for the State Department and other for- eign affairs agencies to enable them to carry out foreign policy. The administration has requested $33.6 billion for the International Affairs Account (150 Account) for Fiscal Year 2006, an increase of about $3 billion over FY 2005. While the actual dollar amount has been increasing, the 150Account con- tinues to represent only about 1.3 percent of total federal spending. The Appropriations Committee has yet to propose language. AFSAPresident John Limbert submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Science, Commerce and Justice in early April, suggesting that Congress should view the administration’s request as a spending floor. In late April, a congres- sional budget resolution passed, provid- ing appropriators with guidance that total foreign affairs funding should not exceed $31.4 billion — $2.3 billion below the administration’s request. AFSAhopes that appropriators will augment this amount. Supplemental The $82 billion FY 2005 Emergency Supplemental (H.R. 1268) was passed and sent to the president in earlyMay. As the bill worked its way through the Congress, additional funding above request was pro- vided for military programs, and fund- ing for international programs was cut. The most notable cuts occurred in embassy funding, diplomatic and consular programs and contributions to interna- tional peacekeeping activities. The amendment by Rep. FredUpton, R-Mich., prohibited the use of funds for Embassy Baghdad in theHouse bill, while the Senate maintained $592 million for the embassy. An amendment from Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., reduced the diplomatic and consular programs account, State’s operating funds, by about $400million andmoved it to bor- der security. Another amendment by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., reduced funding for international peacekeeping activities by $147 million and also directed the funds toward the Border Patrol. After the active intervention of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, funding for Embassy Baghdad and the State operating account was restored. Comparability Pay AFSA continues to promote a system of comparability pay that will ensure equality between Foreign Service mem- bers serving in Washington, D.C. and serving abroad. Currently, Foreign Service members FS-1 and below take a 16-percent pay cut when they leave Washington, D.C. AFSAmaintains that service abroad should be rewarded, not penalized. Provisions eliminating the pay dispar- ity are not currently included in the State authorization bill or any other legislation. After discussing this issue with the Office of Management and Budget, and staff for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, AFSA decided to pursue a freestanding bill strategy to show polit- ical interest and support. Retiree Issues AFSA supports the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and reform of the Government Pension Offset, both of which reduce Social Security benefits for annuitants whose pensions are based in whole or part on the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System (FSRDS) or the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) ser- vice. AFSA also supports “premiumcon- version” legislation that would permit federal civilian andmilitary retirees to pay health premiums on a pre-tax basis. While AFSA has not taken an official position on how to reform Social Security, it has stated that any reform should be designed to make the system solvent, not dismantle it. r LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AFSA Pushes for State Authorization Bill Passage BY SUZANNE DEFELICE, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS INTERN JOSH