The Foreign Service Journal, November 2003

AFSA NEWS BRIEFS NOVEMBER 2003 • AFSA NEWS 9 AFSA Scholarship Fund: Combined Federal Campaign # 2422 AFSA gives over $150,000 per year to Foreign Service children to help meet their college expenses. Support Foreign Service families by donating to this fund. Legislative Update The House of Representatives passed the three bills AFSA has been following most closely: the State Department authoriza- tion bill; the Commerce, Justice, State FY04 appropriations bill, which funds the Department of State and its programs, pays the assessments for the international organizations to which we belong, and covers international non-military broadcasting; and the FY04 Foreign Operations bill, which funds USAID and other assistance programs. Further legislative progress requires action by the Senate. The State Department authorization bill has several provisions covering personnel issues and departmental organizations issues, the Millennium Challenge Account, and several other programs. In terms of AFSA's personnel and organizational issues, all agency personnel will benefit from provisions to increase the caps on allowances and differentials for hardship and danger posts to 35 percent each — a provision with the strong backing of State management. State Department employees will also be happy to know that, thanks to enthusi- astic AFSA lobbying, the Senate version reduces the mandatory 5-percent low ranking requirement to 2 percent for tenured FS personnel. The department has weighed in supporting this with the House. The Senate was well on its way to passing this bill and clear- ing the way for a conference to resolve differences with the House-passed bill until the bill was pulled from the Senate floor because of a non-germane amendment, an increase to the min- imum wage. The problem now, separate from the issues in the House and Senate versions of this bill, is whether there will be sufficient time to pass the bill in the Senate, go to conference, and take the conference agreements back to both houses of Congress to pass before the first session comes to an end in October or November. If this bill cannot meet this deadline, Congress will probably not act on the authorization bill until late February or March of 2004. The success of AFSA’s efforts to amend the capital gains tax exclusion on the sale of a principal residence depends on the outcome of the House/Senate conference on the bill to provide child tax credits to the poor. AFSA is working for this provision to remain in this bill while the House moves down from its $82 billion version and the Senate moves up from its $10 billion version. ▫ Judith Baroody: Active/State, Chair Mark W. Bocchetti: Active/State Stephen W. Buck: Retired/State Tatiana C. Gfoeller: Active/State Carol A. Giacomo: Journalist William W. Jordan: Active/State Laurie Kassman: Active/VOA Hollis Summers: Active/State Bill Wanlund: Active/USIA-State Ted Wilkinson: Retired/State, Governing Board Liaison Do You Know Your Editorial Board? The Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board has gained two new members over the past several months. Here is a complete list of the members of the 2003 to 2004 Editorial Board: AFSA appreciates the dedicated and outstanding volunteer service given to the Journal by the Editorial Board, and looks forward to continued suc- cess improving the content and quality of the magazine. USAID AFSA Success: An Hour for a Promotion An AFSAmember contacted USAID in August, disconcerted over the fact that she was not promoted while two others in her class who were ranked below her did receive promo- tions. With a little research, AFSA learned that she lost out on the promotion because she had missed her four-year overseas requirement by one hour and 55 minutes, having arrived at post at 1:55 a.m. local time the day after the deadline. AFSA/AID wrote a letter to the Human Resources department, pointing out that com- mon sense had to play a role in considerations such as these, and that the overly strict applica- tion of the regulation was in no way beneficial to the agency and urging a reversal of the nega- tive decision. HR responded extremely well and surprisingly quickly, and AFSA appreciates the response. Following the exchange with AFSA, USAID published an official revision to its promotion list that included the AFSA member who had requested assistance. Make a CFC Pledge to Support AFSA The Fund for American Diplomacy: CFC # 2460 AFSA strives to build a constituency for the Foreign Service through the activities of the Fund for American Diplomacy. Through nationwide educa- tion programs, AFSA shows the American public how U.S. diplomacy promotes America's interests abroad. For more information, visit the AFSA Web site or contact Lori Dec by phone: (202) 944-5504 or (800) 704-2372, ext. 504; or e-mail: dec@afsa.org.