Federal Daily - February 25, 2009

AFGE Meets With New DHS, USDA Chiefs

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said the union’s national president, John Gage, has met with Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss workforce issues that are key to the union’s employees at those agencies. Gage on Feb. 20 sat down with Napolitano to discuss employee concerns at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Border Patrol, among other topics. The union said Gage shared with Napolitano the union’s support for comprehensive immigration reform and discussed funding anomalies at Citizenship and Immigration Services. Gage also stressed the need to provide Transportation Security Officers with collective bargaining rights—as pledged by President Obama in an October letter to AFGE. “We don’t believe the Secretary needs to wait for a new administrator to be named to make good on President Obama’s promise to these dedicated employees,” Gage said. “This can be done immediately by directing the acting [TSA] administrator to rescind a 2003 directive prohibiting collective bargaining.” In the meeting with Vilsack, Gage noted that over the past eight years, the union has fought against funding cuts and staffing shortfalls that have plagued the department. AFGE represents many USDA employees, including thousands of food inspectors in AFGE Council 45, Gage said. “After meeting with Secretary Vilsack, it is clear that this administration is serious about the need to refocus the department,” Gage said. To see more, go to: www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=948 or www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=949.

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GSA Oversees Stimulus Funds for Green Buildings, Vehicles

The new $787 billion stimulus package just signed by President Obama provides $5.55 billion for “green” building projects at federal facilities and $300 million for the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles, the General Services Administration (GSA) said on Feb. 20. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (PL 111-5) sets aside $750 million to renovate and construct federal buildings and courthouses, $300 million to renovate and construct land ports of entry and $4.5 billion to convert federal buildings to high-performance green buildings, GSA said. By creating jobs, the agency said, GSA is contributing to one of the major objectives of the stimulus effort. For the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles, GSA will work with federal agencies to determine the best method to evaluate government fleet vehicles eligible for replacement. To help track recovery spending, GSA also will manage and support www.recovery.gov—the official recovery Web site of the federal government. Recovery.gov has a chart on its home page that breaks down the spending package into broad categories. To see more, go to: www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?pageTypeId=8199
&channelId=-24825&P=&contentId=25806&contentType=GSA_BASIC.

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Bill Would Create Tax Breaks for Long-term Care

House lawmakers on Feb. 23 announced they had introduced bipartisan legislation that would—if passed into law—establish tax credits for those paying long-term care expenses, and offer protection for people who purchase long-term care insurance policies. Reps. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., and Joe Courtney, D-Conn., in a joint statement said the legislation would provide tax incentives for long-term care insurance policies and a tax credit to help eligible care providers offset some of the costs of caring for a loved one. The cost of long-term care can easily exceed $50,000 a year and put an incredible strain on families, the lawmakers said. “Exorbitant long-term health care costs are straining family budgets and hindering care for loved ones during the latter stages of life,” said Courtney. “Our legislation will allow families to plan for future health care needs and will deliver peace of mind so that rising costs do not become a burden on their estates.” To see more, go to: www.house.gov/apps/list/press/fl12_putnam/20090223_
longtermcare.shtml.

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