INTENSE PLANNING UNDERWAY FOR APRIL 2ND EVENT

Council presidents or representatives plus MOAA National board members and staff personnel will go to Capitol Hill April 2nd to visit lawmakers and advocate for specific pieces of legislation.

It is an important component part of MOAA’s annual Council Presidents’ seminar to be held this year March 31st through April 3rd, 2008 at the Crown Plaza Old Town Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, not far from the MOAA headquarters building.

CAL-MOAA leaders will represent every California MOAA chapter at this event.

On Monday, March 31st, participants will have an opportunity to view certain vendor displays including the MOAA Exchange, MOAA Travel, Garrett Financial Planning, Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), Marsh Affinity/Genworth, and the Pentagon Federal Credit Union. Information about offerings by these groups will be provided California MOAA members later and via the weblog.

On Tuesday morning most of these organizations will provide formal briefings and detailed information, but in the afternoon MOAA will prepare participants for the all-day Wednesday “Storming” effort. In the evening MOAA will host a reception on Capitol Hill during which MOAA’s Marix Awards and Distinguished Service and Meritorious Award will be presented to individuals who have championed the cause of active, reserve, and retired members of the Uniformed Services community. California’s senators and local representatives have been invited to this event.

“Storming the Hill” gets underway at the crack of dawn Wednesday, April 2nd, with a bus ride to the Capitol, a quick cup of coffee, and then a day-long period of meeting with and briefing California senators and representatives, particularly those who serve on important committees and who are likely to support the MOAA legislative agenda.

This year the effort will focus on sustaining the size of the Defense budget, protecting against disproportional health fee increases, and ensuring implementation of the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) recommendations to end unfair penalties for disabled retirees and survivors.

California will be sending four teams to the Capitol, generally pairs made up of a council president and a MOAA board member or staffer. COL Warren Enos, Council president, and BG Wayne Hoffman, Council vice president will constitute team 1; CAPT Warren McDonald and CDR Sarah Rogers, both national Board members, are team 2; Col Bill Gavitt and Col Ken Jordan, both national Board members are team 3; and finally, General Mike Carns, outgoing Chairman, MOAA Board of Directors, Col Renee Rubin a prior Board member, and Mrs. Nina Valli, a MOAA Spouses Advisory Committee member, make up team 4. Each team plans to visit 7 to 9 legislators during the day depending on availability and schedules.

MOAA will host a presidents dinner on Wednesday evening which will include a featured speaker.

On Thursday, April 3rd, there will be a day-long seminar/crosstalk where participants will have an opportunity to obtain detailed information about and discuss specific issues such as chapter liaisons for Congressional Districts, marketing/membership, benefits information, the Officer Placement Program (TOPS), the Auxiliary Advisory Committee and its work, and much more. There will be a special communications awards presentation where councils and chapters winning 2007 communications awards will be recognized.

Chapter members who would like special messages delivered to the MOAA leadership in Alexandria or even to senators and representatives at the Capitol are urged to send those messages to warren@cal-moaa.org prior to March 20th. Although it can’t be guaranteed, every effort will be made to insure the messages are delivered.

Many people will be working hard during the period to demonstrate strong grassroots support for MOAA’s most important legislative goals. We’re going to Capitol Hill and we will be watching out for the interests of our affiliated chapters and members.

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