Legislative Awareness Week October 2-8, 2016

AFSA Preamble With reverence for God and Country, and being ever mindful of our responsibility to aid in maintaining a superior defense for our beloved country; ​our interest in the welfare of persons who served and are serving in the Armed Forces; our devotion to our fellow enlisted servicemembers and their families in fortune and distress; and our reverence for the memory of our departed comrades, we unite to further the aims and objectives of this association. WHY WE EXIST AS AN ASSOCIATION. OUR PREAMBLE OPENS US UP TO NUMEROUS AREAS, BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF LEGISLATIVE AWARENESS: MAINTAIN AEROSPACE DEFENSE = PROCUREMENT, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, MODERNIZATION OBTAIN HIGHEST CALIBER = RECRUIT & RETAIN FOR USAF (AFSA MEMBERSHIP IS SECONDARY) WELFARE OF PERSONS = PAY & BENEFITS (MILPAY, MEDICAL, RETIREMENT, ETC) TO INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERS! AIMS & OBJECTIVES = OUTLINED IN THE ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM APPROVED BY OR MEMBERS AT AFSA’s ANNUAL CONVENTION

Congress Basics NUMBERED CONGRESSES LAST TWO YEARS. ALL PUBLIC LAWS SIGNED DURING THAT CONGRESS BEGIN WITH THAT NUMBER. FOR EXAMPLE: PUBLIC LAW 114-1, PUBLIC LAW 114-2, ETC.   WHILE THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS SOUNDS SIMPLE, IT IS ALWAYS POLITI- CALLY INFLUENCED, AND 535 ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE DRIVEN BY PERSONAL OPINIONS, DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE, AND OUTSIDE FORCES 18 PERCENT OF THE MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS ARE MILITARY VETERANS. THEREFORE, A MAJOR AFSA MISSION IS TO EDUCATE THE OTHER 82 PERCENT! Note that unpassed legislation expires at the end of each numbered Congress; it does not carry over from one Congress to the next.

What the heck does that mean to me anyways? JUST LIKE THE USAF HAS IT’S OWN LANGUAGE AND ACRONYMS, SO TOO DOES THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

Appropriations vs. Authorizations AN EASY ANALOGY IS YOUR GROCERIES // YOU “APPROPRIATE” A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF YOUR BUDGET TOWARDS GROCERY SHOPPING // YOU “AUTHORIZE” $X FOR MILK, $Y FOR BREAD, $Z FOR VEGETABLES, ETC APPROPRIATIONS AND AUTHORIZATIONS ARE INTRICATELY LINKED BUT ONLY APPROPRIATIONS ARE CONSIDERED “MANDATORY LEGISLATION” // THERE ARE 12 ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS BILLS EACH YEAR, DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BEING JUST ONE, THAT FUND THE COUNTRY // AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE FUNDING (APPROPRIATION) YOU CAN IN THEORY SURVIVE WITHOUT A SEPARATE SPENDING PLAN (AUTHORIZATION) // AUTHORIZATION LANGUAGE CAN BE INCLUDED IN AN APPROPRIATIONS BILL, ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR A SEPARATE BILL AUTHORIZATION BILLS (NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT) WILL OFTEN HAVE PROVISIONS OF INTEREST IN ADDITION TO BUDGET // 2005 NDAA – 21 DAYS PERMISSIVE TDY AUTHORIZED FOR ADOPTIONS // SOMETIMES AN NDAA IS INTERESTING BECAUSE OF WHAT IT DOESN’T HAVE IN IT // 2016 NDAA – HOUSE VERSION DOES NOT ADDRESS MILITARY PAY RAISES // BY LAW, ECI SAYS 2.3% SO BY NOT SPECIFYING ANOTHER PERCENTAGE THE HOUSE IS SAYING FOLLOW THE ECI // SENATE VERSION LISTED PAY RAISES AT 1.3% SO THEY ARE SUGGESTING SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM EXISTING LAW (ECI).

Budget Control Act of 2011 & Sequestration EVERYONE’S FOCUS IS ON SEQUESTRATION AND IT’S EFFECTS LIKE FURLOUGH OR GROUNDING OF AIRCRAFT // SEQUESTRATION IS A MECHANISM TO INITIATE THE CUTS, THAT MECHANISM IS CODIFIED INTO LAW BY THE BCA OF 2011 // IN ORDER TO STOP SEQUESTRATION, CONGRESS MUST ACTAULLY ADDRESS (AMEND OR REPEAL) THE BCA // SEQUESTRATION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SUCH A GROSS OPTION THAT IT WOULD INSPIRE CONGRESS TO TAKE OTHER STEPS WITH THE BCA AND NEVER OCCUR // BUT… IN NOVEMBER OF 2012, A CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE (CBO) REPORT THERE WAS A LINE ITEM SUGGESTING $54 BILLION OF DEFICIT REDUCTION COULD OCCUR BY THE YEAR 2020 IF THEY WERE TO “ALLOW THE AUTOMATIC ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES IN THE BUDGET CONTROL ACT TO TAKE EFFECT” ((“AUTOMATIC ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES” = CUT MECHANISM = SEQUESTRATION)) IN DECEMBER OF 2012, THE “SUPER COMMITTEE” OF BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE MEMBERS FAILED TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES, THUS FAILING TO PREVENT SEQUESTRATION IN MARCH OF 2013, SEQUESTRATION WAS TRIGGERED // DID THE TALK MATCH THE WALK? THUS FAR, CONGRESS HAS AUTHORIZED PARTIAL PATCHES FOR SEQUESTRATION BUT IT WILL NOT GO AWAY UNLESS THEY REPEAL IT.

Conference Members report back to each chamber with agreed changes. PUBLIC LAW Assuming it passes Conference, the Bill is then sent to the President for consideration. Conference Members report back to each chamber with agreed changes. A select number of Members from both chambers meet and resolve differences Language refined and amendments proposed. Must pass Full Senate before starting a Conference. Hearings held, language refined, amendments proposed. Must pass vote before reported to Full Senate Hearings held, language refined, amendments proposed. Must pass vote before reported to Full Committee Bill is read to the Committee and referred to the appropriate Subcommittee Bill is read to the Full Senate and referred to the appropriate Committee Language refined and amendments proposed. Must pass Full House before reported to Senate. Hearings held, language refined and amendments proposed. Must pass vote before reported to the Full House Hearings held, language refined and amendments proposed. Must pass vote before reported up to the Full Committee Bill is read to the Full Committee and referred to the appropriate Subcommittee Bill is read to the Full House of Representatives and referred to the appropriate Committee An idea becomes formalized into a Bill THIS IS THE FLOW OF LEGISLATION IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS “REGULAR ORDER” // AT ANY POINT ALONG THE WAY A BILL CAN FAIL // MANY TIMES A BILL NEEDS TO BE INTRODUCED, OR REINTRODUCED, A NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE IT WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THE PROCESS // WHEN A COMMITTEE FAILS TO TAKE ACTION, OR ACTUALLY VOTES AND IT FAILS, THE BILL IS SAID TO HAVE “DIED IN COMMITTEE”

2015 Legislative Gains   Preserved commissary benefit and restored over $300 million in funding Repealed CPI-1% COLA cut for retirees entering service after Jan. 1, 2016 Retained dual military couple housing allowance eligibility Established G-R reemployment rights for major disaster and pre-planned mission call-ups Fixed statutory formula to end annual 20+% Medicare/TRICARE payment cut threats (“Doc Fix”) Blocked means-testing for TRICARE Prime and TRICARE for Life fees Blocked consolidation of TRICARE health plans into single plan with less choice Blocked proposal for disproportional annual Rx copayment hikes for next 10 years Expanded mental health support for veterans via passage of the Clay Hunt SAV Act Restored SBP eligibility for current spouse if SBP-eligible former spouse dies Opened Agent Orange disability benefits to Vietnam war USAF C-123 veteran crewmembers EVEN WITH NUMEROUS BUDGETARY HURDLES BEFORE US, GOOD WORK IS STILL BEING DONE BY AFSA ON CAPITOL HILL! Protecting BAH and TRICARE benefits were last year’s chief accomplishments After nearly a dozen years, we were able to “put a fork” in the annual “Doc Fix” issue by getting Congress to fix the formula that determines how much doctors who treat Medicare and TRICARE patients are paid. Expansion of Agent Orange disability benefits a good example of “taking care of our own.”

FY 2017 Defense Appropriations not passed PENDING ISSUES FY 2017 Defense Appropriations not passed Continuing Resolution (CR) expires Dec 9th FY 2017 NDAA and possible veto Debt Ceiling limit reached again Veterans Legislation all but absent General Election Politics It has been 20 years since the 12 annual appropriations bills were passed in regular order (On time). The government will continue to operate through December 9th thanks to a temporary funding bill called a continuing resolution (CR). Not to be confused with its close cousin, the defense appropriations bill, Congress left town in mid September without passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as well. This legislation authorizes the overwhelming majority of DoD related programs including pay and benefits. Lawmakers will resume work on the funding bills and the NDAA when they return to DC in mid November. Whoever is elected president won’t get much breathing room after taking office: The government’s 20.1 trillion dollar borrowing limit is set to run out in early 2017, potentially sparking another financial brouhaha in the new Congress. Individually, the House and Senate have passed a number of very good Veterans-related bills, but the two chambers have not reached agreement on a single bill that can be signed into law. Look for 1-2 omnibus bills (package of smaller bills rolled into one piece of legislation) to move late in the year. The November General Election affecting most legislative activity during the run-up to the election and it will continue to influence lawmakers decisions through the end of this Congress.

Please take time to visit the Legislative Action Center on the AFSA Webpage! Here you will find information on AFSA's Legislative Program to include the Annual Legislative Platform, surveys, Chapter Legislative Involvement, Communicating with Elected Officials, and tips for conduction your own congressional office visit.

The Voter Voice program allows you to communicate directly with your elected officials using sample letters on hot button issues, or, you can craft a letter of you own on an issue of your choosing. Voter Voice can help you figure out who represents you, provides contact information for local media outlets, provide information on upcoming hearings and other congressional activity.

www.hqafsa.org @AFSAHQ Air Force Sergeants Association