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ualdriver

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 21, 2003
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1,400

· H.R. 2103 and S. 1270

This Legislation (commonly referred to as the Miller/Akaka amendment) should have been signed into law as part of the pension reform act passed in the last session of Congress. Unfortunately, despite bi-partisan support, it was stripped out at the last stage and was not allowed to be reinserted despite a major push by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.).

There is an ongoing “Legislative Alert” effort to solicit support and additional co-signers for this important piece of legislation. Directions for sending letters to your Congressional Representatives were the subject of a very recent update message. Please take the brief time required and participate in this process. There is nothing as powerful as a letter from a voting constituent.

The list of cosponsors for HR 2103 as of today is as follows:

California: Mike Thompson (D 1st); George Miller (D 7th); Ellen Tauscher (D 10th); Gerald McNerney (D 11th); Henry Waxman (D 30th). Connecticut: Joseph Courtney (D 2nd). Florida: Alcee Hastings (D 23rd). Hawaii Mazie Hirono (D 2nd). Illinois: Janice Schakowsky (D 9th). Iowa: Dave Loebsack (D 2nd). Maine: Thomas Allen (D 1st). Maryland: John Sarbanes (D 3rd). Massachusetts: John Tierney (D 6th). Michigan: Dale Kildee (D 5th). Nevada: Jon Porter (R 3rd). New Hampshire: Carol Shea-Porter (D 1st). New York: Tim Bishop (D 1st); Carolyn McCarthy (D 4th). North Carolina: David Price (D 4th). Ohio: Dennis Kucinich (D 10th); Zack Space (D 18th). Texas Ruben Hinojosa (D 15th).

The list of cosponsors for S. 1270 as of today is as follows:

Colorado: Ken Salazar (D). Georgia: Johnny Isakson (R). Hawaii: Daniel Inouye (D); Daniel Akaka (D). Illinois: Richard Durbin (D); Barack Obama (D). Iowa Tom Harkin (D). Massachusetts: Edward Kennedy (D).


· H.R. 4061- The Lost Retirement Savings Act of 2007

This bill was introduced on November 1st, 2007 by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), with the co-sponsorship of his Ways and Means colleagues Reps. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Ron Lewis (R-Ky.).

This bill would allow United pilots (and others) who received a taxable payment from a stock claim sale or bond distribution the option to reclaim the taxes paid on the proceeds of that distribution. The pilot would have the option to voluntarily place claim and note proceeds into an IRA or Roth IRA.

The current list of cosponsors for H.R. 4061 is as follows:

Rep. John Lewis (D) GA-5th
Rep. Dave Camp (R) MI-4th
Rep. Joe Crowley (D) NY 7th
Rep. Ron Lewis (R) KY-2nd
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) NV-1st
Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter (R) MI-11th
Rep. Jim Ramstad (R) MN-3rd

Shortly after the introduction of H.R. 4061, members of your Legislative Committee traveled to Washington to assist in a joint effort with the ALPA National Government Affairs Department and the Delta Legislative Affairs Committee. We not only discussed H.R. 4061 during these meetings but also mentioned the Miller/Akaka legislation when the conversation allowed. MEC Legislative Committee members Captain Jeff Greco and First Officer Carlos Rodriguez, along with Council 11 Legislative Committee Chairman Captain Jim Smart, participated in this endeavor.

We met with the staff of members to the House Ways & Means Committee as we continued to gain bi-partisan support for this legislation. In addition to United pilots and retirees, this legislation could also benefit pilots and some retirees at Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways, as well as other employee groups who have received claim and/or note payments under the approval of a federal bankruptcy court in a case filed after September 11, 2001, and before January 1, 2007.

We are still awaiting the introduction of legislation, with the same language as H.R. 4061, in the Senate. We anticipate this introduction shortly by Sen. Maria Cantwell, (D-Wash.) and her Senate Finance Committee colleague and Minority Whip, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). When the Senate legislation is introduced, there will be a joint effort to visit members of the Senate Finance Committee. There will also be a roll out of a “Legislative Alert” effort utilizing the www.alpa.org website and the CAPWIZ website.

· What you can do to help

Support UP-PAC and ALPA-PAC:

This is an extremely challenging year in many respects. Attempting to move legislation forward requires an incredible amount of work and time. Utilizing the resources of ALPA-PAC and UP-PAC allows your Legislative Committee and ALPA governmental affairs enhanced opportunities to bring pilot issues to the attention of members of Congress. As a reminder; UP-PAC and ALPA-PAC contributions are strictly voluntary and are used to make campaign contributions to candidates and office holders who have shown a willingness to consider the pilot perspective when making decisions which will have an effect on our professional lives.

While it is easy to focus on the single “hot button” issue of the day, UP-PAC and ALPA-PAC contributions have more to do with building long term positive relationships with legislators. It is always important to point out that there is no expectation of any “quid pro quo” and never has been. There is also a strong bi-partisan effort in contributions to campaigns. The overriding factor is simply to support candidates who understand our issues and will allow ALPA to make the case for legislation important to the pilots represented by this organization. Your support of both UP-PAC and ALPA-PAC through both check-off programs is a painless way to join the team and support these efforts.

Contact your Congressional Representatives:

There are a number of bills in Congress that are important to you and your fellow ALPA members, as well as to your fellow employees and union members here at United. Visit the CAPWIZ website using this link: http://capwiz.com/alpa/issues/bills/

If you have not already done so, now is a good time to contact your elected representatives about the following bills;

H.R. 2744- A bill to amend the Family and Medical Leave act of 1993 in order to clarify the eligibility requirements with respect to airline flight crews.

H.R. 2103 & S. 1270- explained in this report.

H.R. 2881 & S. 1300- FAA Reauthorization for Fiscal years 2008-2011

The members of your Legislative Committee are appreciative of the support shown for the work we do on behalf of our pilot group. It has been a busy year and it looks like it is only going to get busier. There will be many opportunities for participation in the months and years ahead. There are many ways to participate in this union. Find your level of comfort with time commitment and participate in some manner. If nothing else, it is important for you to stay up to date on the issues by reading the mail that is sent to you.
 

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