NAVREF UPDATES - February 18, 2003

TO: NAVREF Members
FROM: Barbara West, Executive Director

1. Congress Completes FY 2003 Appropriations
2. Reminders: Annual Conference Registration, Board Elections and Membership Survey
3. Terrorism Insurance Coverage
4. New Preferred Vendor for Printer Supplies

On February 13, Congress finally completed the FY 2003 omnibus appropriations bill and sent it to President Bush for his signature. Details of the foot tall spending package that funds all domestic discretionary programs are slowly becoming available. At this writing, it appears that House and Senate conferees rejected earlier plans for across-the-board cuts. As a result, VA research will receive $400 million for FY 2003, a very satisfactory $29 million (7.8%) increase over the previous year and $16 million more than originally proposed by the Bush administration. Medical care received the full $23.9 billion previously approved by House and Senate appropriators. Federal employees will be happy to hear that the measure restores the civil service pay raise to 4.1% and makes it retroactive to January 1, 2003.

• NAVREF 2003 Annual Conference. The deadline for room reservations and conference registration at the regular rate is close of business today, February 18. Registrations received after 5:00 p.m. will be subject to a late fee. Please fax your form with credit card information today.
• Information about the conference, hotel accommodations and a registration form are available at http://www.navref.org/development/main_conference.htm If you have questions, please contact the NAVREF office at navref@navref.org.
• NAVREF Board Elections. The deadline for submission of ballots for the NAVREF board of directors elections is Friday, February 21. Please vote!
• NAVREF Membership Survey. If you have not yet responded to the online NAVREF survey, please do so at your earliest convenience. Our goal is 100% participation to ensure that the results accurately reflect members’ views. Please use the link emailed previously. If it has been deleted or you have difficulty accessing the survey, send an email to amurakami@navref.org and we re-send it to you.

Pursuant to the homeland security bill passed last year, all insurance companies must now offer coverage for losses resulting from terrorist acts. In order to comply with this new legislation, insurers are required to notify policyholders that the coverage is available and may charge an additional premium for such coverage. At NAVREF’s request, Judy Haberman, Client Executive, the broker for the NAVREF insurance program, has provided an explanation of the coverage to help members make an informed decision about whether to incur the additional expense. Go to http://www.navref.org/about/main_navref_insurance.htm and select the last link on the bulleted list, “Guidance on terrorism coverage.”

.NAVREF has added BeTTer Type Products to the list of preferred vendors that offer special discounts to NAVREF members. BeTTer Type offers discounted prices on over 20,000 office supplies. However, the company specializes in providing deep discounts on computer, fax and printer supplies, particularly toner cartridges, that may reach as much as 60% on selected items. Orders are generally shipped within 24 hours, and shipping is free. Contact: BeTTer Type Products; Pam Wood, Sales Executive; Phone: 800-667-1236; Fax: 804-569-1236 Email: pamwood.bettertype@attbi.com Please identify yourself as a NAVREF member when placing your first order. For information about NAVREF’s Preferred Vendor Program go to http://www.navref.org/about/main_navref_vendor.htm.