Military Officer - July 2006 - (Page 31) washingtonscene M Pressing the Issues OAA council and chapter presidents from all 50 states and Puerto Rico joined forces in Washington March 28-30 for the annual Council and Chapter Presidents’ Seminar. A highlight of their gathering was the annual Storming the Hill event, in which MOAA’s state leaders team with members of the national board of directors and headquarters staff to visit most of the 100 Senate and 435 House offices on Capitol Hill. This year, nearly 130 individuals formed 60 teams to lobby legislators. Their message was twofold: resist the large TRICARE fee increases proposed by DoD and support fixes to the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), including immediate implementation of 30-year, paid-up SBP coverage and an end to the deduction of VA survivor benefits from SBP annuities when the servicemember’s death was caused by service. Their visits helped boost sponsorship of Reps. Chet Edwards’ (D-Texas) and Walter Jones’ (R-N.C.) House TRICARE fee bill (H.R. 4949) by nearly 80 percent (from 77 to 138) within one week after the Storming event. 6 1. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), left, meets with Col. Bill Gavitt, USAF-Ret., center, of MOAA’s board of directors (BOD), and committee staffer Mike Higgins. 2. Brig. Gen. Paul Cohen, USAF-Ret., Heartland of America (Neb.) Chapter, left, and Paula Muth, right, of MOAA’s Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee (AMAC), present materials to Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). 3. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), left, talks with Margery LeTourneau, AMAC. 4. From left, Lt. Col. Fred Edwards Jr., USMC-Ret., BOD, and Violet Smith, 1 AMAC, meet Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.). 5. Cmdr. Jack Hartley, USN-Ret., left, Mountain State (W.Va.) Chapter, briefs Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). 6. Muth, far right, and Cohen, center right, talk with Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), center left, and Hagel’s aide. 7. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), right, stands with Lt. Col. James Endicott Jr., USA-Ret, BOD. 8. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), left, and Paula Pawlowski, of the Captain Cook (Alaska) Chapter, visit. 9. From left, Gen. Michael Carns, USAF-Ret., BOD; Rep. Sam Farr (DCalif.); and Col. Renée Rubin, USMC-Ret., former BOD, discuss legislation. 10. MOAA Board of Directors Chairman Gen. John Hendrix, USA-Ret., left; Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.), center; and Col. William Flanagan, USA-Ret., Virginia Council of Chapters, confer. 11. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), right, meets with Col. Gary Fredricks, USAF-Ret., Arizona Council of Chapters. 12. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is flanked by Capt. Peter Baxter, USN-Ret., left, Nashoba Valley (Mass.) Chapter, and Gen. Richard Neal, USMC-Ret., BOD. 13. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), left, talks with Col. Joseph Ryan, USA-Ret., Indiana Council of Chapters. 14. From left, Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), meets with Col. Jerry 7 14 8 13 9 2 31 MILITARY OFFICER J U LY 2 0 0 6 3 4 5 12 11 PHOTOS: NOS. 1, 7, 8, 29, KRIS ANNE HEGLE; NOS. 4, 9, 19, 25, STEVE BARRETT; NOS. 10, 14, 20, SEAN SHANAHAN
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