GPO — Legislation was enacted in 1977 to prevent government retirees from collecting both a government annuity based on their own work in non-social security covered employment and social security benefits based on their spouse’s work record. The new law became effective with government employees who were first eligible to retire in December 1982 and later. The law provides that two-thirds of the government annuity offsets whatever social security benefits would be payable to the retired government worker as a spouse (wife, husband, widow, widower). For example, a spouse who receives a civil service benefit of $900 a month based on his/her own earnings applies for a social security widow(er)’s benefit. The widow(er)’s benefit is $500. Two-thirds of his/her annuity, or $600, totally offsets the social security widow(er)’s benefit. He/she therefore receives no widow(er)’s benefit from social security.

WEP — The Social Security Act also includes a provision that greatly reduces the social security benefits earned of a retired government worker who has also worked in the private sector and receives a government annuity. Those who became 62 after 1989 may have their social security benefit reduced by as much as 60%. An additional 20% is deducted for taking the social security benefit at age 62.

The disability committee is requesting anecdotes detailing mistreatment and unfair practices relating to on-the-job disabilities of federal criminal investigators. Please mail any correspondence to: FCIA, Disability Chairman, P.O. Box 23400, Washington, D.C. 20026.

FCIA stands for the proposition that all Inspectors General criminal investigators should be granted full statutory law enforcement powers.

When the FCIA Board agreed to hold the 1999 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., it recognized the importance of FCIA’s need to work closely with members of Congress on the concerns of federal investigators. This article is part of a planned series of articles on working effectively to accomplish legislative goals and is reprinted from a publication by Patrick B. Haggerty from Maryland.

Mr. Haggerty begins his tips noting that "Getting elected is a lawmaker’s primary concern. They need us to be elected and re-elected. We need our lawmakers to achieve our legislative and regulatory agenda. Successful citizen legislative advocacy is possible when the reciprocal nature of this relationship is fully understood."

The following DO’s and DON’Ts are an important part of this relationship.

1. Remember that time is precious. All letters, phone calls, office visits, etc. to your lawmaker should be "short and sweet." Get to the point soon and focus on your issue.

2. Include the bill number and/or name of the legislation or regulation in all communication.

3. Explain in simple and straightforward terms the logic supporting your position. The most effective logic often involves jobs, cost, and how many people it will affect.

4. Remember that the lawmaker’s staff is as important to you as the lawmaker. Staff often are the ones who prepare the issue summary, including a vote recommendation, for the lawmaker.

5. Take advantage of "strength in numbers." This is true for letters, faxes, e-mail, phone calls, office visits, financial support, etc. Many issues are decided on the volume of communications received.

6. Remember that the more responsibility and involvement you assume, the more vigorous the commitment and support you can expect from your lawmaker. Know your issue.

7. Include your name, address and phone number (home and office) on all communication. This allows your lawmaker and staff to contact you for appropriate follow-up and it also reminds the lawmaker that you are the constituent.

8. Follow-up with letters, calls, etc. Make a commitment to your cause.

9. Remind your lawmaker how many people (read votes) in your organization share your position.

10. Always have a "position paper" that clearly states your position and logic. This is also called a "leave behind" for office visits. Other effective "leave behinds" are buttons, hats, bumper stickers, etc. to make your visit more memorable to the lawmaker.

11. Include your lawmaker on your organization’s mailing list for newsletters, magazines, etc.

12. Be patient. Sometimes neither you nor the lawmaker will know the outcome for months.

13. Be a good winner and a good loser. Your adversary on one issue might be your ally on the next issue.

14. Invite your lawmaker and staff to your place of business or other appropriate location(s) that will put a human face on the issue you’re discussing.

15. Understand that you and your lawmaker sometimes will have to compromise. Assess what you can realistically achieve in this session and work on the rest later.

16. Ask lawmakers to state their position. If it agrees with yours, ask what you can do to strengthen that support. If it differs with yours, ask what information or show of public support is necessary to change that position. If they’ve not decided, ask what information and public support you can supply to help with the decision making.

17. Use the news media (letters to the editor, guest editorials, news stories, etc.) to help create public support for your positions. Lawmakers are constantly looking to see what "the people want" on issues.

18. Write a thank you note to the lawmaker no matter what the outcome (remember item #13) of your issue.

1. Confuse the issues. One issue is as much as you should cover in one letter, call, visit, etc.

2. Use form letters. Form letters are not taken seriously and interpreted as the action of a single person rather than as broad support.

3. Underestimate the weight given to letters and phone calls. Many legislative offices multiply each letter received by 50 (i.e. if they get 200 letters they’re counted as 10,000 letters). Two hundred letters on any issue are considered an avalanche of public support.

4. Use jargon. You’re not speaking to your colleagues in the office. Your lawmaker may have little or no knowledge of your issue or its jargon.

5. Contact a lawmaker and then drop the issue. Persistence pays off.

6. Say you’re contacting your lawmaker because your organization told you to do so. Lawmakers respond to people (voters) not organizations.

7. Ignore opportunities to visit with your lawmaker at home. They may be "King of the Hill" at the Capitol, but they’re "jes folks" at home.

8. Never lie. Anything less than full honesty will erode your lawmakers ability to commit to you and your issue. If there are some rough spots, acknowledge them early and work on avoidance strategy together with your lawmaker.