chapters in action
“We decided it was better to get something than nothing,” says Col. John McCoy, USAF (Ret), council legislative director. “When the next legislative cycle started, we went back to work to extend the exemption to cover NOAA and USPHS retirees and their survivors.”
The Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS Inc. also joined the fight, while a core group of MOAA council and chapter members — Capt. Alan Echt, USPHS; McCoy; Capt. Laurence Reed, USPHS (Ret); and Capt. George Williams, USN (Ret) — launched an all-out legislative attack. Some testified in favor of the legislation, while others wrote letters of support and encouraged their fellow chapter members to contact their state legislators.
Members also enlisted the help of state Rep. Peter Stautberg, who introduced legislation that would remedy the inequity between armed forces and uniformed services retirees. Stautberg’s bills weren’t enacted during the next two legislative cycles. But in 2013, Stautberg included language that fixed the inequity in the state’s budget bill, H.B. 59, which passed.
“The real hero here is ... Stautberg,” says Reed. “He’s the one who introduced legislation, stood by it, and figured out how to get it passed.”
“It was really just a case of getting the right information to the right folks so the legislation would pass."
— Lt. Col. Bob Schoenborn, USA (Ret)
State-level efforts
Exempting servicemembers’ retired pay and SBP payments from state taxation is just one of many legislative issues that MOAA’s councils tackle. Councils coordinate the lobbying efforts of chapters in their states, allowing them to speak with One Powerful Voice®. Most councils also advocate as part of a coalition, usually composed of other state military and veterans’ groups, which increases their clout.
The Virginia Council of Chapters (VCOC) (
www.virginiamoaa.com) belongs to the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations. The VCOC also holds an annual Storming the Hill event, with members visiting the statehouse in Richmond to advocate for common legislative goals the Joint Leadership Council has chosen.
Just as MOAA members voice their support for pending legislation on Capitol Hill by sending emails to their legislators using Capwiz (
http://capwiz.com/moaa), VCOC members email their legislators by using VAVet (
www.vavet.org). Members also meet with legislators in their home districts.
“During these meetings, we find potential sticking points and address them prior to the start of the legislative session,” says VCOC President Col. Don Kaiserman, USA (Ret).
These strategies have helped the VCOC achieve major legislative victories like adding more state veterans’ cemeteries and securing funding to establish the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program. In 2013 alone, members achieved three goals, including securing land for the future Northern Virginia Veterans Care Center.
Voice for the active duty
Each year at the Council Presidents’ Seminar, a representative from the DoD state liaison office educates council and chapter leaders about 10 quality-of-life issues that primarily affect active duty servicemembers and their families and require state-level legislative fixes. MOAA council members, who advocate on behalf of those still in uniform, address these issues.
For example, members of the Arizona Council of Chapters (
http://azcouncilofchapters.org) passed legislation that improves their state’s absentee ballot systems, making it easier for deployed military families to vote. Advocacy efforts by members of the Delaware Council of Chapters (
www.moaa.org/chapter/delawarecouncil) resulted in legislation that expedites the state licensing and certification process for servicemembers’ spouses who hold professional licenses or certifications and relocate to Delaware as part of a military-ordered move.
Members of the Arkansas Council of Chapters (
www.moaa.org/chapter/arkansascouncil) also passed legislation to expedite the licensure process for servicemembers’ spouses, along with the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. MOAA council members in many other states already have passed the compact, through which states work together to eliminate administrative obstacles such as enrollment, placement, and graduation requirements military children face when they transfer schools.
“It didn’t take a lot of work because those issues won’t cost the state a lot of money,” says Arkansas Council of Chapters’ Legislative Chair Lt. Col. Bob Schoenborn, USA (Ret). “It was really just a case of getting the information to the right folks so the legislation would pass.”
take action: MOAA’s “State Report Card,” page 67, lists your state’s level of support for military benefits and programs.
NOVEMBER 2013 MILITARY OFFICER 45
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