Minutes

Alabama Council of Chapters

Military Officers Association of America

Council Meeting Minutes

July 8, 2008

1. Opening Activities.

a. The meeting was called to order by Council President, Peter Brambir, at 10:00 hours at the Maxwell AFB Officers Club, Montgomery, Alabama.

b. The invocation was delivered by Danny Burttram and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Charlie Block.

c. Those in attendance were: Peter Brambir, Charles Block, Richard Erickson, Jim Eubanks, Mike Golden, Barbara Stamper, Pete Riehm, Danny Burttram, Robert Dobson,

Don Mimbs, Jim Wallace, Clyde May, George Singleton, Linda Morgan, Brett Clark and Pete Landrum.

2. Old Business.

Richard Erickson presented the treasurer's report which was approved as presented. A copy was furnished to each chapter president attending and the record copy is on file with the treasurer.

Charles Block presented the minutes of the Council meeting of April 8, 2008 which were approved as presented.

Jim Eubanks and Mike Golden reported that there were numbered bills in both the Alabama House and Senate (HB509 & SB 196) to exempt the Alabama Council and all Alabama chapters from Alabama state tax. Neither bill was passed. As a result the effort will be renewed next session by Mike Golden. Jim Eubanks has retired from this action. Mike Golden will send an email out asking each chapter president to provide him with the amount the chapter has spent on scholarship. There is no time limit for the amount (go back as far as you have records). This information will be used as support for why we should be tax exempt. No action was taken on the proposal to make MOAA a member of the State Veterans Affairs board.

3. New Business.

Jim Eubanks presented information on MOAA’s effort to have title 36, U.S. Code amended to grant a Federal charter to the Military Officers Association of America. Senator Sessions has co-sponsored the bill but Senator Shelby has not and Jim urged that we contact him as well as our local House representatives to support this action. This is directly tied to our attempt to obtain membership on the State Veterans board.

Reports were received from the South Alabama, Greater Birmingham, East Central, Huntsville, Montgomery, NE Alabama, Fort Rucker, Greater Shoals and West Alabama Chapters. Copies are on file with the respective chapters.

George Singleton briefed the group on Alabama Veterans Cemetery and suggested that the Council donate $100 to the Cemetery support group which will provide MOAA with visibility and membership on the board. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.

Dick Erickson proposed that the mileage allowance for elected and appointed members of the council be increased to 25 cents per mile. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.

The council was advised that each year the Governor has a Military Proclamation ceremony at Montgomery. Each military organization in the state who has requested to be included is presented a signature copy of the proclamation. This is something the council should track and remind our chapters during the January meeting to determine who wants to be included in the event held in April of each year.

Danny Burttram reported that they had a very successful recruiting event that was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National Guard Association. MOAA provided an iPod that was raffled off to those who had signed up for membership in MOAA.

COL Brett Clark, new commander of the USAFR 908^{th Air} Wing briefed the group on their role in the war on terrorism.

4. Meeting with Pete Landrum. Pete Landrum, Senior Defense Aide to Senator Sessions briefed the council on items of interest.

a. Senator Sessions originally opposed the new GI Bill because he believed it would hurt recruitment. At his and others urging the bill was modified to allow transferability of the benefit to the spouse after 10 years of active duty and to children after 12 years of active duty.

b. The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), of which Senator Sessions is a member, approved a 3.9% pay raise for active duty which was .5% over the President’s budget request.

c. The SASC also approved an increase of 7000 personnel for the Army and 5000 for the USMC.

d. Chapter presidents were asked to query their members regarding TRICARE fee increases. The proposed increase was stopped this year but Pete said it was a matter of time before the fees would have to be increased. He had heard proposals that the fees not be increased more than the COLA any given year and that there not be a "catch-up" assessment.

e. He stated that he felt confident that the Medicare fee cuts would not pass. There is a possibility of a maximum of a 1.1% cut but that is not certain.

f. DOD was directed to place a senior officer in charge of the transition of wounded persons from the military system to the VA system.

g. $390 million increase for the NG for homeland security was placed in the budget to train up three brigades over the next three years.

h. 21 days of paid maternity leave was authorized for male service members.

i. Senator Sessions will be the senior Republican that will co-sponsor legislation to decrease the SPB/DIC offset that now occurs.

j. Senator Sessions put language in the bill that requires the Army to field test the current rifle and if it is found deficient to conduct a competition for its replacement.

k. Pete indicated that he can find little support on the hill for increasing the concurrent receipt for non-combat injuries which are now only compensated at the 50% disabled and above level.

7. Next Meeting. It was announced that the next meeting of the Council has been changed due to several persons being unavailable on the original date and will now be on Tuesday October 21, 2008 at the Maxwell AFB Officer’s Club. All remaining dates are unchanged.

8. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 1400 hours.

Charles A. Block

Alabama Council of Chapters Secretary