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legislative page

This library will have reference material on lobbying, the federal budget process and more. We will also post samples of letters sent by our members to their Senators and Representatives. Send copies of letters you have sent to Congress for possible inclusion in the Library. NOTE: All Word documents (.doc) need to be saved and view with IE not Netscape.

Did you know ... YOU CAN BE A GRASSROOTS LEGISLATIVE AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST WITHOUT VIOLATING THE HATCH ACT!

Did you know ... The “Hatch Act” covers political activity, but NOT Non-Partisan Issue Education?

What is Non-Partisan Issue Education? Any legislative or agency issues such as pay, working conditions, contracting out and personnel reform can be freely discussed with your fellow federal employees WITHOUT VIOLATING THE HATCH ACT! You can also contact, or visit, lawmakers provided your use your personal phone or e-mail.

Some Non-Partisan Issue Education activities NOT covered by the Hatch Act are:

Can I support my candidate or political party? You cannot engage in political activity for a candidate while on duty, in a government office, in uniform, or while using a government vehicle. However, you can display a bumper sticker on your car (but cannot display a candidate’s button or material at work), express your opinion about a candidate, attend a candidate rally (while off-duty), volunteer on a campaign and/or participate in a phone bank or distribute campaign literature (while off duty and off-site). For a more exhaustive list, see the Hatch Act do’s and don’ts link below.

What about voter registration drives? Prior to the Union’s endorsement of a candidate, you can conduct non-partisan voter registration drives on federal property. However, the activity cannot be identified with any candidate or party, and Registration must be offered to anyone regardless of their party affiliation or candidate preference. You cannot be selective in whom you register to vote.

Once the Union has endorsed a candidate, your voter registration activities must stop. You can find the Union’s endorsements on the www.afge.org web site.

Want to learn more? Contact the Council’s legislative committee chair Tim Oravec at timothy_j._Oravec@hud.gov .If you are an AFGE member, there is a wealth of additional information on AFGE National’s web site regarding legislative activities and how you can get involved, such as The Capital Report (http://www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=TheCapitalReport). Not a member, isn’t it time you joined our team and helped to restore pride to the Federal workforce? ( Join AFGE!)

Want to view Hatch Act do’s and don’ts? click here.

 

Council 222 Legislative Committee Chair Tim Oravec developed three Committee documents with active links inside them:

2007 Council 222 Issue Papers

  1. Proposed FY 2008 Budget for HUD
  2. Failure to Implement the Fair Labor Standards Act
  3. Implementing Congressional Mandates
  4. Implementing Reasonable Accommodations
  5. Contracting Out at HUD
         Contracting Out Attachment     2007 U.S. Department of Hsg and Urban Dev

Questions Regarding Salaries and Expenses

2007 AFGE Issue Papers

  1. Table of Contents Page
  2. Privatization of Federal Services
  3. Dismantling the Civil Service
  4. Federal Pay
  5. Transportation Security Administration
  6. Federal Employees Health Benefits Program
  7. Government Pension
  8. Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision
  9. Employment Non-Discrimination Act
  10. Whistleblower Protection
  11. Department of Defense Department of Veterans Affairs
  12. Federal Prisons
  13. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  14. Billingual Day
  15. Differential