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AFSA Annual Report 2013
9
CONSUMER AFFAIRS
The advocacy department has supported the efforts of our
colleagues in labor management to ensure that companies
and government agencies alike recognize the unique situ-
ation of Foreign Service employees and their families, and
honor existing programs that grant them waivers and other
opportunities available to members of the military and other
federal employees. Examples include air travel, health, real
estate, taxes and telecommunications.
DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY
As part of its commitment to protect all Americans against
discrimination in the workplace, AFSA supported S. 815, the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013. Introduced
by Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the bill to prohibit employ-
ment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or
gender identity was approved by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 12
and was referred to the following House committees: Educa-
tion and the Workforce; House Administration; Oversight
and Government Reform; and the Judiciary.
FAMILY/DEPENDENT ISSUES
AFSA has been an outspoken supporter of work-life bal-
ance and family-oriented legislation that will benefit federal
employees. AFSA has lobbied for passage of the Federal
Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (currently H.R. 517)
ever since it was first introduced in 2005.
PERSONNEL SECURITY
AFSA continues to emphasize that the best way Congress
can honor the memories of those we lost in Benghazi is to
implement ways to better manage the risks all overseas For-
eign Service staff and their families face. We have reiterated
our strong support for the recommendations of the State
Department’s Accountability Review Board Report on Beng-
hazi, led by Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering and Admiral
Michael Mullen. In line with our longstanding conviction
that training is key to security, we have sought congressional
support for increased funding to enable the Department of
State to increase employee language and security awareness
training (as noted in ARB recommendations 15, 16 and 17)
so that employees are able to carry out their duties, engage
the local population and better recognize, avoid or manage
risky situations.
IRAN HOSTAGES COMPENSATION
The 1979-1981 Iranian hostage crisis is an unforgettable part
of Foreign Service and U.S. diplomatic history. Although
the former hostages and their families received a number
of benefits under various federal programs, in addition to a
cash payment of $50 a day for each day held hostage, they
never received any compensation from Iran through court
action. Having lost their bids in the judicial system to obtain
such compensation, the former hostages have turned to
Congress for relief. AFSA has strongly supported financial
compensation for these brave men and women through
a letter-writing campaign and meetings with members of
Congress. Three bills have been introduced to rectify this
issue: S. 559, Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran
Act of 2013; H.R. 904, Justice for the American Diplomats
Held Hostage in Tehran Act; and H.R. 3200, Justice for
Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2013.
From AFSA’s November reception on Capitol Hill: Barbara Farrar, Chuck
Fee, Ian Houston, Nancy Rios-Brooks, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., Bob
Silverman, Sharon Wayne, Steve Morrison.
PERSONNEL SUPPORT
AFSA has been the leading voice in support of the immedi-
ate passage of H.R. 1781, the Mustafa Akarsu Local Guard
Force Support Act. The act was approved by the Senate in
June 2013 as part of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic
Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act. The
original bill was introduced in the House by Committee on
Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas,
and seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act
to provide special immigrant status for the surviving spouse
or child of a U.S. government employee killed abroad in the
line of duty, provided that: (1) the employee had performed
faithful service for at least 15 years; and (2) the principal
officer of a Foreign Service establishment recommends,
and the Secretary of State approves, the granting of such
status. The bill states that this Act shall have retroactive
effect. Although it was approved by the Senate and the bill
seems to have the support of key House Majority leaders, its
future is tied to the larger immigration debate in the House
of Representatives. AFSA will continue advocating for it
during 2014.
STATE/LOCAL ACTION
Recognizing that some of our casework at the state and local
levels can be addressed through executive orders and state
legislation, we are now working on a series of state-focused
initiatives to ensure that our members in every state are on
equal footing with their brothers and sisters in the military
in areas such as driver’s licenses, residency and taxes, among
others.
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