The Foreign Service Journal, May 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2016 69 AFSA NEWS Consent Agenda: On a motion from Retiree Vice Presi- dent Tom Boyatt, the board approved the consent agenda items. These included (1) the Feb. 3 Governing Board minutes; (2) the appointment of USAID Foreign Service Officer Sait Mboob to serve on the USAID Standing Com- mittee; (3) the continuation of Ambassador (ret.) Charles Ray as a member on the Profession and Ethics Commit- tee; (4) the appointment of FSO Marika Zadva to serve on the PEC; and (5) the Awards Committee’s recommended recipients of the 2015 Sinclaire Language Award. The motion passed unanimously. Legal Defense Fund Standard Operating Procedures: On a motion by State Representative Peter Neisuler, the board approved standard operating procedures (SOP) defining the types of cases and eligibility criteria for pro- viding financial assistance from the LDF to an AFSAmem- ber; the procedures for submitting an application request- ing assistance and for evaluating requests for assistance; and the administration of the financial disbursement. Per the SOP, the fund may provide financial assistance to an AFSAmember who is involved in a legal matter that (a) has potentially far-reaching significance to members of the Foreign Service; or (b) involves issues of institu- tional importance to the Foreign Service; and (c) exceeds the case management capacity of the AFSA Labor Man- agement Staff and/or (d) requires an outside attorney with expertise in a particular area of law not available in the AFSA Labor Management Staff. Requests for financial assistance from the fund are subject to AFSA approval and may be made by: (a) all dues-paying regular members as defined in AFSA’s Bylaws (i.e., current or former members of the Foreign Service as AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, March 2, 2015 defined by Sections 103 (paragraphs 1 to 5) and 202 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, or successor legislation); (b) members whose cases meet the criteria outlined in the pre- vious paragraph; and (c) members whose cases relate to the member’s performance of his or her official duties or that arise from the member’s duty or status as a current or for- mer Foreign Service employee. Financial assistance will not be available to accommodate requests made by members retroactively for legal fees that have already been incurred. The motion passed unanimously. Proposed Legislation on Administrative Leave: On a motion by USAID Representative Jeffrey Cochrane, the board agreed to table discussion on the S.2450 Administra- tive Leave Act—which, if enacted, would limit agencies’ use of administrative leave—until the board has more informa- tion on how the proposed legislation may affect the Foreign Service. The motion passed unanimously. Finance, Audit and Management Committee Report: Treasurer Chuck Ford provided a positive report on the association’s investment performance and budget execution in 2015. The FAM Committee is planning to form working groups to look at ways to enhance fundraising and revenue, alignment of expenditures with strategic priorities, perfor- mance measurement and the investment policy. Consular Adjudicator Gap: State Vice President Angie Bryan led the board in discussion of basic principles that should govern AFSA’s approach to working with the Depart- ment of State on options for resolving the consular adjudica- tor gap. n AFSAAnnual Report 2015 Published The AFSA Annual Report 2015 is now available online at http://afsa.org/afsa- annual-report. AFSA President Barbara Stephenson writes the intro- duction, setting out the goals of the Strong Diplomacy Governing Board. This is fol- lowed by contributions from each of the constituency vice presidents, as well as AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston. The report details AFSA’s 2015 activities, from awards to scholarships, outreach to advocacy, as well as the work AFSA does on behalf of its members. To reduce costs and be eco-friendly, we are making the report available online to all members. To request a paper copy, while supplies last, please email member@ afsa.org with the subject line “Annual Report.” n