Commander January 3, 2019

Transcription

1 Commander January 3, 2019 General Orders # Series, published monthly by the VFW Department of Idaho. To be read at regular Post meetings, and placed in file for future reference. HAPPY NEW YEAR 1. Thank you all so much for our first half of the membership year. On Dec 26 th we needed 74 members to achieve 92% in membership. After calling all the District Commanders (Dec 28 & 29) to put a full court press on keeping our members that expired Dec 31 st, the response was overwhelming and 84 members were processed before midnight Dec 29. At this time of this writing, Post are still calling our soon to expire members. Dec 26 th, we had 184 memberships due to expire Dec 31 st. 2. Congratulations to the following Posts for reaching the Dec 31st goal of 92%. a. 889 Coeur d Alene l Meridian b Priest River m Kuna c Post Falls n Jerome d Moscow o Buhl e Grangeville p Glenns Ferry f Cottonwood q Preston g Kamiah r Rigby h Lewiston s Salmon i. 63 Boise t Arco j. 142 Idaho City u Mud Lake k Caldwell v St. Anthony 3. Thirteen (13) Posts have reached 100% or more; Priest River % Caldwell % Post Falls % Meridian % Moscow % Jerome % Grangeville Glenns Ferry % Cottonwood % Preston % Kamiah % Salmon % Idaho City % Kuna % As you can see the list is growing. Your Post can be next.

2 4. Congratulations to the following Districts for reaching 92% on by Dec 31st; One (1), Two (2), Five (5), and Eight (8). Lately District 5 is still leading the pack and the distance between 1 & 2 is growing. 5. Mid-Winter Conference is 10 days away (Jan 10-13) at the Riverside Hotel, 2900 Chinden Blvd in Boise. Meal reservations are due to Headquarters no later than Jan 4 th. If you don t have your reservations made yet, you should call Susan or Tom at Department Headquarters ASAP. 6. The Annual Legislative Reception is on the evening of Jan 10th. This is an important opportunity to meet with your legislators and discuss veterans issues in Idaho. If possible, we hope you will attend. It will be held at the Red Lion Downtowner beginning at 5:00 p.m. Be sure to wear your VFW cap. 7. Posts should begin considering who will be nominated for Comrade of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award. Winners will be selected at the Convention in June of 2019 in Lewiston. 8. Nominations for Post Officers will be in March with elections to be held in April. Post Commanders must ensure that all elected positions are filled. 9. Now that we have rung in the New Year, we have to roll up our sleeves to achieve our next goal of 100% by May 1 st. It s not the price you paid to become a member. It s the price you paid to become eligible. We ve Got Your 6 By order of the Commander Attested to:

3 Adjutant/Quartermaster December 3, Adjutant/Quartermaster Tom Black Comrades, Posts listed as missing/late audits are missing at least the Audit Report through 30 SEP 18, due by 31 OCT and that Report is now 2 months late. The Department is at 92.4% membership; meeting Commander Davis goal for December. Many thanks go out to our State Commander and Membership Chairman as well as the many members working hard all across the State to ensure the success of the Department of Idaho! Mid-Winter is next week (10-13 JAN) and I look forward to seeing everyone there. The National Representatives are VFW Commander-in-Chief BJ Lawrence and Auxiliary National President Sandi Kriebel. Come meet your National leadership. Please remember that registration forms are due at Department Headquarters by Friday, January 4 th. Please remember that I am always here to assist any member or Post with anything needed. I am available at the other end of an or phone call. 2. The following need to send missing Audit Reports to Department Quartermaster: Posts: 889, 3603, 3296, 8311, 1173, 5423, Districts: 1 and There are no District Meetings in January. 5. Check List for January 1. Review state incorporation paperwork for your Post. You should get a card from the Secretary of State that must be signed and filled out and returned no later than 60 days from the date on the card. Due this month: Posts 3886, 9036, Scout of the Year entries due to the Post by March 1 st. 3. Post and District Audit Reports for December due to Department HQ by 31 st. 4. Department Mid-Winter Conference in January. Those attending should already have their reservations. 5. Posts need monthly Community Activity Reports sent to the JVC by the 26 th of the month. to jr.vice.commander@vfwidaho.org. 6. Post membership should be 95% by Mid-Winter Conference. 7. District & Posts should interact with their Chamber of Commerce in their communities. 8. Remember to check your State income tax form for the Veterans Support Fund.

4 IDAHO VFW MEMBERSHIP REPORT PERCENT 92.40% AS OF JANUARY 2, 2019 LOCATION N/R LM LIFE NEW R-NEW CONT TOTAL TOTAL 18 PERCENT FOR 100% FOR 105% 889 Coeur d'alene % Spirit Lake % Osburn % Sandpoint % Priest River % Post Falls % Bonners Ferry % Clark Fork % Dist #1 TOT % Moscow % Orofino % Grangeville % Kendrick % Cottonwood % Kamiah % Elk City % Lewiston % Potlatch % Dist #2 TOT % AREA 1 TOT % Payette % Emmett % Midvale % New Plymouth % Wilder % Dist 4 TOT % Boise % Idaho City % Boise % Nampa % Caldwell % Meridian % Mt. Home % Kuna % Dist 5 TOT % AREA 2 TOT %

5 2136 Twin Falls % Wendell % Jerome % Burley % Gooding % Buhl % Glenns Ferry % Dist 6 TOT % Pocatello % Montpelier % Soda Springs % Blackfoot % Preston % Dist 7 TOT % Rigby % Idaho Falls % Rexburg % Salmon % Arco % Mud Lake % Saint Anthony % Dist 8 TOT % AREA 3 TOT % AT LARGE % LOCATION N/R LM LIFE NEW R-NEW CON'T TOTAL TOTAL 09 PERCENT FOR 100% FOR 105% STATE DAVIS % AREA 1 DAVIS % AREA 2 HEYOB % AREA 3 FOSTER % DIST 1 English % DIST 2 Riener % DIST 4 Spurling % DIST 5 Suekel % DIST 6 Brott % DIST 7 Hollingsworth % DIST 8 Boomgaarden %

6 VFW Department of Idaho Community Service Report December 2018 Total Activities # Members # Hrs # Miles Total Monies Donated Div # Post # Location DISTRICT ONE Coeur d'alene $ Spirit Lake $2, Osburn $9, Sandpoint $6, Priest River $ Post Falls $ Bonners Ferry $3, Clark Fork $1, TOTALS $23, DISTRICT TWO Moscow $ Orofino $ Grangeville $ Kendrick $ Cottonwood $1, Kamiah $1, Elk City $ Lewiston $4, Potlatch $0.00 TOTALS $8, DISTRICT FOUR Payette $ Emmett $3, Midvale $ New Plymouth $7, Wilder $0.00 TOTALS $10, DISTRICT FIVE 1 63 Boise $ Idaho City $3, Boise $1, Nampa $2, Caldwell $1, Meridian $4, Mt. Home AFB $ Kuna $0.00 TOTALS $12, Page 1 Date Printed 12/28/2018

7 VFW Department of Idaho Community Service Report December 2018 Total Activities # Members # Hrs # Miles Total Monies Donated Cat # Post # Location DISTRICT SIX Twin Falls $2, Wendell $3, Jerome $2, Burley $3, Gooding $ Buhl $1, Glenns Ferry $9, TOTALS $21, DISTRICT SEVEN Pocatello $ Montpelier $1, Soda Springs $3, Blackfoot $ Preston $50.00 TOTALS $6, DISTRICT EIGHT Rigby $1, Idaho Falls $2, Rexburg $1, Salmon $ Arco $ Mud Lake $ St. Anthony $1, TOTALS $8, DEPT TOTALS $90, Activities to be reported: Community Activities can fall in several categories, including community involvement, cooperation with other organizations, aid to others, school; and church assistance, safety, Americanism, and youth activities. The reporting date deadline to be included in the next General Orders is the 26th day of each month. Standardized forms are located on the state website under Department >"forms & reports" Melanie Foster Jr. Vice Commander - Idaho Community Activities Chairman mfoster1507@gmail.com Page 2 Date Printed 12/28/2018

8 Idaho's December 2018 Legislative Committee Member Report (new info: A1, A2, Update, B1, B2, B3, B4)) A. Meetings: 1. As indicated in our report last month, Carmelita and I were celebrating, as all the candidates we campaigned for and supported were elected. They are all big supporters of veterans. Consequently, we will be attending the swearing-in of Idaho Governor-Elect Brad Little in Boise on January 4 th and attending the Governor s dinner and Inauguration Ball the evening of January 5th. 2. We are now preparing for our Idaho Mid-Winter Conference in Boise, January We will be attending a reception for the members of the Idaho Legislature who will be in-town after the holidays to open the 2019 Idaho Legislative session. This is a great opportunity to meet all those newly elected members of the legislature and visit with them regarding our veteran s issues and proposed legislative initiatives. I will be conducting the Youth Awards portion of our Awards Banquet Saturday evening when we will recognize and reward the winners of our Department of Idaho s Voice of Democracy and Patriot s Pen contests. We are pleased that our National Commander-in-Chief B.J. Lawrence will be in attendance. He is doing a great job for our veterans. 3. We are still working on, and are hopeful that our legislative initiative on exempting retired military pay from Idaho income tax will gain the required support that it needs to become law. We have sponsors lined up to carry the mail in next year's session of the Idaho Legislature, and are attempting to line up a coalition of supporters in both the House and the Senate. There are 27 other states which exempt retired military pay from state income taxes. We need the technical job skills of these individuals in Idaho to fill many current and projected job shortages of technical skilled workers. However, without this exemption, we cannot compete with other states which currently have this exemption to attract retired military to retire in Idaho. We are also making inquiries and having discussions with various organizations to conduct an in-depth study on the financial effect (pros & cons) on the Idaho State's revenue if our proposed legislation were enacted. Update: Boise State University is working on a study to evaluate the impact and value of our proposed tax relief program. Several retired general officers and other entities have established an organization named the Idaho Defense Alliance a 501(4) (C) non profit. As a C4 organization, they can lobby on behalf of this bill; thereby protecting the C3 status of our veterans service organizations. The Defense Alliance will still require grassroots support from our veterans service organizations. However, Zions Bank and other large organizations have or soon will join the Defense Alliance, as they see the advantage of attracting retiring veterans to make their home in Idaho, to help fill their labor needs. Zions Bank is contributing the first $7,500 of the $16,000 necessary to finance the study. In addition, the commanders of the Idaho VFW and American Legion have sent correspondence out to their respective organizations encouraging them to contribute to the fund raising effort to pay for the study. Hopefully, the results of the study will identify the financial up-side in state revenue from attracting more retired veterans to select Idaho as their retirement home. Once the results of the study are known, we will be in a position to make a decision on the timing to take our legislative proposal back to the Finance & Revenue Committee in the Idaho House of Representatives to exempt retired military veterans from paying State Income Tax on their military retired pay. B. Communications: 1. We sent out s to all VFW and Auxiliary Members in respond to the VFW Action Corps Alert on supporting the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Action to contact our Senators Crapo and Risch. We also requested that our members ask their family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. to contact our Senators on Capitol Hill to pass this bill before the end of this year. 2. We forwarded the we received on the VFW s 2019 legislative priorities out to all of Idaho s VFW and our Auxiliary members for their information and action. 3. A copy of my monthly legislative report is being ed out to our Idaho VFW membership to keep them informed on issues. 4. In response to your encouragement to participate in the "Meet them in the District" Campaign, and his periodic s updating information on congressional town hall meetings in various States: I will continue to distribute information to our membership notifying them of planned events in their geographic areas and

9 encouraging them to attend, armed with National's suggested questions for the visit. We are also encouraging our members to notify their respective congressional District offices that their meeting places are available for town hall meetings. 7. I receive an newsletter from each of our Idaho elected Congressmen each week. This newsletter details those legislative issues under consideration in Congress and those issues scheduled to be discussed in the near term. This newsletter enables me to keep abreast of issues of interest to veterans and provide timely feedback to my elected Representatives. 8. Have you phoned or ed congressional staff or legislators on specific issues? Yes, I have ed each of our Congressional Representatives with the information supplied by your office on each occasion that was appropriate. Each of Idaho's Senate and House Members who were up for election were re-elected. This should be good news for Idaho's veterans, as they are all major supporters of veterans legislative issues on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. 9. How have you shared your information with other VFW members to include: Actively sign folks up for the Washington Weekly Update? Yes Encourage other VFW and Auxiliary members to get involved as a veterans advocate? 10. Report activities at Post meetings or other legislative events, such as town halls, veterans advisory committees, rallies, etc. Yes: We continually report important legislative issues to all levels of our Department of Idaho through s and other means. In addition, I write newspaper articles which are published in the newspaper and copies of the articles out to our membership. C. Other: 1. Our Idaho Senator Crapo has once again been appointed to be the Chairman of the Committee to select Senators to serve on the various committees. 2. Our Senator Risch appears to be in line to become the Chairman of the powerful Committee on Foreign Relations. Best wishes for the New Year Bob & Carmelita Jones Legislative Committee Members