NEWS - April 2004
Titles:
I just attended the judging of the submitted films for our "Eddy Awards". Please plan on joining us at the Safety Luncheon on Aprol 23
rd. We will roll out the "red carpet" for our budding "film stars". Winning films will be shown. It is really a great experience. Allow some extra time and view some of the winning films from last year – they are very good.Have you looked at your insurance coverage(s) lately? Does it need updating? Do you want to have a knowledgeable person look at your present coverage and costs? Well don’t forget that
one of the Electric League membership benefits is very favorable programs and costs from Federated Insurance on your company insurance needs. For more information and contact numbers, contact the Electric League or go unto our website- www.electricleague.org. Recently two very active members of the Electric League (and many other trade organizations) retired - Grant Kitchen from Eaton-Cutler Hammer and Ted Horning from CED/Rensenhouse Electric.
They were so active in the organization that most of us had many contacts with them and many stories involving them. In celebrating with them at their retirements we wished them many more years of happiness doing what they want to do now, thanking them for all they did for our industry and in pleading with them to attend many of our events so that we can continue to have contact with them. We will miss both of their fine efforts on behalf of the industry. With everyone thanking them and reminiscing both Grant and Ted
expressed their sincere thanks to everyone they worked with in the organization and the industry. It was so obvious that they received a lot from the organization and the industry because they gave so much to them. Grant and Ted’s efforts will be missed.
We have lost many others that have been so active in our organization and there appears to be other retirements coming in the next few years. We need to have more people step up and help in our efforts. Every committee is searching for help (except golf). We need help. I have asked every board member to be active in a committee but this such a small portion of our total membership. If you can’t give us a few hours a month then surely there is someone in your company that would be excited to help. Helping on any of the committees does not take a lot of time and it certainly helps the individual (just ask Grant and Ted) and it does reflect very favorably on your company and their commitment to the industry. Don’t just read this message and agree with it, please get involved or help someone else get involved.
John Kelble,
President
The second annual Thomas Edison Electrical Awareness Awards (Eddy’s) will be presented at the Safety Luncheon April 23 at the Kansas City Marriott on the Country Club Plaza in the Brushcreek Room. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. with the lunch served at noon. The Eddy’s are part of an electrical education program aimed at middle school and high school students. The purpose of the awards is to raise awareness of the electrical industry and safety issues.
Students entered into the contest must work together to create a five to 10 minute video on one of three topics related to electricity – careers in the electrical industry, electrical safety, and/or how electricity has changed the way we live.
At the luncheon, the first place winners in two divisions, elementary/middle school and high school, will be recognized for their accomplishments and the winning videos will be shown.
A registration form for the luncheon is included with this newsletter. Mark your calendar for April 23 to attend the Second Annual Thomas Edison Electrical Awareness Luncheon.
Happy birthday to Harold Barber (Rains Electrical Sales, Inc.) and Brenda Danner (Wesco). We hope you enjoy your day! Best retirement wishes (just in time for fishing season) to Mark Hood (Graybar Electric).
This month we have two familiar faces in new places: Don Wren is now at Shaw Supply and Jim Wright is with Crescent Electric. What an adorable picture in the Sunday, April 11th edition of The Kansas City Star of Sarah White, beautiful daughter of Mike White (Rexel KCMO) enjoying an indoor Easter egg hunt.
Condolences to the family of Bruce Stover, Stover & Associates, who passed away on Friday, April 9.
This is your column, keep the news coming in and we’ll be glad to print it!
peoplecolumn@electricleague.org or phone them in to Kim Swank at the League office (816-561-5323).
Electric League members will want to keep Monday, May 17 open for the Annual Spring Golf Outing. This year, we are playing at Grand Summit Golf Course in Grandview, Mo. The 18-hole championship course was built in 2002 and includes all the amenities of a top flight country club - spacious clubhouse, professionally designed golf course, swimming pools, tennis courts, fitness center, pro shop and dinning facilities.
The course is located at 14902 Grand Summit Blvd. in Grandview, Mo. From Highway 71 go east on 150 Highway approximately 1/4 mile then south on Grand Summit Blvd. More information about Grand Summit can be seen on their website: www.lindseymanagement.com/golf_course_detail.html . A golf outing registration form is included with this newsletter. See you on the course!
My Day at the Capitol
John Kelble, President, Electric League of Missouri & Kansas
As most of you are aware, the Electric League Legislative Committee has been active and conscientious in keeping us informed about the many bills that affect our companies and our industry. Recently the Electric League board contributed $5000 to the lobbying efforts for the "prompt pay bill". As a representative of the League I was called to duty to appear before the committee as a proponent of the bill.
Together with Ken Keller, comptroller at Western Extralite, we headed to Topeka. After so many years in denim and jeans, I found myself wearing a suit coat and tie for this event! We met the rest of our group in the lobby of the House and the enthusiasm was contagious and I was very excited to be a part of a very organized effort. Proponents of the bill included the League, NECA, small business credit, and an owner of a steel erector firm and others who shared their story about the importance of the bill to the subcontractors’ survival.
The opposition included general contractors, Boeing and Westar. The general contractors’ representative spoke on behalf of the group without even surveying their membership as to their feelings on the bill. Had he done so, he would have found most were in favor of the bill, not opposed. Arguments arose about the many escrows the bill called for (in reality, it calls for one escrow on a project). Their efforts did not appear organized from my perspective.
I left the Capitol with a great feeling of success and felt that this legislative process was great for getting the injustices corrected. I feel the Senators on the committee who chose to nod off during the hearing, read the newspaper and simply just not show up, a small unimportant part of the process. I was shocked when the bill did not get out of the committee!
What did I learn? I learned that we need everyone sending in letters and faxes on behalf of the bill and holding our elected officials accountable to us and our companies – after all we elected them.
In conclusion if we in the Electric League are going to support an issue we are going to have to commit to a very strong letter and fax campaign. Every officer of every member company is going to have to get letters written and sent. It appears throwing money and best wishes at an issue are not going to be enough to get it done. Please help me and the legislative committee get things changed – commit to being involved and doing your part. Thanks!
Small employers who offer employee health plans come under the privacy rules of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) on April 14. Basically, the law requires that medical records be kept confidential with many rules to assure privacy. Larger employers and insurers have been required to comply since April 2002.
Employers with traditional fully insured plans have minimal obligations under HIPAA. Employers who self-insure – and this includes flexible savings accounts for employees – have far more obligations. Companies with employee health insurance plans should immediately check with insurance carriers and an attorney to confirm what their obligations are and that they are complying.
Congress has made progress on the 2005 federal budget. Both the House and Senate have passed versions of a budget resolution, albeit different. Although both bills provide funds to extend three tax cuts that are set to end this year, they allocate different amounts. The three tax cuts are the increased child tax credit, a reduction in the marriage penalty and the expansion of the 10 percent tax bracket. Other tax breaks, such as repealing the estate tax a year earlier and extending the lower tax rate on capital gains and dividends, are mentioned, but funding must be approved.
The biggest difference in the two bills – and the hurdle that will be the most difficult to overcome when a conference committee goes to work – is a provision in the Senate bill that requires future tax cuts and increased expenditures to be offset with expense cuts or tax increases elsewhere. There is no such provision in the House bill.
A stand-off developed in the Senate over Democratic efforts to pass legislation to curtail the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed changes to overtime rules. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced an amendment to a tax bill that would withhold funding for regulatory action that would cause workers to lose eligibility for overtime or to rescind any such rules that might be in effect when – or if – the amendment becomes law.
The tax bill under assault has little to do with overtime; it would repeal a tax break for multi-national companies that the World Trade Organization declared illegal and that has sparked new tariffs on U.S. goods by the European Union. Democrats are demanding a vote on the overtime amendment before they will allow a vote on the tax bill. By the end of the week, Republicans had lost a vote to end debate and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) pulled the bill from the floor. He said he would bring it back later, but did not say precisely when. Democrats said they would continue to press for a vote on the overtime amendment and, if the tax bill did not reappear, they would try to attach it to other bills that come to the Senate floor.
Source: National Retail Hardware Association
A good health insurance benefit package is important to retain your current employees and also to attract new talent. As premium costs continue to rise, you may wonder whether your employees truly appreciate or understand the cost of their health insurance benefit.
For the third year in a row, employer-sponsored health plans saw double-digit premium increases. Between the spring of 2002 and the spring of 2003, monthly premiums rose 13.9 percent, the highest increase since 1990.* For 2004, industry experts project increases of 12 to 13 percent for employer health premiums.
Do Employees Know What You Pay For This Benefit?
If you are still paying 100 percent of the premium, many of your employees may be shocked to know that the average annual cost of health insurance nationally is $3,383 for single coverage and $9,068 for family coverage.*
Do Employees Understand the True Costs of Claims and What Drives Them?
Use of the plan has a direct effect on the premium costs. Trips to the emergency room rather than the urgent care center, or the use of brand name drugs instead of generic drugs will lead to increased premiums.
Does Your Premium Contribution Strategy Engage Employees?
Employees who share a portion of the premium costs will better understand and appreciate this benefit. Splitting premiums on a percentage basis tends to yield better results in your partnership with employees.
Demand for healthcare has overtaken the ability to pay for it. Help your employees recognize that you are partners and must work together to build a solid benefit plan.
*The Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust-Employer Health Benefits 2003 Summary of Findings.
Source: Federated Insurance Cos., The Shield, Spring 2004
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