Electric League News

Cold Weather is Coming!

Temperatures on average are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees lower than last winter's, leading to expected increases in heating costs:

45 % increase in home heating oil costs
19% increase in natural gas prices
22% increase in the price of propane

Source: PR Newswire

Federal Legislative Update

Department of Homeland Security
Before the elections, the House had passed a bill which did not come to a Senate vote when Democrats objected to the personnel issues. After the elections, lawmakers came up with a new version of the bill, which the House swiftly passed. Once again, Senate Democrats objected, this time to seven provisions that had not been in the original bill, saying they catered to special interests. Majority leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) introduced an amendment to strike the seven provisions. Bush intervened, convincing enough senators to vote against the amendment to open the way for a vote on the bill. In addition, incoming majority leader Trent Lott (R-MS) promised to revisit three provisions that were particularly offensive to Democrats next year. The bill then sailed to passage on a 90-9 vote. The President has signed it.

In other action on national security, Congress approved the conference report on terrorism insurance, clearing it for the President's signature. The bill provides financial back-up for insurance losses from terrorist attacks. Proponents say federal help will encourage insurance companies to write business insurance which will encourage businesses to invest in new construction, which will provide jobs.

Federal Funding
Congress's third priority was federal funding. Both houses recessed for the November elections without dealing with 11 of the 13 annual appropriations bills. Instead, they passed a short-term continuing resolution to fund government programs and agencies at 2002 levels until Nov. 22. During the lame-duck session, Congress simply extended 2002 funding through Jan. 11, 2003. The 108th Congress will have to address budget issues when it convenes in January.

Bankruptcy Reform
Legislation had passed both houses with differences that a conference committee ironed out. All that was left to do was approve the conference report, which could not be amended. Under House rules, representatives must approve a motion allowing a bill to come up for a vote. In action that surprised Republican House leaders, conservative Republicans joined Democrats to defeat that motion, killing the bill. In a last minute effort to save the legislation, the House passed another bankruptcy reform bill without the provisions that were so distasteful to the conservatives. That made it unacceptable to Senate Democrats. Daschle refused to schedule any bankruptcy reform legislation for a vote.

Source: National Retail Hardware Association

Time Warner Cable and The Electric League to Create Thomas Edicson Electrical Awareness Awards

Time Warner Cable, Cable in the Classroom and The Electric League have partnered to create the first annual Thomas Edison Electrical Awareness Awards as part of an electricity education program aimed at high school students. The first place award of $850 will be presented to schools with winning entries at The Electric League's Safety Luncheon in May.

“The purpose of the Thomas Edison Electrical Awareness Awards is to raise awareness of the electrical industry and safety issues,” says Chris Hedges, Electric League Safety Committee Chairman. “By getting high school students involved in the competition, they will expand their knowledge of careers and issues related to electricity.”

Students must work together to create a five to ten 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. Students are welcome to use Cable in the Classroom programming from networks such as TLC, Discovery, HGTV, the History Channel, Tech TV or The Weather Channel in their work. Video entries will in turn be made available by the Electric League to all K-12 schools in the area for use in their curriculum.

Electric League members can get involved in this project by volunteering their technical assistance and acting as a project consultant to students working on contest entries. In addition, the League is asking for contest sponsors.

Each entry must include the video; a completed entry form identifying the school, teacher, class, students and the role each played in the project; a project summary of no more than 120 words; and a bibliography that identifies all resources used in the video. Schools are not limited to one entry or topic.

Cable in the Classroom represents the cable telecommunications industry's commitment to education - to improve teaching and learning for children in schools, at home and in their communities. This is the only industry-wide philanthropic initiative of its kind; since 1989, 8,500 cable companies and 39 cable networks have provided free access to commercial-free, educational cable content and new technologies to 81,000 public and private schools, reaching 78 percent of K-12 students.

For more information contact Olivia Holcombe or Jane Male at the Electric League office - 816-561-5323.

Electric League Board Nominations - December 2002

Officers:

President: Joe Privitera, Mark One Electric
President-Elect: John Kelble, Associated Air Products
Secretary-Treasurer: Deanna Rudd, Rains Electrical Sales, Inc.
Immediate Past President: Peter Kurtz, MWE, Inc.

Vice Presidents:

Utilities: Vern Skripsky, Kansas City Power & Light
Contractors:Paul Kemp, Midland Electric Co.
Distributors: Rick Boswell, Rexel Glasco
Agents: Bob Lagerstrom, Johnson Electric Sales, Inc.
Engineers: Tim Scott, Gibbens Drake Scott Inc.
Manufacturers: John Guerdan, Square D Co.
Datacom: Eric Brummel, Capital Electric Construction
At-Large: Gary Hickox, Bill Scaletty Associates

Directors:

Keith Albarelli, Heartland Electric
Gary Burgard, Rensenhouse Electric Supply
Doug Carlson, C & O Electric Sales
Mark Denney, Foley Group
Rob Dowell, Gibbens Drake Scott Inc.
Duff Greenwood, Cleaves-Bessmer-Marietti, Inc.
Greg Hausman, Cutler Hammer Inc.
Chris Hedges, Christopher Hedges Co.
Mark Hershman, Yarnell Associates
Bob Herzig, Bob Herzig & Associates
Steve Holland, Kornis Electric Supply Inc.
Tom Isenberg, Western Extralite Co.
Jim Lacy, Electrical Corporation of America
Tom McLeod, Hubbell Wiring Device
Richard Meek, Graybar Electric Co.
George Powell, Board of Public Utilities
Jay Rains, Rains Electrical Sales, Inc.
Mike Scott, Milbank Mfg. Co.
Steve Tiesing, Missouri Public Service

Scholarship Applications Available

Scholarship applications will be available beginning January 2 from the Electric League office and on the Electric League web site, www.electricleague.org, for the Electric League Scholarship Fund. Contact Jane at the League office for an application or more information - phone 816-561-5323.

First Impressions Work Both Ways

Improving safety at your business may be as simple as hiring the right people and providing proper orientation during their first days and weeks on the job.

An interview with a prospective employee may reveal characteristics that help you judge the person's safety attitude and behaviors. Generally, interviewers cannot ask about an individual's health, disabilities, sick leave or workers' compensation history, or health benefits records. However, you may ask relevant questions about how the applicant might handle certain situations that can normally arise in the particular job. Merely asking these questions expresses your commitment to safety.

Even if the job description does not include driving, checking the prospect's motor vehicle record is recommended if allowed under state law. Violations for speeding, recklessness, or other such behavior may indicate a lack of consideration for the person's own safety or that of others. Reference checks are always a good idea and criminal background checks may be warranted in some cases.

In a study of workers' compensation claims, Federated found that a significant number of losses involve newer employees, particularly in their first six months. New employees want to appear knowledgeable and experienced and may hesitate to ask questions. They may rely on past job experience, observation or hearsay to form work habits that may not always be correct.

An orientation program will help assure that new employees understand your safety procedures, conduct guidelines and instructions for handling emergencies. Ongoing reminders help increase awareness for all employees. Finally, make sure to properly train new employees in performing their duties and using all equipment safely.

First impressions set the direction for future success. Your hiring and training procedures can make an impression about your commitment to safety and get new employees off to a good start.

Source: The Shield, a Federated Insurance publication, Fall 2002.

The Most Important Small Business Problems
Survey by National Federation of Independent Business

In 2000, the National Federation of Independent Business Education Foundation conducted a survey of more than 4,000 small business owners to determine their biggest concerns. This is a national survey limited to 75 types of problems. There may be other problems of concern to Kansas and Missouri small businesses that are not included on the list. The list targets only those problems over which Kansas and Missouri governments and legislators would seem to have significant control. Below are the top 10 problems as ranked by respondents to the survey.

Cost of Health Insurance
Locating Qualified Employees
Unreasonable Government Regulations
State Taxes on Business Income
Workers' Compensation Costs
Cost of Natural Gas, Gasoline, Fuel Oil
State/Local Paperwork
Cost and Availability of Liability Insurance
Facilities Costs such as Rent & Prop. Taxes
Telephone Costs and Service

The People Column

Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready to celebrate your respective December holiday.

Happy December birthdays to:
Keith Albarelli (the Big 50) of Heartland Electric and
Bill Thorp, Jim Moore and Doug Carlson of C&O.
Jessica at Graybar Electric.

The new year will soon be here, why not make a resolution to send your news to The People Column in 2003 ... this is Your column!

Have a Great Holiday Season and here's a toast to all for a Healthy, Happy, and Prosperous New Year.

See you next time - keep your news items coming. You can e-mail your news to: peoplecolumn@electricleague.org

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Cold Weather is Coming!

Electric League Education Classes

Time Warner Cable and The Electric League to Create Thomas Edicson Electrical Awareness Awards