Preparation/Clearance of Economy Act Memorandums of Understanding

In addition to any other clearance needed, Office of the General Counsel and NOAA's procurement staff must clear on reimbursable agreements or Memorandums of Understanding under the Economy Act. These agreements with other government agencies are for services that may be available from the private sector. The package should include: A form ITA-237, Reimbursable Agreement, or Memorandum of Understanding (or Agreement) completed and signed by a program unit official; a narrative statement indicating why it is in the best interest of the Government to obtain the services from a Government source rather than a private sector source; and an ITA Concurrence Record including NOAA Procurement, Office of the General Counsel and ITA Budget Division. The package should be delivered to the ITA Budget Division which will obtain NOAA and Office of the General Counsel clearance before signature. If you have questions, please contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Federal Advisory Committees

Just a friendly reminder: All proposals to establish, re-establish, or renew an advisory committee and all notices of meetings closed to the public, must be reviewed by the Office of Organization and Management Support (OOMS) before submisson to the Under Secretary for signature. If you have questions regarding this procedure, please contact Jacqueline Harris at (202)482-4011 or via email at Jacqueline_Harris@ita.doc.gov.

OOMS New Points of Contacts

New points of contact have been established for the following services provided by the Management Analysis Team of OOMS:

Glenitta Chase--Records Management; Forms and Stationary Management;

Seth Raley--Inspector General (IG) and General Accounting Office Reviews (GAO) Reviews;

Jacqueline Harris--Paperwork Reduction Act Program (PRA) and;

Charles Jefferson--Government Paperwork Elimination (GPEA).

If you have questions or need further assistance, please contact Charles Jefferson at (202) 482-6078 or charles_jefferson@ita.doc.gov.

Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Calculator

With the online FEGLI calculator, you can rapidly and conveniently: Determine the face value of your FEGLI life insurance; calculate how much you are paying for this coverage, see how choosing different options can change the amount of your life insurance and premium withholdings; and see how the life insurance carried into retirement will change over time. A FEGLI calculator can be found at www.opm.gov/calculator/index.htm. For more information, please contact Dottie Bowling at (202)482-3504.

Did you know that you can view your Official Personnel File (OPF)? With proper identification, you can request to see your OPF in the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) located in room 7417. You may want to call OHRM in advance to make sure that we can accommodate you. For additional information, please call the Office of Human Resources Management at (202)482-3301.

FY 2005 Budget

Program units have submitted (to OFM) Increase Request proposals and Base Narratives for the FY 2005 Secretarial Budget submission. The increase request proposals are being reviewed and feedback will be available from the Under Secretary or Deputy Under Secretary by May 1. Completed, fully expanded increase requests will be due back to OFM on May 8. The completed Secretarial Budget is due to the Department by May 19. If you have questions, please contact Alan Zegas on (202)482-5739.

Traveler's Corner

Question: What is the maximum per diem rate a traveler will receive if lodging is not available at their temporary duty location?

Answer: If lodging is not available at a traveler's temporary duty location, he/she can be authorized the maximum per diem rate for the nearest location where lodging can be obtained. If you have questions, call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find....Information on Verification of Employment?

Each employee is responsible for authorizing the release of their employment and salary information. You also have the ability to control the amount of information being provided. This allows the lender or creditor to retrieve this information immediately. To authorize the lender or creditor access to this information, you will need to obtain an authorization code. More information on obtaining an authorization code can be found at http://www.ita.doc.gov/hrm/verific.html. If you have questions, please contact Noreen Ward at (202)482-3301.

ITA Comings and Goings 03/10/03 - 04/25/03

Arrivals - WELCOME!

US - Emma Payne-Gilbert; ADMIN - Doris Brown; IA - Addilyn Chams-Eddine, Jeffrey Pedersen, Christopher Zimpo; MAC - Heather Helm, Erin Schumacher; US&FCS - Ashley Geary, Amanda Guerrero, Marie Sopie Kouame, Koreen Kuhlow, Robert Leach, William Margo, Edward Merguerian, Paola Munoz, Frances Thomas, George Thomas.

Departures

ADMIN - Herman Dogan, Eileen Gomsi; TD - Roger Chiarodo, Judy Fogg; MAC - David Guglielmi, Kimberly Lehman, Sean King; USFCS - William Scaggs.