Thursday, December 12, 2002

On Tuesday, December 3^rd , Thursday, December 5^th, and Friday, December 6^th , ITA hosted successful half-day bake sale/gift basket raffle events in support of the 2002 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Many THANKS to ITA colleagues for the scrumptious baked goods prepared for two bake sales and six wonderful holiday gift baskets from ITA units that were displayed. Raffle drawings for three baskets each day were held on Tuesday and Friday. ITA raised $1,343.79 from this collaborative effort. All proceeds are being donated to the 2002 CFC general (undesignated) fund. THANKS to all sales volunteers across ITA! CONGRATULATIONS to the following gift basket winners: Peggy Carr of IA won TD's basket, Sharon Russell of Admin the won FCS basket, Carol Hayashida of OSec won the IA basket, Finn Holm-Olsen of MAC won the OUS basket, Marsha Foust of IA won the CFO/Admin basket, and Marie Geiger of MAC won MAC's basket.

Reminder to Government Purchase Card Approving Officials

When a government purchase cardholder leaves an office, the Approving Official is responsible for ensuring that the credit card is canceled and the account is closed. The Approving Official is also responsible for designating a new cardholder (if one is needed) and initiating a request for a replacement credit card. New Approving Officials should also be appointed as personnel changes occur. For assistance on closing or making changes to a cardholder or Approving Official account, contact Robin Carpenter, ITA purchase card Coordinator, at (202)482-4989.

Citibank Travel Cardholders

Citibank recently informed some ITA travel cardholders that their travel card was compromised and fraudulent charges may appear on their monthly statement. Please carefully review your monthly Citibank travel card statement and if you notice any questionable charges, please call Citibank's Customer Service at (800)790-7206. For calls outside the U.S. and Canada, call Citibank collect at (904)954-7850. If you have questions, please call Sharon Russell, ITA Travel Card Coordinator, at (202)482-3267.

Freedom of Information Act

What happens if you are reviewing a document requested under FOIA and the document contains words written in anger that would embarrass the writer (and the subject of his remarks) if the document were released to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requester. You release them anyway! There is no FOIA exemption that allows you to withhold documents to avoid embarrassing the writer or offending the requestor of the document. Please keep this in mind when preparing or annotating documents. To review the allowable exemptions, check out the FOIA website at http://www.ita.doc.gov/ooms/exempt.htm. For other information regarding the Freedom of Information Act, contact Linda Bell at (202)482-3032 or Linda_Bell@ita.doc.gov.

FY 2003 Budget

We continue to operate under the Continuing Resolution which runs through January 11, 2003. Specific spending limits will be transmitted to the Assistant Secretaries and Resource Coordinators, when available. If you have any questions on the Continuing Resolution, please contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

FY 2004 Budget

Appeals on the Office of Management Budget (OMB) "Passback" for the FY 2004 ITA Budget Request have been submitted to OMB. Our appeal of Adjustments to Base (ATB's) and IT security funds was successful. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Traveler's Corner

Question: What will a traveler be reimbursed if he/she parks a privately-owned vehicle at a common carrier terminal while on official travel?

Answer: The traveler will be reimbursed the parking fee which is not to exceed the cost of a taxi fare from home or work to/from the terminal. If you have questions, call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find ...... Explanations for Codes that Appear on my Earnings & Leave Statement

Ever wonder about a code which has appeared on your Earnings & Leave Statement, and wanted to know the explanation for that code? Now you can find a list of the codes and their explanations on the internet at http://www.ita.doc.gov/hrm/leave/earncodes.htm. For more information on pay and leave, please check (OHRM) Office of Human Resources' website at http://www.ita.doc.gov/hrm/pay-lv.html.

ITA Comings and Goings 11/05/02 - 12/02/02

Arrivals - WELCOME!

US - Julie K. Roberts; IA - Jonathan M. Freed, Rachel Kearney Kreissl; MAC - Angela Hendricks Davis, Elizabeth A. Ramborger ; TD - Scott J. Pietan; US&FCS - Amy K. Benson.

Departures

IA - Gabriel Adler, Richard W. Moreland, Jr, David Sakeld; USFCS - John D. O'Connell, Eric R. Weaver;

MAC – Salvador C. Orofino; ADMIN – Patricia Arbuckle-Gilmore;