In this Issue

Features

Trivia Question
Where Do I Find

Sign Up for QuickPro Escape Hood Training Sessions

Your Quick2000 Emergency Escape Hoods are expiring, and ITA is offering training on the new QuickPro Emergency Escape Hoods from Monday, November 26 through Tuesday, December 11. Emergency Escape Hoods are masks that protect you from hazardous fumes, gasses, and other poisons in the event of an emergency. The training vendor, Critical Incident Solutions, will conduct training daily from Monday, November 26, through Tuesday, December 11. Sessions will be held each day at 9:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm. Each session is scheduled to last 45 minutes, and all sessions will be held in Room 4224. You must attend these sessions to get a new Escape Hood, even if you already have a Quick2000 Escape Hood. Please bring your old Quick2000 Escape Hood to the training. You may discard your blue practice hood. To sign up, please email Safety@mail.doc.gov. and include your extension and top three session preferences in the email. You will receive a return email confirming your registration. There is no charge for this class, but you must register in advance and each session is limited to 20 people. If you have questions, please contact ITA's Safety Officer, Jeff Scherr, at 202-482-3266 or Safety@mail.doc.gov.

Federal Register

Notices are published in the Federal Register (FR) to provide general information of public interest. They may announce meetings, grant application due dates, rulemaking documents, notices with information collection activities or other information requiring public notice. If you have any questions on how to prepare an FR notice, please contact Jacqueline Harris at (202) 482-4011 or via email Jacqueline.Harris@mail.doc.gov. You may also click on the following link: http://www.ita.doc.gov/ooms/ooms29.htm to learn more about the process.

Security Clearance Certification Requests

When visiting another government agency for a classified meeting or going for temporary duty you may be required to have your security clearance certified to the other agency. Form CD-414 is used to certify clearances. When completing the form, include all personal information requested as well as contact information for the agency that is requiring your clearance. Include the point of contact, such as the Manager or Security Officer, who will be receiving your clearance information. Bring the completed form to the ITA Security Office in Room 4109. The ITA Security Manager will verify your clearance and fax the form to the agency to be visited. Form CD-414 is available by logging onto “Ourplace” and go to “E-Forms”. If you have any questions regarding Security Clearance Certifications or any other security matters, please contact Kurt Arneson, ITA Security Program Manager via email Kurt.Arneson@mail.doc.gov or at (202) 482-3633.

Update on FY 2008 Congressional Appropriations and Operations

The Administration continues to threaten to veto the Commerce Justice Science Appropriations Bill for FY 2008 and all pending appropriations legislation for FY 2008. In the meantime, ITA will continue to operate under a Continuing Resolution (CR). On Tuesday, November 13th, the President signed a $471 billion Defense appropriations bill that includes a second continuing resolution that extends funding for the government through Dec. 14. The CR requires that bureaus within DoC operate and incur obligations that mirror the same time frame in the previous year (also operating under a CR). This extension also provides an additional $1.0 billion to the Bureau of the Census to support preparation for the Decennial Census. As a result of this “exception”, ITA will get back its loan of $1.9 million provided during the last CR. For the duration of the continuing resolution all procurements, including MOUs that would obligate ITA to $100,000 or more must be approved by the Resource Coordinator and the Budget Officer. For more information on operations during a CR please call Mr. Michael House at (202) 482-5739.

FY 2007 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR)

The Department has recently (November 15, 2007) published the FY 2007 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) to the Department's web site. Congress mandates these documents by statute, under the Government Performance and Results Act. The annual Performance and Accountability Report describes the results and performance achieved by DOC Bureaus during the previous Fiscal Year (FY 2007) and provides detailed information about key areas of program performance. An electronic copy is available from the DOC website at http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/budget/07PAR/DOCFY07PAR.pdf
/07PAR/DOCFY07PAR.pdf. For more information on ITA's portion of the Department's PAR or regarding ITA's planning and performance management program, contact Ed Meyer at (202) 482-3304.

TSP Facts

The following are fast facts on the Thrift Savings Plan: 1) Elective Deferral Limit – The elective deferral limit for 2008 is $15,500. The limit for 2007 was also $15,500; 2) Catch-up Contributions – The limit on catch-up contributions for 2008 is $5,000. It remains the same as the 2007 limit; 3) Loan interest rate for new loans is 4.500%. If you have any questions on the above programs, please call Karen Brown at (202) 482-8065 or via email at Karen.Brown@mail.doc.gov.

Health Benefits Open Season – Reminder

The Federal Employees Health Benefit Program Open Season closes on December 10, 2007. If you have any questions on the above programs, please call Karen Brown at (202) 482-8065 or via email at Karen.Brown@mail.doc.gov.

Trivia Question

Can you answer the trivia question? Be featured in our bi-weekly Administrivial Pursuits by answering or providing trivia questions. Questions and answers may be submitted to Nina Harris via email Nina.Harris@mail.doc.gov.

Trivia Question: If your laptop or BlackBerry/PDA is lost, stolen, or missing, who do you need to report this to and how long do you have to do this?

Answer to Last Issue's Question: Where can you find a one stop resource for business applications and information? There were a number of responses to Administrivial Pursuits' last Issue's question. Answer: Commerce Business System (CBS) Portal

Where Do I Find... Information on the Federal Benefits Programs?

The following are links to the major Federal Benefits programs: Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Program http://www.tsp.gov/. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp. Federal Employee Dental and Vision Program (FEDVIP) https://www.benefeds.com/. Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance http://www.ltcfeds.com/. Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program http://opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp. Federal Employee Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program http://opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp. If you have any questions on the above programs, please call Karen Brown at (202) 482-8065 or via email at Karen.Brown@mail.doc.gov .