MAY
- JUNE 2001
IEEE-USA
Council
Corner
The following items have been reported by IEEE-USA Council Vice
President to the IEEE-USA Operating Committee.
Career
Activities
— Submitted by John Steadman, Vice President IEEE-USA Career
Activities
Efforts to Continue in 2001 Toward Retirement Savings Reform
The IEEE-USA Engineering Employment Benefits Committee (EEBC) has
seen continued advances toward reforming U.S. retirement benefits
policy this year.
Little legislation in this area made it into law last year, largely
due to limited passage of any kind of legislation during the election
season. However, several bills did make it through one chamber
or the other, and will be taken up again this year.
IEEE-USA is working as part of a larger consortium of professional
societies to push for multiple retirement benefit reforms. Much
of the effort has focused on retirement portability. In today’s
environment of frequent job changing, many employees become
frustrated by their inability to move their retirement savings between
different types of tax-deferred savings funds. Current tax law
prohibits mixing of funds saved while employed by the commercial
for-profit (401k), non-profit (403b), or state government (457)
organizations, so if engineers change jobs between these sectors, they
end up carrying many diverse, difficult-to-manage funds.
IEEE-USA championed legislation that would eliminate this provision.
EEBC sought other changes, including expanding Roth IRA
options and relaxing vesting rules, which would permit greater career
flexibility as well.
A key reason for IEEE-USA’s ability to move this legislation forward
and keep momentum going across Congresses is its participation in the
larger consortium. IEEE-USA has been instrumental in increasing
organization membership and participation in this effort. The
diversity and size of this consortium leverages IEEE-USA’s power
even further. We are likely to continue working to build these types
of consensus
groups, as we continue to tackle the many challenges
related to engineering employment benefits.
For more information or to help support IEEE-USA’s advocacy on
retirement issues, visit the Retirement Security Grassroots Network at
http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/grassroots/pensions/index.html.
Technology
Policy Activities
— Submitted by Robert J. Thomas, Vice President IEEE-USA
Technology Policy Activities
Close-Up on IEEE-USA’s Medical Technology Policy Committee
IEEE-USA’s Medical Technology Policy Committee (MTPC) is addressing
national technology policy issues that impact the public’s
healthcare and wellness. One of MTPC's primary functions is to
assist in formulating medical technology legislation, regulations, and
policies by promoting and using IEEE-USA position papers on Capitol Hill
and among the public. The Committee also conducts workshops and
symposia that focus on healthcare and wellness issues.
MTPC's major focus continues to be:
- Developing a policy position on security, privacy and
confidentiality in healthcare (linked to recent Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 regulations
progress)
- Cell phone radiation effects
MTPC is also working on several other medical technology policy positions, including:
- The role of Information Technology in healthcare reform
- Supporting the study of health effects from electromagnetic fields and a national review of the current decline of personnel
educated and trained in this critical engineering field
- The quality of healthcare information being offered to the
public on the Internet, and corresponding medical ethics policy
needs
- Addressing natural and man-made biomedical hazards and diseases
(e.g., hoof-and-mouth disease and food irradiation) and
bio-terrorism concerns (includes chemical and nuclear threats)
- Home Care Technology —
with a focus on issues that affect the use
of home care monitors, as well as access to new advancements in
home care technology
- Providing assistance to the new NIH Institute for Biomedical
Imaging and Bioengineering to help it meet its healthcare
mandates.
The committee welcomes new members to assist in these activities.
Please visit our web site. http://ieeeusa.org/COMMITTEES/MTPC/
|
