• NASE Member and Hurricane Survivor Tells Needs to Congress
• Opportunity Conference 2005 in Chicago: November 9, 2005
• Survey Finds Americans Not Planning Enough for Retirement Health Benefits
• As Thanksgiving Approaches, Congress Tries to Finish Up Budget
• LAST CHANCE! Member Poll: Paying at the Pump – What’s Your Opinion?

NASE Member and Hurricane Survivor Tells Needs to Congress

NASE Member Cathy Denison-Wicke speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill as House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez observes. Last week NASE Member and Hurricane Rita survivor, Cathy Denison-Wicke, took time out of her recovery efforts to come to Washington, D.C., to discuss small business procurement needs. Owner of CDW & Associates, Inc. in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Denison-Wicke sees a particular need for small businesses to procure federal rebuilding contracts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita “Bigger businesses from out of state are getting the federal contracts,” said Denison-Wicke. “Small businesses are capable of competing but we’re not getting the chance. We [in the Gulf Coast region] deserve this opportunity more than anyone else.” Procurement issues are one of the several areas the NASE is focusing on in the aftermath of this year’s hurricane season. Micro-businesses also need expedited access to disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. Denison-Wicke spoke at the press conference for the House Small Business Committee Democrats’ release of a federal agency small business procurement scorecard. Opportunity Conference 2005 in Chicago: November 9, 2005 NASE Members are encouraged to attend the free Opportunity Conference 2005 in Chicago, IL. The conference is sponsored by the U.S. Labor Department, the Asian American Alliance, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Chicago Urban League. Celebrating the contributions of the region's Asian, Hispanic and African American communities, the Opportunity Conference will emphasize key components of economic development and working with federal, state, and local government. Workshop topics will include access to capital, job training, financial literacy, understanding federal procurement opportunities, addressing the needs of workers with limited English proficiency and accessing faith-based and community grants. For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.OpportunityConference.gov. Survey Finds Americans Not Planning Enough for Retirement Health Benefits Fifty-two percent of respondents expect to spend less than $300 a month on out-of-pocket costs and health care-related expenses during retirement — less than half of the $640 a month the average retiree actually spends, according to a national survey sponsored by Aetna and the Financial Planning Association. Respondents were between the ages of 45 and 75 and were categorized as retirees or pre-retirees. The survey also found that nearly 20 percent of pre-retirees have spent “no time” in the past year actively planning for retirement and almost 40 percent have spent less than an hour in the last year planning for health benefits in retirement. Additionally, over 30 percent do not know what to anticipate for health care needs. While 74 percent of respondents said they factored in Social Security and Medicare benefits into retirement plans, 77 percent are concerned about the future financial standing of these programs, according to survey results. NASE Members can log on to MyNASE at www.NASE.org and read the September-October issue of the member magazine, Self-Employed. This issue is dedicated to helping you plan for retirement at any age. As Thanksgiving Approaches, Congress Tries to Finish Up Budget Both houses of Congress are struggling to make $50 billion in budgetary cuts this year. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) has included budget cuts to both Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, and Medicare, the health insurance program for the elderly and disabled. On the House side, however, budget cuts have only been made to Medicaid. If the House and Senate both pass their respective bills, there could be a difficult negotiation process between the two in conference committee. Spending cuts have become Congress’s highest priority to make way for hurricane relief spending. This will dominate Congress for much of the rest of the year. The NASE continues to follow Congressional activity. To let your Members of Congress know what is important to you, visit the online NASE Legislative Action Center at http://advocacy.NASE.org. LAST CHANCE! Member Poll: Paying at the Pump – What’s Your Opinion? Take the online member survey on your gas use and rising gas prices. Let the NASE know your opinions by visiting the MyNASE Web site at http://my.nase.org/. Log in to your free MyNASE Web Account. If you have not set up an account, you can do so at http://my.nase.org/ with your member number. Let your voice be heard in the association by taking this survey during the month of October.