If your certification expires in 2012, you still have time to send in your recertification application.  As you may know, recertification fees are now tiered.  If you submit your recertification application between now and August 31, 2012, your recertification will only cost $225.  Recertification applications submitted between September 1 - December 31 will carry a fee of $250.  Please make sure that your application reaches the CIC office by August 31 in order to take advantage of the lower fee.  If you have any questions about recertification, please check out our recertification video, our recertification tips or contact CIC at cichq@conventionindustry.org or by phone at 571-327-3116.

 

 

 

The House and Senate have now adjourned for the summer and will not return to Washington until September 10. Legislation addressing the GSA scandal is still pending, but the association community, led by CIC member ASAE, has made considerable progress in letting Congress know about the industry's concerns on the unintended consequences contained in these proposals that would affect many association meetings and conferences and that would unreasonably restrict communications with federal agencies.

Here is a recap from ASAE on what has happened on this issue:

· In response to inappropriate spending on conferences held by the GSA, on April 25, 2012, both the House and Senate passed identical amendments as part of larger bills limiting federal travel expenses and increasing transparency of agency travel. Unfortunately, the legislation contained provisions with unintended consequences that would have affected many meetings and conferences held by associations and would have greatly restricted contact with federal agencies.

· In response to this legislation, ASAE sent an open letter to Congress with over 2,100 signatures expressing alarm and concern with the proposals. You can see this letter here. ASAE and our members met with Congressional offices explaining our concerns.

· The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee listened and incorporated our concerns by passing HR 4631, "the GSA Act of 2012". The bill is far less onerous to association meetings than the original language proposed in April. You can read our previous alert outlining the provisions of HR 4631 here.

While we have made considerable progress convincing Congress of our legitimate concerns, we are not out of the woods. The onerous provisions are still contained in two bills, S 1789, "the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2012" passed by the Senate and HR 2146, "the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2012" passed by the House.

Over the summer Congressional recess, we ask that you meet with your members of Congress to share your concerns on this issue. Nothing is more effective that personal meetings to show Congress the impact this issue has on the private sector. To help you convey the importance of this issue, here is a one-pager on the value of face-to-face meetings.

We are confident that, in the end, we can prevent unreasonable restrictions from being enacted into law. But we must continue to educate Congress on this issue during the August recess and through the end of the year. Congress will consider some major bills during September and the lame duck period where the original proposals can still be considered.

Thanks again for the tremendous support all of you have shown on this critical issue.

 

 

MPI presented the RISE Award for Member of the Year to Amanda Cecil, PhD, CMP at a ceremony at MPI's World Education Conference. Cecil, a Certified Meeting Professional since 2001, was recognized for her volunteer leadership in the creation of the Meeting and Business Event Competency Standards (MBECS). Amanda chaired the MPI Body of Knowledge Task Force which was responsible for creating the MBECS, the first occupational standard for the meeting and event profession which is aligned with CMP International Standards. Amanda's volunteer activity with MPI includes serving on the MPI Indiana Chapter’s Board of Directors and work on international committees and task forces focused on students and knowledge. 

 

 

CIC staff will be attending HSMAI's MEET National, September 5-6 in Washington, DC. HSMAI invites CMPs to join them for a dessert reception on Wednesday, September 5 from 1:30 pm - 2:30pm. This event requires advance registration. See http://events.jspargo.com/amn12/public/MainHall.aspx?ID=37857&sortMenu=101000 for details.