Committees convene in Washington for Winter Meeting.

• Position: News & Numbers - Government Finance Officers Association annual winter meeting

Frigid temperatures greeted members of GFOA's five standing committees as they convened in Washington, D.C., for the annual Winter Meeting. During the two-day event held January 23-24, committee members addressed a number of policy issues affecting state and local governments, and had the opportunity to interact with their federal government colleagues.

GFOA committee members were honored by an address from former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly concerning the president's proposals to restructure the nation's entitlement programs. Kennelly began her keynote remarks by lauding government finance officers and administrators for their guardianship of the public purse and for their commitment to the public good. She noted that the work of GFOA members is particularly important during periods of economic decline, and she commended the work of the GFOA committees to promote sound fiscal policies and procedures.

Now the president and chief executive officer of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Kennelly discussed President Bush's plans to restructure the Social Security and Medicare programs. Kennelly expressed concerns that the president's proposals to partially privatize both the Social Security and Medicare programs would not address the systemic problems facing both programs as they confront the impending retirement of the Baby Boom generation beginning at the end of the decade. She did, however, welcome the debate sparked by the president's proposals and hoped that a meaningful compromise could be achieved that would guarantee...