Minutes Special Meeting of the USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 in St

Minutes Special Meeting of the USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 in St. Louis, MO

The board approved, by email vote open from May 21-28, 2018, BiggsKofford as the audit firm for fiscal year 2017-18.

Present: Donald Alperstein, Don Anthony, David Arias, Raquel Brown, Alan Kidd, Lorrie Marcil-Holmes, Ann Marsh-Senic, Jeff Salmon, Daria Schneider, Adam Watson

Absent: Sam Cheris, Cody Mattern

Guests: Peter Barton, Kris Ekeren, Doug Hayler, Melissa Jones, Bill Korbus, Jim Neale, Kate Reisinger, Christine Simmons, Robert Zagunis

I. Call to Order, General Information and Organizational Items

General Announcements

MOTION (Mr. Alperstein as liaison to the Referee’s Commission): To amend the Agenda pursuant to Bylaws Art. VII, Sec. 8(b) to consider the following motions.

RATIONALE: The Bylaws prohibit consideration at a special meeting of the Board of Directors of any business not mentioned in the agenda published at least five days in advance of the meeting unless a majority of the directors in office vote to take up the matter. The following motions concern critical rules amendments that were not available for publication at the deadline for inclusion in the published agenda. Consideration and adoption of these rule changes are needed to conform USA Fencing’s Rules of Competition to those of the FIE.

MOTION (Mr. Alperstein as liaison to the Referee’s Commission): To amend article t.33 of the Rules of Competition (“Injuries or cramps, withdrawal of a competitor”), paragraph 1, to read as follows with an effective date of August 1, 2018: "For an injury or cramp or other acute medical incident which occurs in the course of a bout and which is properly attested by the delegate of the FIE Medical Committee or by the doctor on duty, the Referee will allow a break in the bout lasting no longer than 105 minutes. This break should be timed from the point when the doctor gave his opinion and be strictly reserved for the requisite treatment of the injury or cramp which brought it about. If the doctor considers, before or at the end of the 105-minute break, that the fencer is incapable of continuing the bout, the fencer must withdraw (individual events) and/or be replaced, if possible (team events) (cf. o.44.1199.6.a/b). All breaks for injury or cramp must be noted on the score-sheet for the bout, the pool or the match.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes

RATIONALE: The FIE has changed the duration of injury breaks and made certain other clarifying changes to the injury rule. USA Fencing should adopt these both to conform with the conventions of international fencing and for the benefit of our fencer who participate in competitions governed by the FIE Rules. Further, the existing USA Fencing rule perpetuates an anomalous reference to the FIE Medical Committee that should be omitted to conform our rules to our practices and organizational structure. Please note that if the following motion is also adopted, Rule t.33 will be renumbered as t.45 and that the revision of the “cf” reference in the foregoing motion assumes adoption of the renumbering.

MOTION (Mr. Alperstein as liaison to the Referee’s Commission): To renumber the Rules of Competition and adopt the non-substantive wording changes listed in the attached excerpts from the document "92829-releve decisions congres 2017 ang.pdf," in a manner and to the extent the same are consistent with USA Fencing’s practices and organizational structure. The renumbering will take effect as of August 1, 2018.

RATIONALE: The FIE has renumbered the rules for consistency and has reworded some for clarity. This includes removing rules that are no longer relevant, such as regulations regarding now-banned Lexan masks. This task involves no substantive changes to the rule book and the Rules Committee of the Referee Commission recommends keeping pace in the US rule book for reasons of consistency, data hygiene and US international referee facility with the rules applied in international competition. Where and to the extent USA Fencing’s rules deviate from the FIE verbiage because our rules have been modified to reflect certain policy decisions and operational practices, the Referees’ Commission will be authorized to harmonize the FIE and USA Fencing versions.

Second Ms. Brown Motion passed.

Remarks – Donald Anthony, President (Appendix A)

II. Consent Agenda Items (Mr. Anthony)

1. To approve the minutes from the April 12, 2018 meeting.

2. To approve the financial reports for March and April 2018.

3. To receive the Audit Committee, Election Committee, Referees’ Commission, Tournament Committee, Veterans Committee, Club/Member Services Resource Team, Division Resource Team, Marketing and Communications Resource Team, Paralympic Development Resource Team, Sports Medicine Resource Team, Sports Development Resource Team, Sports Performance Resource Team reports.

Mr. Anthony noted that the board is voting to receive the reports. This does not mean that any recommendations contained in any of the reports are approved.

Second Ms. Schneider Motion passed.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes

III. Executive Directors Report (Appendix B)

IV. Finance Report (Mr. Hayler)

April 2018 Financials

Membership Services total net income is currently behind budget by $96K, total income is $98K behind budget and expenses are $2K under budget.

Competitive memberships are down $35K and we have determined that this is due to membership upgrades. Membership upgrade revenue after April 1st are split between the prior year and the current year and the member is getting two years of competitive membership for the cost of one year. In the past, we have not accounted for the reduced cost of the membership and will correct going forward. Coaching membership revenues are under budget by $68K. This is due to a significant decrease in Coach (previously professional) memberships, from 2,536 memberships in the prior year to 2,026 memberships in current year. We believe the drop in Coach Memberships is due to more people purchasing the +CheckEd membership add on which has increased from 533 in the prior year to 1,333 in the current year.

Despite the fact that membership is behind budget, membership’s net income is $1,422K, $133K ahead of prior year actuals of $1,289K as of 4/30/2017.

National Events total net income is currently behind budget by $106K, total income is $138K over budget and expenses are $243K over budget.

The April NAC in Richmond, VA had a net income of $147K. It came in $24K over the budgeted net income of $123K. The main reasons for this is registration fees came in $13K over budget.

This has been a challenging year for national events. Total revenue through April 2018 is up $117K over the prior year, which is an increase of 3.4%. However, event expense have increased $383K over prior year. This is an increase of 17.3%. We have done a thorough review of the budget for Summer Nationals and have made budget adjustments and cuts. This is the last major event to be held and holding this event to its budget is vital in making our year end income goal. Marketing and Communications total net income is currently ahead of budget by $11K, total income $21K ahead of budget and expenses are $10K over budget. The expense overage is due to changing the company that manages our online store. We were required to purchase the $11K purchase of the inventory from the previous online store. The inventory is to be sold at events by NDP so we will recoup the cost of this expense by the end of the fiscal year. The increase in revenue is due to better than budget merchandise sales at our events and a larger number of paid for e-mail blasts.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes General Admin total net income is currently ahead of budget by $17K, total income is ahead of budget by $63K and expenses are over budget by $46K. Income is higher due to a $17K insurance claim for equipment damaged in transit to the Oct NAC and investment revenues of $39K from the US Olympic Endowment account. The overage in expense is due to higher than budgeted Braintree (formerly Paypal) fees.

Sports Performance total net income is currently behind budget by $34K, total income is $5K under budget and expenses are $29K over budget. There is a $14K overage in budgeted air fare expense and a budgeted overage for team apparel. Due to timing of expenses these overages should be on budget by the end of the fiscal year.

Development total net income is currently behind budget by $6K, total income is $6K behind budget and expenses are on budget. Executive Office and Board and Committees are on budget or close to budget with no major variances. Cash + Receivables exceeds our payables by approximately $1,245K. The cash on hand includes $153K in a money market account and $676K which is currently held in the US Olympic Endowment account Our YTD net income is $451K versus a budgeted number of $660K giving us a negative variance of $209K. Our prior year net income was $1,077K versus a budget of $1,152K as of January 31, 2017. We have made budget adjustments and cuts across all departments without impacting current programs and services. Making these cuts has left us with a very tight budget to close out the year. Therefore, barring any unforeseen major expenses between now and the end of our fiscal year, we believe we will reach the budgeted goal of $150K by the end of the year. There are two major events remaining for this year, Summer Nationals and the Senior World Championship. Meeting the budgeted goal is based heavily on Summer Nationals coming in with a budgeted net income of $655K and the Senior World Championship event staying within budgeted expenses.

V. Legal Update (Mr. Neale)

The majority of the work has been Safe Sport related, requests for information, Congress investigations, press requests, new complaints and proceedings, conforming our Safe Sport code to the CFSS code, subpoena requests for an outside lawsuit that we are not a party to, contract reviews with vendors and sponsors. Thank you for the help from the Roger Pierro with the Legal Resource Group.

VI. Hall of Fame Task Force Update (Appendix C)

Motion (Ms. Schneider): To add a new business item to the agenda to accept the recommendations from the Hall of Fame Task Force.

Second Mr. Watson Motion passed.

VII. Safe Sport Update

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes Ms. Ekeren provided an oral report about compliance with Safe Sport, resolution of complaints. Education is the primary focus. USA Fencing continues to make it a priority to provide a safe environment.

New Business

Motion: (Mr. Alperstein as liaison to the Division Resource Team): That demand be made upon Mitch Berliner (Member No. 100008122) for a full accounting of all Gold Coast Division finances from August 1, 2016 to April 17, 2018 (the date of his resignation as an officer of the Gold Coast Division) and for the remittance of all Gold Coast Division monies to the USA Fencing National Office or to a qualified officer of the Gold Coast Division; and, should Mr. Berliner fail to so account and deliver all such funds, that a disciplinary committee be convened to determine whether his failure to account for and remit division funds warrants disciplinary action, and if so for a recommendation as to the same. In addition, should it be determined that Mr. Berliner had possession or control of funds belonging to the Gold Coast Division and that he has failed to account for or remit such monies within 10 days of the demand described above, that the matter be referred to local law enforcement.

RATIONALE: Mr. Berliner has had almost unfettered control of the Gold Coast Division administration of many years, including sole control of its finances. No division financial report has been tendered to the National Officer for any period after July 31, 2016, and Mr. Berliner has failed to inform the division of any financial matters. In April, Mr. Berliner assured Christine Strong Simmons that he would send certified funds to the National Office, but he has not done so. As both the self-reported chair and treasurer of the Gold Coast Division, Mr. Berliner has a fiduciary duty account for division funds and to turn over any such funds to an appropriate USA Fencing agency. See the attached report from Richard Weiss, Division Resource Team member assigned to proctor the leadership transition in the Gold Coast Division. USA Fencing has precedent for disciplining local officers who fail to account for funds in their possession, and withholding funds belonging to another is a criminal act.

Second Ms. Schneider Motion passed.

Motion: (Mr. Arias) To approve the Financial Policy and Procedures Manual as provided to the board.

Rationale: The last comprehensive update to the Financial Policies and Procedures manual was 5/10/2011. The update details the financial policy and procedures that the national office follows on a daily basis and it includes a privacy policy that was not part of the 2011 revision. Second Ms. Schneider Motion: (Mr. Alperstein) to amend the motion to include a bullet list of changes in the manual to these minutes (Appendix D) and to remove the limitation of the privacy policy to foreign fencers and extend to all members of USA Fencing and all people whose information we hold. The policy will be published in hardcopy or on the website, written

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes or electronic acceptance of the privacy policy. Second Mr. Kidd Motion passed. Motion as amended to approve the Financial Policies and Procedures Manual passed.

Motion: (Mr. Arias) To approve the quad budget 2018-19 to 2021-22 as provided to the board.

Rationale: The national office has prepared a 4 year rolling (quad) budget which will now be reviewed and updated annually during the regular budgeting process. We believe this rolling four year budget gives us a reasonable and fair budget showing how income will ebb and flow during Olympic years versus Non-Olympic years. The 4 year rolling budget was prepared by reviewing prior year’s expenses and revenues to determine a reasonable increase. In most cases it was a 2-4% average increase.

Second Ms. Schneider

Mr. Alperstein suggests that the legal fees line item increase by $5k/year.

Motion passed.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes Second Ms. Marsh Senic

Motion (Ms. Schneider): To amend the motion to replace the term “doctor” with “designated sports medicine provider”.

Second Ms. Marsh Senic Motion to amend passed.

Motion as amended: To amend article t.33 of the Rules of Competition (“Injuries or cramps, withdrawal of a competitor”), paragraph 1passed to read as follows with an effective date of August 1, 2018:

"For an injury or cramp or other acute medical incident which occurs in the course of a bout and which is properly attested by the delegate of the FIE Medical Committee or by the doctor designated sports medicine provider on duty, the Referee will allow a break in the bout lasting no longer than 105 minutes. This break should be timed from the point when the doctor designated sports medicine provider gave his opinion and be strictly reserved for the requisite treatment of the injury or cramp which brought it about. If the doctor designated sports medicine provider considers, before or at the end of the 105-minute break, that the fencer is incapable of continuing the bout, the fencer must withdraw (individual events) and/or be replaced, if possible (team events) (cf. o.44.1199.6.a/b). All breaks for injury or cramp must be noted on the score-sheet for the bout, the pool or the match.

Motion as amended passed.

Second Ms. Brown Motion passed.

Motion (Ms. Schneider) to accept the recommendations from the Hall of Fame Task Force. (Appendix C)

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes Second Mr. Watson Motion passed.

Good and Welfare

The next board meeting will be held in September.

Mr. Omar Vergara with the FIE has passed away.

Carl Borack was selected as an FIE member of honor.

Recess to Executive Session

Motion: (Ms. Marsh Senic): To adjourn to executive session.

Second Ms. Schneider. Motion passed.

Executive Session

The board approved a contract extension.

The board approved a request for a disciplinary panel.

Ms. Ekeren provided a Safe Sport update to the board.

Motion (Ms. Schneider): To adjourn.

Second Mr. Watson. Motion passed.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes Appendix A Presidents Report July 1, 2018

Our athlete’s performance continues to be amazing. Recent results include Mariel Zagunis’ return to the podium, Race Imboden, Daryl Homer and Eli Dershwitz’s podium finishes, winning 11 of 12 Gold Medals at the Pan American Zonal Championships, our outstanding results in Verona at the Jr. World Championships along with the great additions of Daria Schneider and Aleks Ochocki as Team Captains, the Women’s Epee Team winning the Gold in Dubai and the Men’s Foil Team sweeping the World Cup Circuit with their 5th Gold medal in St. Petersburg along with so many other significant results.

Financially USA Fencing remains on solid footing. We faced a number of challenges with our North American Circuit events during the season due to circumstances out of our control including weather and unforeseen transportation issues. However the National Office has been diligent in managing the budget and making adjustments so that we will still be on target for ending the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

Safe Sport has been a major focus over the last year. We have been very proactive in working with the Center for Safe Sport to create the safest environment of our athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers. The amount of time and resources required to accomplish this objective, respond to information requests for Congress, the media and our membership has been significant. Safe Sport is an extremely high priority for USA Fencing with our goal to create the safest environment for the fencing community as possible.

Coaching, referee and cadre development will be an important area of focus over the next two years as we continue to firmly establish USA Fencing as one of the top high performing fencing federations in the world. There are a number of new initiatives on the horizon coming out of the National Office and I am very excited about our future.

Our Senior World Team will be going to Wuxi China for the World Championships later this month. Team USA is sending one of the strongest teams in the world and in my opinion one of the best prepared teams ever. I want to commend our athletes, coaches and support staff on the excellent job preparing the team and we wish them the best of luck.

On the international front the FIE held Commission and Council meetings in Bucharest Romania. USA Fencing was well represented with many of our Commission and Council members in leadership positions. The focus of the meetings was preparing for a review of the statutes and rule changes that will be voted on at the FIE Congress in Paris later this year. The Pan American Congress will take place in August and the FIE Congress will be in December.

Marketing continues to be an important area of focus. We have a tremendous opportunity to build on USA Fencing’s success to increase fencing’s visibility, media awareness and athlete recognition to attract new sponsor partners. This is a key factor in preparing for Tokyo 2020 and the expected performance of our athletes.

I look forward to our continued progress and working with you all on the very bright future ahead. Donald K. Anthony, Jr.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes Appendix B

To: USA Fencing Board of Directors

From: Kris Ekeren, Executive Director

Date: June 13, 2018

Subject: Executive Director’s Report ______Please see the updates on the progress made on USA Fencing’s identified business objectives. Grow and Promote the Sport of Fencing We remain focused on our goal of reaching 40,000 members in the near future. The member services team is kicking off new initiatives in 2018-19 including targeted communications to new members and other groups of our membership, a school program and is also exploring other community partnerships. The Fan Zone and other projects will be implemented at the St. Louis Summer Nationals with the goal of engaging new fans and potential participants in the area. I want to thank the local organizing group and Daugherty Business Solutions for all of their hard work and innovation in elevating the profile of our largest event of the year. Improve Sports Performance and Development As I am writing this update, our athletes are preparing to compete at Zonals in Cuba followed by the World Championships in China later this summer. I want to congratulate all of the athletes and those who support them on a great season. There were many memorable performances and we are so very proud of all of our athletes. Coaching education continues to move forward on the development of online training, in-person sessions and other curriculum projects. The referee initiatives are also progressing as the Referees Commission and staff work on additional resources for referees. Generate Sustainable Revenue from Internal and External Sources USA Fencing and the US Fencing Foundation will be highlighting several initiatives over the next few months, specifically the opportunity to support the Weapon Specific Endowment and planned giving opportunities. We anticipate filling the vacant development position in early August. Our marketing department continues to focus on branding and building relationships with existing and potential sponsors. Optimize Qualification and Tournament Process The regional event calendar for 2018-19 has been announced and we want to thank all of the tournament organizers who submitted a bid to host an event. The large number of viable bids makes selecting hosts for events a tough process. The inaugural SJCC will be held in March 2019 and we are looking forward to offering this new event. Optimize Leadership/Operational Effectiveness The board of directors and staff are working together on the committee structure and draft appointments for committees and resource teams. We appreciate everyone who submitted an

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes application to serve and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a talented and passionate membership. Achieve /Maintain Financial Solvency, Stability & Sustainability The draft quad budget and updated financial policies and procedures manual will be reviewed and discussed by the board at the July 1 meeting. Although we remain behind budget through May, the finance team has met several times with staff on projections and the organization is on target to meet the year-end budget goal. Transform Culture of Fencing Leadership and Governance I was able to attend the end of the AAC April in-person meeting and am very impressed with the dedication and leadership of our athletes. I look forward to continuing to work with them. In addition, the women’s epee team had an in-person meeting in April and has done some great work on improving team culture. Safe Sport is a top priority for USA Fencing, with a focus on expanding educational opportunities for all constituent groups including athletes, parents, coaches, referees, volunteers and staff.

Refine Organizational Structure of Fencing in the US Regional organizers have been given access to the tournament registration system and we are currently working through any challenges that may come up during the initial roll-out.

USA Fencing Board of Directors July 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes SECTION TEXT HERE

Appendix C Hall of Fame Task Force Report July 1, 2018 HOFSECTION Task ForceTEXT ReportHERE

Overview of Task Force Charter Task Force Work . Understand and review the current nomination and selection process for Hall of Fame inductees . 3 meetings (1 in-person, 2 conference calls) . Discuss the future direction of the Hall of . Historical background on the Hall of Fame Fame event . Review of current process and format of . Address any other challenges surrounding event the Hall of Fame Also discussed the website and marketing of . Timeline: complete work and . recommendations for report at 2018 Summer both the HOF and the event Nationals Board Meeting . Examined other sports and their HOFs; . Members: Andy Shaw, Donald Alperstein, looked at best practices Raquel Brown, Bill Korbus, Jim Neale, Adam Watson, Kris Ekeren(staff liaison) HOFSECTION Task ForceTEXT ReportHERE

Selection Process Current Proposed . Committee appointed by board of directors . Committee appointed by board of directors reviews and selects candidates; approval to reviews and selects candidates; approval be placed on ballot is 5/8 members of the stays at 5 of 8 members committee . General membership elects the inductees . General membership elects the inductees, Recommendations: no minimum percentage of votes required . . Limit of 5 individuals in each class . Number of individuals elected in each . Three categories: Athlete, Coach and Contributor category is determined by committee . Publish criteria for each category(next page) . Categories have changed over time: era, . Discussion on general criteria vs more specific criteria . HOF committee may ask the board for approval to athletes, coaches name one individual in each class if special circumstances exist HOF Task Force Report SECTION TEXT HERE

Categories/Criteria Athlete Coach Contributor (referee, other official or volunteer, Having compiled an . Olympic team member . administrator) outstanding record of . USA national team member; . Having served the fencing and/or coaching champions at the level coached (e.g. national, community with special . Other outstanding distinction; and/or accomplishments at a collegiate, high school); and national or international level . Having compiled an . Create or establish a . To be nominated, an athlete extraordinary winning record recognizable and tangible must have retired at least contribution to the sport that three years prior to or have achieved other consideration, except when outstanding has fundamentally impacted the athlete has reached forty accomplishments fencing in a positive manner years of age; the athlete may continue to compete in Veterans competitions HOFSECTION Task ForceTEXT ReportHERE

Other recommendations

. Continue to build on success of recent Hall of Fame events; include service awards and Questions/Discussion on recommendations other special recognition .

. Move Hall of Fame information to USA Fencing website for branding and other purposes . Information is currently located here; Andy maintains the website . The change will allow Andy to focus on promotion of the privately owned Museum of American Fencing Appendix D

To: USA Fencing Board of Directors

From: David Arias & Doug Hayler

Subject: Financial Policies and Procedures Changes ______

We are requesting approval of the Financial Policies and Procedures Manual. Below is a list of the changes that were made.

• Manual will be approved by the board of directors annually. Previously approval was from treasurer. • Added that the Operations Manual will be reviewed annually and will be approved by the executive director. • Any contract that has rights and or commitments extending for more than one (1) year will be reviewed by General Counsel or under his direction by a member of the Legal Resources Group designated by him. • Copies of checks from membership are made prior to turning the checks in to the finance department, all other checks are copied prior to making the deposit. • Addition of a rolling 4 year quad budget will be maintained and updated annually. • Removed that treasurer has limited access to the online accounting system. • The 1042 annual withholding for non-resident alien independent contractors will be completed monthly instead of being based on the accrual threshold amounts set by the IRS. • 1099 forms will be provided to independent contractors per IRS guidelines by January 31 of each year. This was previously listed as February 28. • Added Quarterly/Annual Payroll Reports: USA Fencing currently employees a PEO to handle payroll and all applicable tax withholding and payments. Employees will received a W-2 directly from the PEO. In February, copies of the IRS Forms W-2 will be forwarded to the IRS with the appropriate summary report from the PEO. • Membership applications that are paid for by check are entered into the membership database and then submitted to the finance coordinator who pulls a report from the database and balances the deposit. The membership department previously pulled their own reports and submitted them along with the checks to the finance department. • Added to Cash Receipts: It is preferable that a finance department staff member attend international events hosted by USA Fencing, when a large amount of cash is expected to be collected, to collect and track all cash that is received and disbursed per event requirements. • Recording of USOC grant funds: USOC grant fund payments will be recognized as revenue when received. The use of funds will be reviewed against qualifying expenses at the fiscal year end. If revenues do not match up with qualified expenses, an adjustment for the remaining revenue balance will be recorded as “deferred USOC revenue” until qualifying expenses can support the recognition of the revenue. The was previously recorded as deferred USOC revenue until qualifying expenses could support the recognition of revenue and occurred at the end of the calendar and fiscal years. • Payroll: Pay Upon Termination Notification of available coverage with COBRA will be provided by the PEO instead of by the human resources manager. • Purchase Orders are now entered electronically into the accounting system by the requestor, approved by the department director or the director of finance instead of paper documentation being turned into the finance department. • Invoice Approval and Processing Invoice: Added paper copies of the invoices can be shredded after 30 days. All invoices are kept electronically for 7 years. Previously kept hard copies of invoices for seven years. • Cash Disbursement Bills are paid bi-weekly. Previously paid weekly. • Rebate of share dues was updated to remove the payment of dues to sections, which no longer exist, and to add the payment of dues to clubs who meet the club rebate criteria. • Employee expense reimbursement was updated to have the executive director’s expenses reviewed by the treasurer monthly instead of quarterly. • Board of Directors Expense Reimbursement Policy added • Operating Reserve Policy added • Capital Equipment – Fixed Assets amount increased to $2000 from $500. • Operation Processed and Procedures – Third Party Insurance requests were removed as we no longer charge for this. • Privacy Policy added