Food and Nutrition Service Chief To Keynote National EBT Conference.

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 1999--

Samuel Chambers, Jr., administrator of the US Agriculture Department's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will delivery the keynote address of this fall's EBT--The Next Generation conference.

The announcement was made by H. Kurt Helwig, executive director of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association, whose EBT Industry Council is hosting the event.

The conference will be held Nov. 7-9, 1999 at the Madison Hotel in Washington DC. The keynote theme of the conference is "Empowering People through Emerging Technology."

Chambers, who has been FNS administrator since August 1998, oversees 15 domestic nutrition assistance programs-- including the food stamp program, the school lunch and breakfast programs, and the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC)--with a combined annual budget of more than $40 billion.

Prior to heading FNS, Chambers directed the Michigan Family Independence Agency for Wayne County, including the city of Detroit. That agency administers state and federal human services programs.

"We are fortunate to have Sam Chambers presenting USDA's vision for the future of electronic benefits transfer," said Helwig. "The Agriculture Department has been in the forefront of electronic benefits transfer movement, and we look forward to their continued leadership."

John Pfeuffer, chairman of the EBT Industry Council and vice president of Citicorp Services, Inc. said, "We are fortunate to have a speaker of Sam Chambers' stature share with us USDA's vision for the role that technology can play in fulfilling FNS's mission to eliminate hunger in America."

About EBT--The Next Generation

Now in its second year, EBT--The Next Generation is a national conference hosted by the Electronic Funds Transfer Association and its EBT Industry Council. The conference, slated for Nov. 7-9, 1999 at Washington's Madison Hotel, will examine the conversion of existing government services from paper documentation to electronic delivery via advanced card technologies, the Internet and interactive media. The conference will present four workshops, two plenary sessions and more than 20 breakout sessions over three days.

About the EBT Industry Council

EFTA's EBT Industry Council is the nation's longest standing trade group dedicated to the business and policy issues involved in electronic benefits transfer systems. Its members include Citicorp Services, Inc., Burger, Carroll & Associates, and Concord EFS.

About the Electronic Funds Transfer Association

Now in its third decade, the Electronic Funds Transfer Association is the nation's leading inter-industry trade association dedicated to electronic payment systems and commerce. EFTA members include Transaction Network Services, Inc., First Union National Bank, and Deluxe Electronic Payment Systems. Its Internet address is www.efta.org.