[4Alabama] Washington Seminar Update

Jennifer Reeves auburngirl2021 at gmail.com
Thu Jan 14 13:46:23 UTC 2021


I was informed that the previous email was not accessible for some
members.  My sincere apology for any inconvenience.



Hello everyone,



Last week our national organization held the first in a series of meetings
for affiliate presidents and legislative directors. The purpose of these
meetings is to educate those of us who will coordinate our state's piece of
the 2021 Washington Seminar. During the meeting, we received information
about the issues we will deal with at this year's seminar. So, I wanted to
share that information with you. Today's message will share general
information about the issues. I am told that our fact sheets should be
available in the next few days, and those will give you more detailed
information about each piece of proposed legislation. As soon as the fact
sheets for 2021 become available, I will share that information with you.
Of course, you are also welcome to check our national website for updated
information anytime you wish. Here are the four issues.



*The Access Technology Affordability Act*



If enacted, this law would allow blind taxpayers to claim up to a $2,000,
refundable tax credit when they purchase access technology tools for
themselves. We came very close to getting this bill passed in the last
Congress. So, we expect to have great success in the 117th Congress. This
proposal has had bipartisan support in the past.



*The Home Use Medical Device Access Now (HUMAN) Act*



This bill would be similar to the GAIN Act, which we promoted in the last
session of Congress. The difference is that it does not deal with home
appliances and fitness equipment. Instead, it focuses on making home-use
medical devices more accessible. We have not given up on working to make
other appliances and fitness equipment accessible, but we believe home
medical devices are more critical. So, we are focusing on those first.



*Web Accessibility*



It has been more than 30 years since the passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), and yet many websites remain inaccessible to blind
and low vision users. If Congress passes this legislation, it would require
that websites be made accessible within 36 months of the adoption of the
legislation. The general terms are these. Proposed rules would be
promulgated within 12 months of passage. Final rules would be adopted
within 24 months of passage, and web developers would have to make their
sites accessible within 36 months of passage. As stated above, this is a
thumbnail sketch of the bill, but you will find more detail in the fact
sheets when they are posted.



*Voting Rights*



The idea behind this proposed legislation would be to enhance the ability
of blind and print disabled people to vote privately and independently no
matter where they live in. the United States. The timelines for rulemaking
and implementation would be similar to those outlined in the web
accessibility legislation above. Again, more details will be forthcoming in
the fact sheet related to this proposed legislation.



I hope everyone has a great day, and I will be following up with
information about how you can be involved in the Washington Seminar this
week.



Best regards,



Michael Evers, Legislative Committee Chair

Barbara Manuel, President, The National Federation of The Blind of Alabama

Mevers421 at gmail.com

(817) 269-1403



-- 

Sandre *T.*,

 *Membership Coordinator*

Alabama National Federation of the Blind

PH: 205-767-9547  or TEXT ONLY:  669-200-1632 (1NFB)

*nfbal.membership at gmail.com <nfbal.membership at gmail.com>*



*[image: image.png]*


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