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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">From:
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Jesse Shirek</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Governmental Affairs Specialist</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">National Federation of the Blind
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">We are all feeling the swell of positive energy coming out of Washington Seminar. Once again, it was great to hear all those
white canes tapping and guide dogs on the move. Our hard work, diligent practice, and long days of walking up and down Capitol Hill have paid off! I am thrilled to announce that our first major priority has been introduced. The Blind Americans Return to Work
Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX-17) and co-led by Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-7), has been introduced in the 119th Congress as H.R. 1175.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">We expect to put out some social media publicity around this topic later today and we are hoping you will share the communications
with your networks far and wide. We are planning to get some press attention in the coming week. Please watch for future announcements and get ready for a call to action with a legislative alert. For now, sit back and smile, and celebrate our collective accomplishment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Warm regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Jesse Shirek</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Governmental Affairs Specialist</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">410-659-9314, extension 2348 |
<a href="mailto:jshirek@nfb.org"><span style="color:#467886">jshirek@nfb.org</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><a href="https://nfb.org/"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="210" height="76" style="width:2.1833in;height:.7916in" id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:~WRD0001.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender. National Federation of the Blind"></span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="24" height="24" style="width:.25in;height:.25in" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:~WRD0001.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender. Facebook"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="24" height="24" style="width:.25in;height:.25in" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:~WRD0001.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender. Twitter"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="24" height="24" style="width:.25in;height:.25in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:~WRD0001.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender. Youtube"></span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s
blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0.1rem 0"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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