[Ct-nfb] legislative alert!

Cookiechumper at aol.com Cookiechumper at aol.com
Thu Mar 28 00:51:16 UTC 2013


Hello, I'd missed seeing the emails until later in teh day. Was there any  
outcome of todays meeting as of yet. 
Thank you,
Elizabeth
 
 
In a message dated 3/27/2013 10:37:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
llee at nfbct.org writes:

 Hi all,
 
The Environment Committee of the state legislature is meeting today at  
11:00AM to vote on approving pending bills in their committee. HR6654 is  one 
of them. One section of this bill would remove BESB's first right to  vending 
facilities in state parks that the DEEP maintains and, instead, open  the 
facilities to the highest bidder. This would involve 3 state parks (Rocky  
Neck, Hammonassett, and Harkness) where blind people now run these vending  
stations. We apologize for the late notice, but the agenda was just posted  
this morning. Please call the Environment Committee at 860-240-0440 to express 
 disapproval of section 4 of HR6654. Also a call to Representative Craig 
Miner,  who introduced this section, would be appreciated. His number  
860-842-1423.
 
Thanks,
Lucia Lee
NFB of CT
860-289-1971
_llee at nfbct.org_ (mailto:llee at nfbct.org) 
 
 

 
In January, Rep Miner introduced HR5817 that proposed amending the  state 
statutes to exempt concessions provided by the DEEP from the  general 
requirement that such concessions be provided by the BESB. This bill  has 
apparently died. However, the wording has been included into  HR6654, which is on the 
Environment Committee's agenda for Friday's public  hearing. Here is the 
part that concerns the concessions at DEEP-run parks.  Underlined sentences 
are proposed additions; the entire Sec 4 is an addition  to current statutes.
 
Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 10-303 of  the general statutes is 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu  thereof (Effective from 
passage):
(a) The authority in charge of any building  or property owned, operated or 
leased by the state or any municipality  therein shall grant to the 
Department of Rehabilitation Services a  permit to operate in such building or on 
such property a food service  facility, a vending machine or a stand for the 
vending of newspapers,  periodicals, confections, tobacco products, food and 
such other articles as  such authority approves when, in the opinion of 
such authority, such  facility, machine or stand is desirable in such location. 
Any person  operating such a stand in any such location on October 1, 1945, 
shall be  permitted to continue such operation, but upon such person's 
ceasing such  operation such authority shall grant a permit for continued 
operation to the  Department of Rehabilitation Services. The department may 
establish a  training facility at any such location. The requirements  of this 
subsection shall not apply to any state park or forest under the  custody and 
control of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental  Protection.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective from passage)  The Commissioner of Energy and 
Environmental Protection shall issue a  request for proposals for the operation 
of the food service facilities  located in the state parks and forests under 
the custody and control of the  commissioner. In awarding any contract for 
the operation of such food  service facilities, the commissioner shall award 
such contract to the  highest responsible bidder. Nothing in this section 
or section 10-303 of the  general statutes, as amended by this act, shall be 
construed to prohibit the  Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind 
from bidding on any contract  authorized pursuant to this section.
 
 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: impending bill a  concern
From: "Chris Kuell" <_ckuell at comcast.net_ (mailto:ckuell at comcast.net) >



Hi Lucia,
 
I heard that Representative Craig Miner, a  Republican, has attached his 
bill to take away a blind vendor's first  right of refusal to operate a 
vending facility in a state park to a bill  being considered by the state 
Environmental Affairs Committee. If passed,  this would immediately put 3 blind 
vendors in CT out of work, and of  course, set a terrible precedence for future 
Randolph-Sheppard  entrepreneurs. His bill became an  amendment to a bill 
being considered by the environmental  committee.  
 
Thanks,
chris
   





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