[CT-NFB] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Urgent Need to Contact Your Representative Regarding the Access Technology Affordability Act

Sun May 4 16:22:39 UTC 2025

IMPORTANT...Legislative Action

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Pare, John via NFBNet-Members-List <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
Date: Fri, May 2, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Urgent Need to Contact Your Representative
Regarding the Access Technology Affordability Act
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>

Dear Federation Family:

The House of Representatives is working on the tax package. They hope to
have it completed in the next month or two. This is a golden opportunity to
get the Access Technology Affordability Act enacted into law, but we need
to move fast.

As a quick reminder, the Access Technology Affordability Act would create a
$2,000 refundable tax credit for use over a three-year period for the
purchase of access technology. This credit would help put more access
technology in the hands of blind people thereby helping us learn, work, and
live the lives we want.

Mathematica, a well respected economic forecasting company, has evaluated
the bill and estimate it will save the federal government $315 million over
a five-year period. This cost savings is achieved by the increased number
of blind people who will be working thereby lowering the number of people
collecting benefits and increasing the number of people paying federal and
FICA taxes.

This is a beneficial all around. We get more of the access technology we
need, more blind people are able to transition to work, the federal
government saves money, and we contribute to the growth of the American
economy.

Rep. Mike Kelly, the chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on
Tax, is the sponsor of our bill. Rep. Mike Thompson, who is the ranking
member of the same subcommittee is the lead cosponsor. We currently have
nineteen cosponsors including several members of the full Ways and Means
committee.

But, the competition to get into the tax package is fierce. We are not the
only group that realizes what a great opportunity this is. One of the
primary ways that bills will be evaluated for inclusion in the tax package
is cosponsor support. That is where all of us come into play. If your
Representative has not already cosponsored the Access Technology
Affordability Act, H.R. 1529, (list of cosponsors is included below) then I
urge you to email or call your Representative and urge them to cosponsor
the bill. If you have already done this, but they have not yet cosponsored,
then I urge you to contact them again. We need all hands on deck for this
effort, so even if you’ve never called your member of Congress before, this
is the perfect time to make your first call or send your first email.
Remember, the best advocacy is polite, persuasive, and persistent.

When you email or call your Representative, you might say something like:

“My name is (your name) and I am a constituent of Representative
(Representative’s name).Please cosponsor the Access Technology
Affordability Act, H.R. 1529. This bill would help put more access
technology in the hands of blind Americans. It does this by creating a
$2,000 refundable tax credit for blind people for the purchase of
specialized access technology. As a blind person myself, I know how
important access technology is. As just one example, it could enable a
blind person to search for a job, apply for a job, and then keep that job.
In fact, Mathematica, a well-respected economic firm, has estimated that
the bill will help more blind Americans work thereby saving the federal
government $315 million over a five-year period. This bill will help your
constituents, help the federal government save money, and help the American
economy. I would be extremely appreciative if you would consider
cosponsoring this bill.”

Attached is a list of each legislative director for each Representative
sorted by state. The list includes the legislative director’s name and
email address. I recommend you email that person, but you could also call
the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the office in question.

If you email, please copy Jesse Shirek at jshirek at nfb.org. If you have
questions regarding the legislative point of contact, please email Lindsey
Walsh at lwalsh at nfb.org.

If at all possible, please send your email on or before Friday, May 9.

Working together we will be successful!

Warm regards,

John

Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21]

Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]

Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38]

Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4]

Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22]

Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]

Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6]

Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]

Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]

Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]

Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12]

Rep. LaHood, Darin [R-IL-16]

Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3]

Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]

Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15]

Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17]

Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33]

Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]

Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-1]

John Paré

Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

410-659-9314, extension 2218 | *jpare at nfb.org <kwalls at nfb.org>*

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