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<DIV>Hello, I'd missed seeing the emails until later in teh day. Was there any
outcome of todays meeting as of yet. <BR>Thank you,</DIV>
<DIV>Elizabeth</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 3/27/2013 10:37:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
llee@nfbct.org writes:</DIV>
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<DIV> Hi all,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks,</DIV>
<DIV>Lucia Lee</DIV>
<DIV>NFB of CT</DIV>
<DIV>860-289-1971</DIV>
<DIV><A title=mailto:llee@nfbct.org
href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org">llee@nfbct.org</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua">Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 10-303 of
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (<I>Effective from passage</I>):</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua">(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<B>
</B>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. <U class=insert><U>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.</U></U></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua">Sec. 4. (NEW) (<I>Effective from passage</I>)
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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV>-------- Original Message --------<BR>Subject: impending bill a
concern<BR>From: "Chris Kuell" <<A title=mailto:ckuell@comcast.net
href="mailto:ckuell@comcast.net"
target=_blank>ckuell@comcast.net</A>><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi Lucia,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>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. </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>His bill became an
amendment to a bill being considered by the environmental
committee. </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>chris</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></SPAN><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Ct-nfb
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