<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; font-size:12pt;"><div> Hi all,</div>
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<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>
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<div>Thanks,</div>
<div>Lucia Lee</div>
<div>NFB of CT</div>
<div>860-289-1971</div>
<div><A href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org">llee@nfbct.org</A></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>
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<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 Subsection (a) of section 10-303 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (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>
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<DIV>-------- Original Message --------<BR>Subject: impending bill a concern<BR>From: "Chris Kuell" <<A href="mailto:ckuell@comcast.net" target=_blank>ckuell@comcast.net</A>><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi Lucia,</FONT></DIV>
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<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>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>chris</FONT></DIV>
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