<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:105%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b>From:</b> Passaro, Cara [mailto:Cara.Passaro@cga.ct.gov] <br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, February 11, 2019 11:16 AM<br><b>To:</b> Elizabeth Rival <erival@comcast.net><br><b>Subject:</b> RE: bill 6289 is not what guide dog users are upset about <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hi Elizabeth,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Here is another bill which may be of interest to you:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>H.B. No. 7106 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING SERVICE ANIMALS.<span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2019/TOB/h/pdf/2019HB-07106-R00-HB.PDF">https://www.cga.ct.gov/2019/TOB/h/pdf/2019HB-07106-R00-HB.PDF</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>There is a public hearing scheduled for Friday at 11:00 am at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Please let me know if you would like to testify or submit written testimony. The guidelines are below. I would be happy to sign you up so that you don’t have to come early or submit your written testimony.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Cara<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on Friday, February 15, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. in Room 1D of the LOB. Public speaker order will be determined by a lottery system. Lottery numbers will be drawn from 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. in Room 2500 of the LOB. Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list. Please submit 50 copies of written testimony to the Committee staff, any day prior to but no later than 10:30 A.M., in Room 2500 of the LOB. Written testimony submitted by a person(s) or organization(s) which exceeds five (5) single-sided pages per bill or resolution will only be posted on the Judiciary Committee’s website at the discretion of the Judiciary Committee chairs. Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing. Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to <a href="mailto:JUDtestimony@cga.ct.gov">JUDtestimony@cga.ct.gov</a>. Testimony should clearly state testifier name and related Bills. The Committee requests that testimony be limited to matters related to the items on the Agenda. The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, State Agency Heads and Chief Elected Municipal Officials. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. The Committee encourages witnesses to submit a written statement and to condense oral testimony to a summary of that statement. Unofficial sign-up sheets have no standing with the Committee. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. As such, it may be made available on the Judiciary Committee's website and indexed by internet search engines.<span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'> Elizabeth Rival [<a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net">mailto:erival@comcast.net</a>] <br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, February 06, 2019 11:25 AM<br><b>To:</b> Passaro, Cara<br><b>Subject:</b> bill 6289 is not what guide dog users are upset about <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>February 2019<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From Elizabeth Rival National Federation of the blind of Ct.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=MsoHyperlink><a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net">erival@comcast.net</a></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>860 828 8378 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Dear chairperson and committee<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Sorry, NFB of CT. is not concerned so much with housing bills. NFB of cT. is however very concerned with loose pets that are distracting and causing injury to our guide dog teams. Pets need to be restricted. Their interference in malls, stores, restaurants and airports has to be stopped. Thankyou for any help on a bill that you can do for us. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am totally blind and use a Highly trained and certified guide dog. My guide dog is not a pet. She acts as my guide so I can travel and have a mobile and independent life... The affiliate for the blind is the National Federation of the blind of cT. I have served as president and vice president and am still on the board. I have used a guide dog for the last 20 years of the 25 years of my blindness. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> A guide dog or vet dog, should be approved. A pet with, quote fake quote service animals with credentials, exhibiting unacceptable behavior, should be dealt with , by businesses or restaurants or other public locations On a case by case basis. This problem should not be put on persons with disabilities who rely on their highly trained, well dash behaved, service animals, and only seek to be independent people. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Emotional support dogs found biting small children, you may want to consider rewriting safety and procedure. Documents. Emotional support animals are different then trained service animals. Our dogs have people that have been trained for 3 years to become an apprentice, then they work 3 more years to become trainers, from accredited schools, which there are only 12 in the U.S. There are many fake on line sites, where you purchase fake info to bring your dogs into the public, if you pay a fee. Fake certifications are a problem. Beterans with disabilities, have legitimate needs .Pet owners are taking advantage of the system, and on line companions. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>18 states have introduced laws to make it a crime, to introduce a fake animal. Or to represent a service animal. You can tell if a dog is a real professional animal by its work. What is the harm of fake service animals? It puts guide dog users and veterans that use dogs in harm’s way. The safety of us is at risk. Dog owners are letting their pets go wherever they want, under the ruse of the canines are emotional support animals on line purchased harnesses and blankets and vests, and identification cards meant to prove it. There is a growing sense of entitlement that people want what they want and they don’t care about anyone else. This is plain and simple selfishness. There are therapy dogs trained dogs that help with post tramatic stress disorder. They can save your life from a seizure. They aid military veterans and civilians, suffering from post tramatic stress disorder, and that includes dogs going into a school after a school shooting. There are diabetic alert dogs that senses when a persons sugar is too high or low. Dogs for the deaf. Dispite the intense training pet owners are taking advantage of on line accouterments. Getting doctor letters, emotional support letters, causing the illusion of legitimacy. Those pet dogs jeopardize the safety of those truly dependant on their service dog. The problem is our guide dogs are harassed by and attacked by dogs off leash. It will put a guide dog out of commission. Ruin thousands of hours of training and $60 thousand dollars on average per dog that is invested in each dog. Also, it ruins the partnership between the guide dog and his handler. The other problem is establishments will ban all dogs even legitimate ones. Business owners are afraid to ask the legal question of any dog user, which is what does that dog do for you? Covered under the American with disabilities act, or ADA. Some states have begun inacting legislation to address this problem, including California, Colorado, Florida, Mass., but Connecticut has yet to adopt laws to curb this problem. Airlines have already recognized this issue. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Your bill in Ct. should start with, an act relative to the misrepresentation of a service animal. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you, Elizabeth Rival N.F.B. of ct. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>860 828 8378 <span class=MsoHyperlink><a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net">erival@comcast.net</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>