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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Fellow Members and Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>In case you didn</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>’</span><span style='color:#1F497D'>t see it, the National Federation of the Blind is asking us to make an important, end of session push for our bill to eliminate the payment of subminimum wages. Wouldn</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>’</span><span style='color:#1F497D'>t it be great to have this signature legislation move forward as we approach our 84th anniversary; this was one of the very issues that brought us together as a national federation 84 years ago this month.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Please see the instructions in the forwarded from our national legislative staffer. And make those four calls and/or send those four e-mails. If we can help you in any way, please do let us know.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thank you in advance for your taking action!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Nathanael<o:p></o:p></span></p><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><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Dear Federation Family:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I wanted to update everyone on the TCIEA Legislative Alert from Friday, November 22. We have done a great job of flooding the four offices mentioned in the original email with our collective calls and emails, but we cannot let up. If you haven’t had a chance to call or email the offices below, it’s not too late, and if you have already done so, it wouldn’t hurt to send another to really demonstrate how important this issue is to us. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For your convenience, I’ve included the entirety of the previous Legislative Alert below, which includes the suggested script and contact information for the offices. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks for all you do,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Justin<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We are coming down to the wire on the 118th Congress and we want to make sure that we’ve done everything that we possibly can in order to advocate for our legislative priorities. In this case, we are trying to ensure that the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) is included in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reauthorization bill that is currently being considered. Right now is a crucial time for this initiative because Congress wants to pass the WIOA reauthorization when they return after Thanksgiving. We need you to flood the email inboxes and telephone lines and voicemail boxes of four key committee staff members in order to make sure TCIEA gets included in the final bill:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Amy Jones<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Majority Staff Director, House Committee on Education and the Workforce<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Amy.jones@mail.house.gov">Amy.jones@mail.house.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>202-225-4527<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Véronique Pluviose-Fenton<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Minority Staff Director, House Committee on Education and the Workforce<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:veronique.pluviose@mail.house.gov">veronique.pluviose@mail.house.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>202-225-3725<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Warren Gunnels<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Majority Staff Director, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Warren_Gunnels@help.senate.gov">Warren_Gunnels@help.senate.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>202-224-0767<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Amanda Lincoln<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Minority Staff Director, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Amanda_lincoln@help.senate.gov">Amanda_lincoln@help.senate.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>202-224-5375<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When you call or email, you might say something like:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Dear [NAME]:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am urging the [HOUSE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE COMMITTEE/SENATE HELP COMMITTEE] to please include the TCIEA in the WIOA reauthorization bill. The TCIEA will eliminate the payment of subminimum wages for people with disabilities and eliminate the need for a government program to monitor special wage certificate holders. Thank you.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you send an email, please use the subject line “Please Include the TCIEA in the WIOA Reauthorization” and copy Justin Young at <a href="mailto:jyoung@nfb.org">jyoung@nfb.org</a>. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Congress is working diligently to move the WIOA reauthorization bill as soon as they get back after the Thanksgiving break, so time is of the essence for us to make our voices heard. If you have any questions, please contact me. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you for all that you do,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Justin T. Young, Ed.D</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230 </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>410-659-9314, extension 2210 | <a href="mailto:jyoung@nfb.org"><span style='color:blue'>jyoung@nfb.org</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://nfb.org/"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:blue;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=210 height=76 id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/nfblogo.png" alt="National Federation of the Blind"></span></a><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:blue;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/facebook.png" alt=Facebook></span></a><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:blue;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/twitter.png" alt=Twitter></span></a><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:blue;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/youtube.png" alt=Youtube></span></a><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want. <o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>