[Fabs] FABS Monthly Meeting Minutes: April 27th

Thu May 15 12:00:00 UTC 2025

Good morning everyone. Here are the minutes from the meeting that was held
on April 27th. I would like to thank our Vice President, Jose, for writing
them as I was absent from this meeting. Please let me know if there are any
questions or concerns, as well as connections. Have a great day.

FABS Monthly Business Meeting Minutes

Date: 04/27/2025

Resources

Florida Affiliate Scholarship:
https://nfbflorida.org/2025-student-scholarship

NFB National Convention: https://nfb.org/convention

6:06 PM Role Call

   -

   Officers:
   -

      President Z’Leah Liburd (not present)
      -

      Vice President Jose Bohorquez
      -

      Treasurer Natalie Williams
      -

      Secretary Elijah Grant (not present)
      -

      Board Member 1 Meliora Hatcher (not present)
      -

      Board Member 2 Romario Blake
      -

      Board Member 3 Niklas Ham (not present)
      -

      A quorum was not established.
      -

   Other Participants
   -

      Christian Leath
      -

      Dominick Martinez
      -

      Tangi Yonce

6:09 PM Pledge

Jose recited the pledge.

6:09 PM One Minute Message

The one-minute message was skipped.

6:10 PM Moment of Silence

A moment of silence was held for the victims of the Florida State
University shooting.

6:11 PM Agenda Review

The agenda was reviewed.

6:12 PM Icebreaker Question

The participants were asked to name their favorite summer activity.

6:20 PM Treasurers Report

For the month of March, the starting balance was $1229.55.

   -

   Expenses $20
   -

      Affiliate Pledge $20
      -

   Deposits $24.41
   -

      Trivia Night Fundraiser $14.41
      -

      Donations $10

For the month of March, the ending balance was $1233.96.

The treasurers report will be motioned at the next closed board meeting.

6:25 PM Secretary’s report

The report was emailed. A motion will take place at the next closed board
meeting.

6:25 PM Committee Reports

Membership Committee: Finished march madness project; flyer is done; will
start promoting affiliate scholarship.

Fundraising Committee: Trivia fundraiser was held that raised $40; the vice
president won the game; a gaming fundraiser is being setup with more info
to follow.

6:30 PM Affiliate Announcements

   -

   Open Planning Convention Meeting
   -

      Occurs every first Sunday of the month.
      -

      Great opportunity to have an active role in planning the convention.
      -

      All ideas welcomed.
      -

      Meetings will occur via zoom.

6:32 PM Affiliate Scholarship Announcement

   -

   Recipients will receive their scholarships at the state convention
   scheduled for the weekend of October 3rd to October 5th at Hilton Altamonte
   Springs.
   -

   Travel to and from convention, hotel room,, and a daily stipend will be
   covered by the affiliate for the scholarship recipients.
   -

   Qualified high school seniors and college students must complete the
   scholarship application form in MS word format, write a 500-word essay,
   provide two letters of recommendation, and submit academic transcripts.
   -

   All documentation must be returned to the scholarship committee chair,
   Kaye Baker at scholarships at nfbflorida.org.
   -

   Four scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $1500; two blind and
   two deaf blind scholarships.
   -

   Deadline: September 1st at 11:59 PM
   -

   For more information and to ask questions, contact the scholarship
   chair, Kaye Baker,  at scholarships at nfbflorida.org or by telephone at
   (904) 832-2884.
   -

   The application can be found at
   https://nfbflorida.org/2025-student-scholarship

6:34 PM Legislative Alerts

   -

   Reminder: Contact the Attorney General and Florida Governor regarding
   Section 504 Lawsuit
   -

      The lawsuit is still ongoing, and a hearing will occur very soon.
      -

   Reminder: Senate Bill 1050 and house bill 1103: Consolidating Blind
   Agencies into one Agency for People with Disabilities
   -

      This bill is still active on both houses until the end of the session
      in May.
      -

      This bill will consolidate all disability services into the Agency
      for Persons with Disabilities (APD).
      -

      The National Federation of the Blind is firmly opposed to any
      consolidation of blind services into one general disability
services agency.
      -

      The Florida house removed DBS and voc rehab from the bill’s language.
      Later, the Florida senate also removed DBS and voc rehab from
their version
      of the bill.
      -

   SB 676: Minimum Wage Requirements
   -

      A new bill, SB 676, has been introduced in the Florida Senate.
      -

      The bill would allow employees to “volunteer” to be paid less than
      Florida’s current minimum wage.
      -

      This would undermine the minimum wage increases approved by Florida
      voters in 2020.
      -

      Current and Future Wage Increases:
      -

      Current minimum wage in Florida: $13/hour.
      -

      Scheduled increase to $14/hour on October 1, 2025.
      -

      Scheduled increase to $15/hour on October 1, 2026, followed by
      regular adjustments per Florida Statute.
      -

      SB 676 would reclassify certain jobs (e.g., internships) to exempt
      them from minimum wage laws.
      -

      The bill may violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which sets
      federal worker protections.
      -

      Contact your Florida senator to demonstrate our opposition to this
      bill.
      -

      For a template and more info, refer to previous emails sent by the
      affiliate board.
      -

   Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1529)
   -

      The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the FY25 Concurrent
      Budget Resolution.
      -

      This sets the stage for a comprehensive tax bill as part of the
      reconciliation process.
      -

      The Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1529) can be included
      in the comprehensive tax bill.
      -

      This is a prime opportunity to get the bill enacted into law.
      -

      There are currently eighteen current cosponsors: 10 Democrats, 8
      Republicans.
      -

      More bipartisan cosponsors, especially Republicans, are needed due to
      GOP majorities in both chambers.
      -

      A recent Mathematica report estimates the ATAA would save the federal
      government $315 million over 5 years.
      -

      Savings would come from increased employment among blind Americans
      and reduced reliance on government benefits.
      -

      Urgent action is required as Congress could finalize the tax bill
      very soon.
      -

      We must contact our Representatives and ask them to cosponsor H.R.
      1529.
      -

      For more information, including a template, can be found in a
      previously sent email from our national office.
      -

   Affiliate Legislative Announcement
   -

   The Florida affiliate is attempting to secure meetings with several
   senators.
   -

   These are mostly senators that were recently elected: Jimmy Patroniss,
   and Randy Fine
   -

   The affiliate is looking at the week of May 12th.
   -

   It is important that we all attend these meetings if possible. The more
   people in the zoom room, the better our presence will be.

6:53 PM Convention Reminders

   -

   State Convention
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      Dates: October 3rd – October 5th
      -

      Location: Hilton Altamonte Springs, 350 Northlake Blvd, Altamonte
      Springs, FL 32701
      -

      Information regarding room reservations, virtual options,
      transportation options, convention activities, and more will be
released as
      we get closer.
      -

      to the convention Date. Stay tuned for more details.
      -

   National Convention
   -

      Registration is $25 and banquet is $80.
      -

      Dates: July 8th to July 13th
      -

      Visit nfb.org/convention for more details.

6:57 PM Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:57 PM.

Elijah Grant
Secretary - Florida Association of Blind Students
Treasurer - Greater Broward Chapter, National Federation of the Blind of
Florida
Associate of Arts in Information Technology Candidate - Broward College
Click here to email the Florida Association of Blind Students.
<students at nfbflorida.org>
Learn more about FABS
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"We know that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or our
future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low
expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. Our
collective power, determination, and diversity achieve the aspirations of
all blind people."
-National Federation of the Blind Belief Statement