[HIABS] Update on H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act

Fri Feb 16 23:00:06 UTC 2018

Aloha, my Federation Ohana,

I am sad to tell you that HR 620 was passed through the house by a margin of about 30 votes. We are proud of our support from Hawaii's two congresswomen, though. They stood up for our ADA rights. The bill will now be marked up and moved on to the United States Senate, where we will have to work again to get our two legislators plus as many others as possible from the mainland to oppose the bill there.

In other news, Tulsi Gabbard put out this press release, available below this email, mentioning us and announcing her commitment to co-sponsor the rest of our bills. This means that Hawaii will have 100% co-sponsorship in the House of Representatives for:

  *   The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act
  *   The Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA)
  *   The Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act

We still have more work to do, but we are really making a strong showing so far.

Mahalo nui loa,

Justin

Justin M. Salisbury, MA, NOMC, NCRTB, NCUEB
Legislative Committee Chair
Honolulu Chapter
National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii
Phone: 808.797.8606
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury

"Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore."

Cesar Chavez

From: Koetzle, Patrick [mailto:Patrick.Koetzle at mail.house.gov]
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 10:34 AM
To: jgashel0923 at gmail.com
Cc: Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>; 'Katie Keim' <808keim at gmail.com>; 'Virgil Stinnet' <808virgil at gmail.com>; 'Susan Gashel' <susangashel at gmail.com>
Subject: RE: H.R. 620, response to your inquiry

Aloha,

Wanted to share our press release with you and thank you for everything you do. If you ever need anything, please reach out.

Mahalo,

Patrick

[cid:image001.jpg at 01D3A672.5673F980]
For Immediate Release
February 15, 2018

Media Contact:
Emily Latimer, (202) 604-2330

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes Against Bill that Undermines Civil Rights Protections for Americans with Disabilities

Washington, DC-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) today voted against legislation that unravels civil rights protections for millions of individuals with disabilities in Hawai'i and across the country. H.R. 620<https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/620?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22620%22%7D&r=5> undermines the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by placing burdensome requirements on individuals with disabilities, making it more difficult for them to access equal rights protections. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 225-192<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll080.xml>.

According to the Hawaii Disability Rights Center<http://www.hawaiidisabilityrights.org/>, 15 percent of Hawai'i residents are disabled - higher than the national average. The National Federation for the Blind of Hawai'i<https://nfb.org/blindness-statistics> also reported that Hawai'i is home to roughly 22,700 people with a visual disability, who would be disproportionately burdened by the hurdles enacted by H.R. 620.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said, "For more than 25 years, the ADA has been instrumental in expanding and protecting fair, equal opportunities for disabled Americans. H.R. 620 unravels this progress, making it easier for employers to skirt around discrimination laws and requiring people with disabilities to jump through hoops for the equal access protections to which they are entitled. I've heard from many community organizations in Hawai'i that shared how this legislation would hurt our more than 210,000 disabled residents. I stand with them in strong opposition to this harmful legislation."

National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii said, "The leaders and members of the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii strongly oppose H. R. 620, the so-called ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Education and Reform Act.  If this bill becomes law, it will diminish the rights of blind people by eroding the foundation of the ADA. Passed with strong bi-partisan support and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, the ADA assures that all Americans with disabilities have the right to live free from exclusion and discrimination in any way in American society.  The ADA ensures that anyone with a disability can enjoy the benefits of living in our free and open state and country alongside all other citizens.  In short, the ADA is the persons with disabilities equality act, which must not be diminished in either its force or effect.  We call upon everyone in Hawai'i and throughout the U. S. to join us in opposing H.R. 620, which is a deceptive attempt to repeal the ADA."

Aloha State Association of the Deaf said, "Aloha State Association of the Deaf strongly opposes this bill because it will affect Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing citizens of Hawai'i."

Special Olympics Hawaii said, "Special Olympics strongly supports legislation that guarantees the rights, full participation, and integration of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). We appreciate the progress that has been made towards eliminating the stigma, stereotypes, isolation, and discrimination that people with intellectual disabilities face - most importantly around access to sport, health, and education. We ask Congress to remain vigilant against any erosion of any provisions that have made a substantial difference in the lives of people with disabilities."

H.R. 620 is opposed by numerous civil rights, disability rights, and other organizations including AARP, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP,  Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, American Association of Justice (AAJ), ACLU, AFSCME, National Disability Rights Network, American Association of People with Disabilities, National Council of Disability, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Easterseals, National Foundation of the Blind, and United Cerebral Palsy.

Background:
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has long called for expanding federal protections against discrimination on the basis of national origin, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, gender, or race. She is a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would add sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity to the list of protected classes under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. H.R. 2282 would expand federal protections to end discrimination in public accommodations, state and local government services, public education, federal financial assistance, employment, housing, credit, and federal jury service.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is also a cosponsor of H.R.1734 and H.R. 1772, which will increase access to technology, education, and employment opportunities for blind individuals, and H.R. 1377, which phases out subminimum wages for workers with disabilities.

Follow Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on social media:

  *   Facebook.com/RepTulsiGabbard<https://www.facebook.com/RepTulsiGabbard>
  *   Twitter.com/TulsiPress<https://twitter.com/tulsipress>
  *   YouTube.com/TulsiPress<https://www.youtube.com/user/tulsipress>
  *   Flickr.com/RepTulsiGabbard<https://www.flickr.com/photos/reptulsigabbard/>
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