[IL-Talk] Federal Legislation Update

[davant1958 at gmail.com]

Hello All,

The application for Washington seminar 2026 is now up on our website. If interested, please fill out the application and return it to our president, president at nfbofillinois.org <mailto:president at nfbofillinois.org> .

As you know, we are in the middle of a government shutdown. Nevertheless, we are still asking  federal legislators to  support our legislative initiatives. It is not only critical that we ask for support but also be sure to call or write to thank those who have signed on as cosponsors.

The following bills have been introduced:

Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCEI)

On July 24, 2025, S. 2438 was introduced in the Senate by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) There are five cosponsors, including three original cosponsors. There are none from Illinois. 

The companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on July 25, as H.R. 4771 by Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA-3) There are three cosponsors including one original cosponsor. There are none from Illinois.  

This bill would eliminate Section 14(C)(3)of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows for the payment of subminimum wages.

The Blind Americans Return to Work Act was introduced on February 10, as H.R. 1175 by Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX-17) and co-led by Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-7). There are 22 cosponsors including three original cosponsors. There are none from Illinois. 

This bill would eliminate the earnings cliff under the Social Security Disability Insurance program.

The Access Technology Affordability act, H.R.  1529

This bill was introduced in the House on February 24, 2025 by Mike Kelly (R‑PA‑).

The bill has 35 cosponsors, including one original sponsor. There are two from Illinois, Rep. Mike Bost (R. IL 12) and Rep. Darin LaHood (R 16). 

Senate 1918 was introduced on May 22 by Senator John Boozman (R. AR).

There are four cosponsors, including one original sponsor. There are none from Illinois. 

This bill would provide a tax credit for blind and low vision people to purchase assistive technology.

The Website and Software application Accessibility Act, H.R. 3417 was introduced on May 14 by Representative Pete Sessions (Texas) and lead cosponsor Representative Steny Hoyer (Maryland).   There are 9 cosponsors, including one original. There are none from Illinois. 

This legislation will eliminate persistent digital accessibility barriers faced by blind and disabled Americans.

Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, (H.R. 5605), This bill was introduced by Representative Jan. Schakowsky (D. IL) on September 26. It would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish nonvisual accessibility standards for

certain devices with digital interfaces, and for other purposes. It has 15 cosponsors, including 12 original cosponsors. There are three from Illinois, Rep. Sean Casten, (D. IL 6), Rep. Mike Quigley, (D. IL. 4), and Rep. Jesus Garcia (D. IL 4). 

CONNECT for Health Act, H.R. 4206. Introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson (D. CA on June 26. The companion bill is S. 1261, which was introduced by Brian Shatz, (D. Hi).  This bill will make permanent the expanded Medicare telehealth coverages that were first introduced in 2020 and have been temporarily extended over the past couple of years, with the most recent extension set to expire on September 30. There are 137 cosponsors in the House including three originals. There are seven  from Illinois.

They are Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson, (D. IL. 1), Rep. Danny Davis, (D. IL. 7), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D. IL. 8), Rep. Jan. Schakowsky, (D. IL. 9), Rep. Brad Schneider, (D. IL. 10), Rep. Bill Foster (D. IL. 11), and Rep. Nikki Vudzinski, (D. IL. 13). 

There are 65 cosponsors in the Senate, Including 59 original. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D. IL) is one of them.

Autonomous Vehicle Accessibility Act .  (H.R. 4419 This bill was introduced by Greg Stanton D. Az) on July 15. The bill would have the Federal government explore ways that blind people could use this important technology. This legislation would also include a provision of nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in licensing for fully autonomous vehicles (SAE Level 4 and 5).  There is 1 cosponsor, none yet from Illinois.

Dustin and I would appreciate it if you would call your representative and two state senators and ask for support or where applicable thank them for supporting our bills. You can locate your representative by going to congress.gov and putting in your nine digit zip code or call 202-225-2131 or reaching out to Dustin or me.

Thank You.