[MD-AtLarge] Urgent: Action Needed Quickly

[nfbmd]

Hello all,

 

Please contact Senators Cardin and Van Hollen and ask them two things:
first, to support Sami's Law (H.R. 4686), and the second to eliminate
harmful provisions in the SAFE Act (S. 4317). Please read John Pare's
message below. Thanks in advance for your help! We can't get the job done
without your calls or emails. 

 

"While we still need to build cosponsor support for the Access Technology
Affordability Act, there are two new issues which need our immediate
attention. Last week, on Wednesday, July 29, the House passed Sami's Law
(H.R. 4686) without objection. This legislation will increase the safety of
ridesharing apps and will ensure that these safety measures are nonvisually
accessible. The National Federation of the Blind has worked closely with the
sponsor of the bill, Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, to make sure
that blind rideshare users will not be excluded from the bill's additional
safety measures. The bill has now been transmitted to the Senate for
consideration, and we need to call or email every member of the Senate and
urge them to pass H.R. 4686, Sami's Law.

 

The second urgent matter is one of the newly proposed COVID-19 relief bills
in the Senate. The SAFE TO WORK Act, S. 4317 contains a section that would
eliminate critical protections established in Titles I and III of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Please contact your senators and
urge them to amend this harmful language out of S. 4317.

 

When you call or email your senators you might say something like:

 

'Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a constituent of [SENATOR NAME]. I
live in [CITY, STATE]. The House recently passed H.R. 4686, Sami's Law. This
bill will make it safer for all people, including blind people, to use
rideshare companies, and I urge you to vote in favor of this legislation
when it is considered in the Senate. Additionally, I would strongly urge you
to propose an amendment to strike Section 181(a)(1)(G) and Section 181(b)
from S. 4317, the SAFE TO WORK Act. The language currently contained in
Section 181 critically weakens the protections for disabled Americans set
forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Please ensure that the
protections of the ADA are maintained by amending this legislation. Thank
you.'

 

It is critical that you contact your two senators on these two pieces of
legislation as soon as possible, as the Senate is scheduled to enter its
traditional August recess starting Friday, August 7. We don't want to miss
the opportunity to get meaningful legislation passed and to prevent harmful
legislation from becoming law. 

 

You can contact your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard and asking
for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. If you email your
senators, please copy Jeff Kaloc at jkaloc at nfb.org <mailto:jkaloc at nfb.org> .
Your calls and emails do make a difference.

 

We recommend you call or email the legislative director in your senator's
office. If you need the name and email of the appropriate staff person for
any Senate or House office, please email Jesa Medders at jmedders at nfb.org
<mailto:jmedders at nfb.org> ."

 

Sharon Maneki, Director of Legislation and Advocacy

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

410-715-9596

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

 

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