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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We need folks to attend our bill hearings in Annapolis in person on February 25, March 4, and March 5.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>First, by way of update, we ended up splitting our voting bills into separate bills – so we have one bill (HB1027 / SB0901) that focuses on requiring SBE to implement a telephone voting system for state and Federal elections for absentee voting. The second bill (HB1066 / SB0727) is enabling legislation which would allow municipalities and local governments to use accessible mobile voting (it’s an internet transmitted ballot on a mobile app) for their local elections. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our Autonomous Vehicle bill (HB1295 / SB0909) is the same as last year’s bill.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our bills are scheduled for hearing in the Maryland General Assembly. Both the House and Senate will hear our Telephone Voting bill and our Mobile Voting for Municipal and Local Elections on February 25, 2026 (all four bills). Our Autonomous Vehicle bill will be heard in the Senate on March 4 and in the House on March 5. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We plan to arrive at the General Assembly around 12:30PM all days. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you are able to attend one or more of the Annapolis hearing days, please email <a href="mailto:Annapolis@nfbmd.org">Annapolis@nfbmd.org</a>. If you are in the Baltimore area, particularly if you need transportation, please include Ellen Ringlein at <a href="mailto:germlish77@gmail.com">germlish77@gmail.com</a>. If you are in Montgomery or Prince George’s Counties, particularly if you are seeking transportation, please include Debbie Brown at <a href="mailto:deborahb14@verizon.net">deborahb14@verizon.net</a>. Please let us know by Noon on Sunday, February 22, 2026 if you plan to come.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you can’t make it in person, you are welcome to listen to the stream of the Government, Labor, and Elections (GLE) committee or Energy, Education, and the Environment (EEE) committee on February 25, 2026, the Judicial Proceedings (JPR) Committee on March 4, 2026, and the Environment and Transportation (E&T) Committee on March 5, 2026. You can go to https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/ and find the relevant committee under the section that is called “Live Streams.” Please note this heading is not tagged as a heading, so you’ll have to search for it. Once you click on the committee you want, please find the “play” button, and the stream will begin. Sometimes the committees don’t start right at 1PM, so if the relevant committee isn’t listed in the active live stream list, just keep refreshing the page until it appears.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ronza<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ronza Othman, </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>President</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>443-426-4110<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pronouns: she, her, hers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>