[NationalHarbor] Congratulations to Us Again! Accessible Prescription Labels - SB 940

Sat Apr 8 14:47:17 UTC 2023

Yes. Sometimes they don't give us much notice but there should be a
ceremony.

*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. Everyday 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.

On Fri, Apr 7, 2023 at 7:01 PM Janice Samuel via NationalHarbor <
nationalharbor at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Will there be a Signing Ceremony that we can attend?
>
> Janice
>
> On Fri, Apr 7, 2023, 6:55 PM Janice Samuel <jlwsamuel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Yay!!
>>
>> On Fri, Apr 7, 2023, 10:40 AM Maryland President via NationalHarbor <
>> nationalharbor at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Friends,
>>> Just a moment ago, SB 940, the Senate cross-file of HB 456 was passed by
>>> the
>>> Maryland House of Delegates.  So it's official - we have now gotten both
>>> our
>>> bills on making accessible prescriptions available adopted by the General
>>> Assembly, and we just await Governor Moore's signature.  They are
>>> identical
>>> bills, but it's a true victory to have both bills passed unanimously by
>>> both
>>> chambers.
>>>
>>> Well done, us!  This is what collective action looks like!
>>>
>>> Ronza Othman, President
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>> 443-426-4110
>>> Pronouns: she, her, hers
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Maryland President <president at nfbmd.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2023 2:11 PM
>>> To: 'nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org' <nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> nfbmd at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmd at nfbnet.org>; 'greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org'
>>> <greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org>; 'nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'md-atlarge at nfbnet.org'
>>> <md-atlarge at nfbnet.org>; 'md-sligo at nfbnet.org' <md-sligo at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'nationalharbor at nfbnet.org' <nationalharbor at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> mabm at nfbnet.org'
>>> <mabm at nfbnet.org>; 'mdabs at nfbnet.org' <mdabs at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'mdpobc at nfbnet.org' <mdpobc at nfbnet.org>; 'NFB of Maryland, Baltimore
>>> County
>>> List' <md-baltimore-county at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: Congratulations to Us! Accessible Prescription Labels - HB 456
>>>
>>> Federation Family,
>>> Congratulations!  Just moments ago, the Maryland Senate passed HB 456,
>>> Accessible Prescription Labels for Blind, Visually Impaired, and Print
>>> Disabled Individuals.  This bill now just awaits Governor Moore's
>>> signature.
>>> Under this bill, the Maryland Board of Pharmacies must promulgate
>>> regulations that will go into effect no later than January 1, 2025, to
>>> require that Maryland pharmacies provide prescription labels, bag tags,
>>> and
>>> guides in accessible format for those who are blind, low vision, or
>>> otherwise print disabled.  Pharmacies must also have information readily
>>> available and accessible so that patients know accessible labeling is
>>> available.  The accessible prescription labels, bag tags, and guides
>>> must be
>>> made available at no additional cost to the patient and in the same
>>> timeframe as prescriptions with standard labels.  The Board of Pharmacy
>>> must
>>> work with the blind community when promulgating these regulations.
>>> Finally,
>>> the Maryland Department of Health must conduct an analysis by December 1,
>>> 2023, to determine if there are ways to help off-set the cost of the
>>> labels
>>> and labeling technology for certain types of pharmacies.
>>>
>>>
>>> In a nutshell, as of January 1, 2025, any of us in Maryland should be
>>> able
>>> to walk into our local pharmacy or call in a prescription, tell them we
>>> want
>>> accessible labels in Braille or large print or audio, and get those
>>> prescriptions with the label type of our choice, at no extra cost to us,
>>> in
>>> the same timeframe as any other patient.
>>>
>>> I would urge those who can to send an email to our sponsor, Delegate
>>> Michele
>>> Guyton - Michele.Guyton at house.state.md.us - to thank her and her staff
>>> for
>>> their extraordinary work on this bill.
>>>
>>> Also, thank you to each of you who testified, attended a hearing, wrote a
>>> letter, made a phone call, or worked to see this bill move from idea to
>>> law.
>>> Special thanks to our brilliant Director of Legislation and Advocacy,
>>> Sharon
>>> Maneki, for all of her hard work.  I had a front-row seat for the
>>> literally
>>> dozens of meetings, in person visits, and conversations with everyone
>>> from
>>> the legislature to the Governor's Office to the Pharmacists Association
>>> to
>>> the Maryland Retailers Association to the Maryland Hospital Association
>>> and
>>> so on for this bill, and Sharon, per usual, handled them masterfully.
>>>
>>> Relatedly, SB 940 just, again, moments ago, received a favorable report
>>> from
>>> the House Health and Government Operations Committee and should be on the
>>> House floor for second reader this afternoon or tomorrow morning.  Even
>>> though HB 456 has already passed both houses, it's always wonderful to
>>> also
>>> get the cross-file across the finish line too.
>>>
>>> More to come on SB 940!
>>>
>>> Yours,
>>> Ronza
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ronza Othman, President
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>> 443-426-4110
>>> Pronouns: she, her, hers
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Maryland President <president at nfbmd.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 8:47 PM
>>> To: 'nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org' <nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> nfbmd at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmd at nfbnet.org>; 'greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org'
>>> <greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org>; 'nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'md-atlarge at nfbnet.org'
>>> <md-atlarge at nfbnet.org>; 'md-sligo at nfbnet.org' <md-sligo at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'nationalharbor at nfbnet.org' <nationalharbor at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> mabm at nfbnet.org'
>>> <mabm at nfbnet.org>; 'mdabs at nfbnet.org' <mdabs at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'mdpobc at nfbnet.org' <mdpobc at nfbnet.org>; 'NFB of Maryland, Baltimore
>>> County
>>> List' <md-baltimore-county at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: RE: Update: Accessible Prescription Labels - HB 456 and SB 940
>>>
>>> Hi Everyone,
>>> Here's an update on our Accessible Prescription Labels legislation.
>>>
>>> SB 940 was moved out of the House Rules Committee this morning and is
>>> before
>>> the House Health and Government Operations Committee.  They have a voting
>>> session tomorrow and Friday, so we're hopeful it'll get out on time to
>>> get
>>> to the House floor before Monday.  I've been speaking with the Chair of
>>> HGO,
>>> and she's committed to do what she can to get it out.
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, HB 456, the House Companion, has come before the Senate
>>> earlier
>>> this week for what is called second reader, and we're just waiting on the
>>> Senate to vote on third reader.  We thought that would happen today, but
>>> the
>>> Senate adjourned early for Passover.  So tomorrow's a great day to
>>> listen to
>>> the Senate Stream because once HB 456 is passed by the Senate, we just
>>> need
>>> Governor Moore's signature for it to become law.
>>>
>>> So if you want to listen to the Senate stream tomorrow (Thursday) to see
>>> our
>>> bills hopefully get final passage both for HB 456 and for SB 535, go to:
>>> https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/
>>>
>>> The Senate is scheduled to convene at 10AM, but they nearly always start
>>> late.  Just keep refreshing the browser until the link changes from
>>> "adjourned" to "convened" and then select "play" on the browser.  The
>>> page
>>> will automatically update as bills are heard and voted on.
>>>
>>>
>>> Ronza Othman, President
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>> 443-426-4110
>>> Pronouns: she, her, hers
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Maryland President <president at nfbmd.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, April 1, 2023 8:57 AM
>>> To: 'nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org' <nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> nfbmd at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmd at nfbnet.org>; 'greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org'
>>> <greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org>; 'nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'md-atlarge at nfbnet.org'
>>> <md-atlarge at nfbnet.org>; 'md-sligo at nfbnet.org' <md-sligo at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'nationalharbor at nfbnet.org' <nationalharbor at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> mabm at nfbnet.org'
>>> <mabm at nfbnet.org>; 'mdabs at nfbnet.org' <mdabs at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'mdpobc at nfbnet.org' <mdpobc at nfbnet.org>; 'NFB of Maryland, Baltimore
>>> County
>>> List' <md-baltimore-county at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: RE: Update: Accessible Prescription Labels - HB 456 and SB 940
>>>
>>> Hi Everyone,
>>> The Senate passed out SB 940 earlier this week, and it is now at the
>>> House
>>> Rules and Executive Nominations Committee waiting to be assigned to the
>>> House and Government Operations Committee.  Everything that gets passed
>>> past
>>> a certain date goes to Rules first and the relevant committee with
>>> jurisdiction has to pull it into their committee.  Stay tuned, as if the
>>> bill does not get assigned to HGO early next week, we'll need your
>>> collective action.  The current legislative session ends in 10 calendar
>>> days.
>>>
>>> HB 456 is in the Senate Finance Committee and is scheduled for a vote on
>>> Monday.  We'll keep you posted on our progress.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ronza Othman, President
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>> 443-426-4110
>>> Pronouns: she, her, hers
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Maryland President <president at nfbmd.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2023 7:10 AM
>>> To: 'nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org' <nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> nfbmd at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmd at nfbnet.org>; 'greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org'
>>> <greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org>; 'nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org'
>>> <central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org>; 'md-atlarge at nfbnet.org'
>>> <md-atlarge at nfbnet.org>; 'md-sligo at nfbnet.org' <md-sligo at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'nationalharbor at nfbnet.org' <nationalharbor at nfbnet.org>; '
>>> mabm at nfbnet.org'
>>> <mabm at nfbnet.org>; 'mdabs at nfbnet.org' <mdabs at nfbnet.org>;
>>> 'mdpobc at nfbnet.org' <mdpobc at nfbnet.org>; 'NFB of Maryland, Baltimore
>>> County
>>> List' <md-baltimore-county at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: Update: Accessible Prescription Labels - HB 456 and SB 940
>>>
>>> Hi All,
>>> Congratulations!  On Saturday, the Maryland House passed HB 456,
>>> Accessible
>>> Prescription Labels for Blind, Visually Impaired, and Print Disabled
>>> Patients.  This bill was sponsored by our good friend and advocate,
>>> Delegate
>>> Michele Guyton.
>>>
>>> It moved to the Senate on Monday and we are very hopeful about it's
>>> chances.
>>>
>>>
>>> We had our hearing in the Senate on the cross-file of HB 456, which is SB
>>> 940 this past Tuesday.  Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee issued a
>>> favorable report on SB 940, and it'll come to the full Senate for two
>>> rounds
>>> of vote starting this morning.
>>>
>>> What will happen next is that either the Senate will vote on whether to
>>> adopt the House bill, or provided the Senate bill passes out of the
>>> Senate,
>>> the House will vote whether or not to adopt the Senate bill.  One chamber
>>> needs to adopt the other's by April 10 when the 2023 legislative session
>>> ends.
>>>
>>> Stay tuned, but for now, we celebrate!
>>>
>>>
>>> Ronza Othman, President
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>> 443-426-4110
>>> Pronouns: she, her, hers
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: president at nfbmd.org <president at nfbmd.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 7:28 PM
>>> To: nfb-maryland at nfbnet.org; nfbmd at nfbnet.org;
>>> greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org;
>>> nfbmdtlc-chapter at nfbnet.org; central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org;
>>> md-atlarge at nfbnet.org; md-sligo at nfbnet.org; nationalharbor at nfbnet.org;
>>> mabm at nfbnet.org; mdabs at nfbnet.org; mdpobc at nfbnet.org; NFB of Maryland,
>>> Baltimore County List <md-baltimore-county at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: Progress on Guide Dog Bill
>>>
>>> Hi everyone, we have some significant progress on our guide dog
>>> protection
>>> in housing legislation. The Senate Judicial  Proceedings Committee has
>>> voted
>>> the bill out of the committee with a favorable report. That means in the
>>> next few days, the bill will be considered by the full Maryland senate.
>>> The
>>> Senate will have two opportunities to consider the bill and debate it.
>>> If,
>>> on the second review, they vote to adopt it, it will then move over to
>>> the
>>> House of Delegates for their consideration. We will keep you posted as
>>> things progress, and hopefully things will move quickly now
>>>
>>> Ronza Othman, President
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>> 443-426-4110
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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