[Nfb-idaho] We still have time according to this information. Please act now if you haven't already.FW: Call To Action on HR 620

[Dana Ard]

From: Beth Cunningham [mailto:bcunningham at icbvi.idaho.gov] 
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 8:46 AM
To: Dana Ard; Dana Gover (dananwadacenteridaho at gmail.com)
Subject: FW: Call To Action on HR 620

 

 

 

From: Rita Martin [mailto:Rmartin at Rehabnetwork.org] 
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 8:42 AM
To: RehabNet
Subject: Call To Action on HR 620

 

State Directors,

 

This is your final opportunity to weigh in on HR 620 which is scheduled to
be voted on this afternoon.  There is still time to advocate against it's
passage if you have not already done. To  those who have spoken out already,
thank you for your support and your efforts to oppose HR 620.

 

 

From: Rose Martin <rmartin at rehabnetwork.org>
Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 10:17 AM
To: rehabnet <rehabnet at rehabnetwork.org>
Subject: Call To Action on HR 620

 

State Directors,

 

I am talking the liberty of sending you a modified message that I received
from a Hill staffer this morning in an effort to keep up our strong advocacy
against the passage of HR 620. Thank you to the state director who has
already had an impact and I am sure that there are many others as well.
Also thank you again for your strong support of continued opposition to HR
620. As you can see from the message below, some do feel that we can make a
difference.

 

Rita,

 

As you know, H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act, is on the floor
Thursday morning. My boss plans to vote NO. I did hear from our state
director expressing his concerns. Is your association pushing out VR's
opposition to the bill? I think Republicans care what your members think on
disability matters so it could be helpful.

 

 

From: Rose Martin <rmartin at rehabnetwork.org>
Date: Monday, February 12, 2018 at 8:50 AM
To: rehabnet <rehabnet at rehabnetwork.org>
Subject: Call To Action on HR 620

 

State Directors, 

 

H.R. 620 will be voted on  this week and has enormous support from over 100
Representatives.  All members of the House of Representatives need to hear
there is great opposition to the bill and that it will permanently harm the
civil rights of people with disabilities. CSAVR has sent out several notices
regarding HR 620 already and wish to thank all of you who have already
contacted your Members of Congress asking them to vote no on this
legislation. 

 

If you recall, HR 620 will gut title III of the ADA by removing any
incentive for businesses, organizations and anyone who provides services to
the general public to make their services accessible.

 

If you have not had an opportunity to weigh in with your Members of
Congress, below is the link to an excellent resource from The Disability
Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) with great information and
suggestion for actions. Please share this information with anyone in your
state you believe will advocate with us to stop the passage of HR 620.

 

  https://dredf.org/hr620/  

 

Below please find the timeline we anticipate this week, leading up to a vote
on HR 620 on Thursday:

 

Today - Monday--Most activity in the House will be among leadership,
members, and caucuses. Internal efforts will be made to get members to vote
no.


WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU AND OTHER CONSTITUENTS TO DO : Flood House members'
e-mails, voice mails, offices (in DC and in Districts) with the message that
this bill will eliminate the civil rights of people with disabilities (To
find your Representative, follow this link:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative). The more
contact the better. Throughout the day Members need to hear how this will
negatively affect their constituents and how it will worsen employment,
independent living, and other civil rights for people with disabilities.

Tuesday--The House Rules Committee will meet on Tuesday, to determine the
process for consideration of H.R. 620 on the House floor as well as any
amendments. Some amendments may try to "improve" the bill but we believe the
only way to "improve" a bill that eliminates civil rights is to remove all
of its components. The Rules Committee will ultimately vote on how they will
recommend consideration of H.R. 620 on the House floor, including the amount
of time for debate and how or if amendments will be considered.


Action on Tuesday:  Continue all forms of contact with House members and
their staff. Flood all avenues of communication telling Members to vote "no"
on the bill. 

Wednesday--House leadership on both sides will be counting votes. The rules
for considering H.R. 620 will be on the House floor. Leadership will likely
speak to the rules the Rules Committee has recommended. This will be a time
for opposition to highlight the damage this bill will cause if passed. Staff
should hear frequently that there is enormous opposition to this bill.
Rallies and protests are likely to be taking place in the DC area and if you
have any constituents in the area, all are welcome to join them if possible.
We understand that you  are not in DC, but we are asking you to call, write,
and e-mail your Representatives' offices to voice opposition to H.R. 620.

Thursday--as of today,  H.R. 620 is the only billed scheduled for a vote on
Thursday. The vote will likely be an early afternoon vote. Reps. Hoyer,
Scott, and Langevin will likely speak against the bill on the floor before
the vote.


Action on Thursday -  In the morning and through the vote, communication
should continue non-stop with Member offices. It is also just as important
for District offices to be hearing from people as well as DC offices--both
should be targeted by you, family, friends, constituents and allies. 

If the bill passes movement will shift to the Senate where there is not yet
a companion bill introduced. Hill staff are talking with as many offices as
possible to determine what, if any, action will take place in the Senate,
and we will keep you informed as to that action.

Below please find some suggested talking points in a phone call or email to
your Member of Congress: 

*	H.R. 620 removes the civil rights of all citizens with disabilities;
it causes people with disabilities to wait for their right to access and
services that all citizens have access to immediately. H.R. 620 asks people
with disabilities to wait months, and in some cases, years, to be able to
enter a restaurant, hotel, store, theater, or to shop on-line. This would
never be asked of any other group.
*	If businesses are concerned about bad the bad behavior of lawyers,
focus should be on stopping the bad behavior; not eliminating the rights of
over 50 million Americans with disabilities. 
*	If the civil rights of 50 million Americans can be eliminated, then
the civil rights of other groups can as well. 
*	Vote no on H.R. 620.

Thank you for your efforts to protect the ADA and to block passage of this
bill.

 

We know this is a lot of information but this is so important we wanted to
make sure we are keeping our Members fully informed. If anything changes
related to the timeline given above we will let you know. Again thank you
for your support of this Call to Action.