<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Adelmo Vigil [mailto:avigil74@gmail.com] <br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, March 07, 2017 5:04 PM<br><b>To:</b> Don Burns; Curtis Chong; Tonia Trapp<br><b>Subject:</b> Fwd: ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br>Adelmo Vigil President <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>NFBNM <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br>Begin forwarded message:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b>From:</b> "Trapp, Greg, CFB" <<a href="mailto:Greg.Trapp@state.nm.us">Greg.Trapp@state.nm.us</a>><br><b>Date:</b> March 7, 2017 at 8:09:51 AM MST<br><b>To:</b> Adelmo Vigil <<a href="mailto:avigil74@gmail.com">avigil74@gmail.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>FW: ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities</b><o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Ellen Pinnes [<a href="mailto:epinnes@aol.com">mailto:epinnes@aol.com</a>] <br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, March 06, 2017 6:49 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:epinnes@msn.com">epinnes@msn.com</a><br><b>Subject:</b> ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>This message is from Ellen Pinnes for Disability Rights New Mexico. <b>Please do not respond to this email address. Messages for Ellen should be sent to <a href="mailto:EPinnes@msn.com">EPinnes@msn.com</a></b></span></i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>ACTION ALERT</span></b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Phase Out Sub-Minimum Wages for Employees with Disabilities</span></b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Support HB 327 and HM 93</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>This Wednesday morning, the House Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to vote on a bill and a memorial, sponsored by Rep. Joanne Ferrary, that would phase out the state law that allows for paying less than the minimum wage to employees with disabilities. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Federal law allows some employees to be paid sub-minimum wages, but the state has the authority to override that and require at least the minimum wage for all employees. HB 327 would repeal the state law that currently allows sub-minimum wages. An amendment will be added to delay the repeal for three years, to allow plenty of time to plan for the transition. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>The companion memorial, HM 93, calls on the state Developmental Disabilities Planning Council to bring together a diverse group to recommend ways to facilitate the transition to requiring at least minimum wage for all employees with disabilities. The task force can also determine whether there are any employees with disabilities who should be exempted from a minimum wage requirement; if so, the group could recommend such an exemption to the Legislature. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Disability Rights New Mexico (DRNM) believes that the disability field is moving in this direction at the state as well as the federal level. In fact, there are only three agencies left in the entire state that still pay less than the minimum wage to any of their employees. DRNM supports the bill and the memorial because people with disabilities have the right to earn at least the minimum wage for the work they provide for their employers. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>If this issue is important to you, please contact members of the Health and Human Services Committee before Wednesday morning and ask them to support HB 327 and HM 93</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>:</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Member</span></u><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <u>Office Phone</u> <u>Email</u></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. Deborah Armstrong, Chair 986-4840 <a href="mailto:deborah.armstrong@nmlegis.gov">deborah.armstrong@nmlegis.gov</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. Liz Thomson, Vice-Chair 986-4249 <a href="mailto:liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov">liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. Gail Armstrong 986-4467 <a href="mailto:gail@gailfornewmexico.com">gail@gailfornewmexico.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. Gail Chasey 986-4411 <a href="mailto:gail@gailchasey.com">gail@gailchasey.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. Rebecca Dow 986-4453 <a href="mailto:rebecca.dow@nmlegis.gov">rebecca.dow@nmlegis.gov</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. Joanne Ferrary 986-4336 <a href="mailto:joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov">joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Rep. James Townsend 986-4450 <a href="mailto:townsend@pvtn.net">townsend@pvtn.net</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Thanks for making the voice of the disability community heard!</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></blockquote></div></body></html>