[NFBC-SFV] Fwd: Chapter Presidents, Oppose AB 1705 - talking points the Bus and Prof Comm contact info

Thu Apr 20 11:42:58 UTC 2017

Robert Stigile 
818-381-9568

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Shannon Dillon <shannonldillon at gmail.com>
> Date: April 19, 2017 at 10:51:40 PM PDT
> To: shannonldillon at gmail.com
> Subject: Re: Chapter Presidents, Oppose AB 1705 - talking points the Bus and Prof Comm contact info
> 
> Good evening chapter presidents,
> 
> Please share the following talking points and Business and Professions
> Committee contact information with your chapter members and others you
> think would be interested.
> 
> Please send emails and letters, and/or make calls  on April 20 and 21.
> to the committee members and Elissa Silva, the Consultant for the Committee. .
> 
> The contact information and talking points are below.  I will also
> send a sample letter that can be personalized.
> 
> Overview:
> Assembly Business and Professions Committee will hear AB 1705 on April
> 25.    The bill extends the life of the Guide dog board of California
> until January 1, 2022. We are opposing its extension and working for
> its repeal.
> 
> Committee Chair
> Assembly Business and Professions Committee
> Evan Low Dem Cupertino RM 4126
> (916)-319-2028
> Assemblymember.low at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Action Needed:
> *Write to the Committee Chair and each committee member below.  But
> particularly make sure to get a letter or email to the committee
> chair, Evan Low.
> *Call the Committee, phone: 916.319.3301 and share talking points with
> the person who answers.
> *Send emails to Elissa.Silva at asm.ca.gov. Elissa is the Consultant for
> the Assembly Business and Professions Committee.
> *Plan to attend the April 25 hearing.  Room 4202 at 9:00 am.   Contact
> Shannon Dillon at 415-218-5862 for more information or if you will
> attend the hearing on April 25.
> *Please feel free to share your email or letter with Shannon Dillon at
> shannonldillon at gmail.com.
> 
> Talking Points:
> 
> The California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind is a regulatory
> body created by the Legislature in 1947. It was established at a time
> when guidance and regulation of guide dog school programs in the State
> of California was deemed necessary. The Board states that public
> protection is the Board’s highest priority.
> 
> But the Board has fought against consumers who tried to make changes
> that would help guide dog users.
> 
> In 2016, consumers/guide dog handlers authored a Bill, Senate
> Bill1331,   to allow out-of-state guide dog schools to provide follow
> up services, an important consumer need.  Before SB 1331, the board
> was denying California residents access to the follow-up services
> provided by out-of-state schools which were not licensed by the Board.
> Denying follow-up services endangered guide dog teams. It also limited
> the choice of guide dog schools available to consumers living in
> California. Rather than choosing a school that met their needs and
> goals, guide dog users would have to choose a school that could
> provide follow-up services in California.
> 
> The Board opposed this bill, and yet Senate Bill 1331 was passed
> unanimously in both Houses, and was signed by the Governor.
> 
> Senate Bill 1331 also required the Board to post a Fact Sheet on its
> web site describing the purpose of the Board. Why did it take a Senate
> Bill to require the Board to post a simple Fact Sheet to explain the
> purpose?
> 
> Today, the majority of guide dog schools are members of the
> International Guide Dog Federation, (I.G.D.F.), which accredits guide
> dog school programs and monitors programs in the United States and
> internationally. The Board used I.G.D.F. standards as a guide for
> their own best practices.
> 
> No other state has a board, and yet there is no evidence that
> out-of-state schools perform significantly worse with respect to their
> instruction than California schools. Schools self-regulate in an
> appropriate manner through the IGDF. The board has out-lived its
> usefulness, and the three schools in this state do not need to be
> regulated to provide high quality instruction.  Further, schools from
> out of state should not have to have a license to provide guide dogs
> and guide dog instruction to guide dog users in California.  Guide dog
> users should choose schools that meet their needs and goals.  They
> should not have to worry about whether a school is licensed by the
> Board.
> 
> Eliminating the Guide Dog Board is the right decision for guide dog
> handlers and for all involved.
> 
> We urge you to vote NO on AB 1705.
> 
> Committee Contact Info:
> Assembly Business and Professions Committee
> 1020 N. Street
> Sacramento, CA 95814
> Evan Low Dem Cupertino RM 4126
> (916)-319-2028
> Assemblymember.low at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> To phone the committee, call 916.319.3301. To write other members,
> address letters to the room number given with each name, State
> Capitol, Sacramento, 95814.  You may also call the member phone
> numbers given below.
> 
> William P. Brough, Vice Chair Rep San Juan Capistrano Rm 3141
> Phone (916)-319-2073
> assemblymember.brough at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Dr. Joaquin Arambula Dem Fresno RM 5155
> (916) 319-2031
> Assemblymember.arambula at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Catharine B. Baker Rep San Ramon RM 2131
> (916) 319-201
> assemblymember.Baker at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Richard Bloom Dem Santa Monica Rm 2003
> (916) 319-2050
> assemblymember.Bloom at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> David Chu Dem San Francisco RM 4112
> (916) 319-2017
> Assemblymember.chiu at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Jordan Cunningham Rep San Luis Obispo Rm 4102
> (916) 319-2035
> Assemblymember.cunningham at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Brian Dahle Rep Redding Rm4098
> (916) 319-2001
> assemblymember.dahle at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Susan Talamantes Eggman Dem Stockton RM 4118
> (916) 319-2013
> assemblymember.eggman at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Mike A. Gipson Dem Gardena (RM 3173
> 916) 319-2064
> Assemblymember.gipson at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> 
> Timothy S. Grayson Dem Concord Rm 4164
> (916) 319-2014
> Assemblymember.grayson at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Chris R. Holden Dem Pasadena RM 5136
> (916)- 319-2041
> assemblymember.holden at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Kevin Mullen Dem San Mateo RM 3160
> (916) 319-2022
> assemblymember.mullin at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Marc Steinorth Rep Rancho Cucamonga, RM 5128
> (916)-319-2040
> Assemblymember.steinorth at assembly.ca.gov
> 
> Philip Y. Ting Dem San Francisco RM 6026
> (916) 319-2019
> assemblymember.ting at assembly.ca.gov
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