[Nfbf-l] Legislative Alert

Thu Jun 29 13:55:22 UTC 2017

Thanks Jeanette, Marion and Merry for being a great team and taking the time to meet in district developing relationship with the staff. I love how Jeannette took the initiative to share about this meeting and encourage our Florida federationists to follow up, too. Let's continue to move our legislation! Go Florida! 

Sincerely, Denise Valkema, President NFBF 

> On Jun 29, 2017, at 8:51 AM, Jeanette via Nfbf-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Dear Fellow Florida Federationists,
> 
>               On Wednesday, June 21, Merry Schoch, Marion Gwizdala, and I
> met with Senator Bill Nelson’s Regional Director for Hillsborough County,
> Digna Alvarez, and a senate intern at Senator Nelson’s Tampa office. 
> Because Senator Bill Nelson is Senior member of the Committee on Finance We
> first educated her on the Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017, S.
> 732 and its house version H. 1734 . She looked at the bill and saw it had
> bipartisan support. We asked that Senator Nelson sign on as a co-sponsor of
> the bill.
> 
> We then shared information about the Transitioning to Integrated Meaningful
> Employment (TIME) Act ((H.R. 1377), including a bit of its history, how it
> affects employees with disabilities, and the many disability groups that
> support it. We advised her there was not yet a senate version of the house
> bill and asked that Senator Nelson consider sponsoring such a bill. 
> 
> We also discussed the Accessible Instructional Material in Higher Education
> Act AIM HIGH - H.R. 1772 ), asking he consider sponsoring this measure, as
> well. We also asked that he support ratification of The Marrakesh Treaty to
> Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually
> Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. 
> 
> Then told her about our opposition to the ADA Education and Reform Act (H.R.
> 620), asking the senator to oppose this bill should it come to the senate.
> We gave her current, real-life examples of how this bill would dramatically
> weaken our civil rights and she seemed to agree it was problematic. 
> 
> We need for all of you to follow-up with Senator Nelson’s office to let him
> know we are unified on these issues and demonstrate the strength of the NFB
> of Florida. Below is more information from our national office about these
> measures. Please contact Senator Nelson’s office this week to voice your
> support of our Initiatives. You can reach Senator Nelson at the following
> telephone numbers and email addresses:
> 
> Senator Bill Nelson 
> United States Senator
> Florida
> Taleen Mekhdjavakian
> Legislative Correspondent
> 716 Hart Senate Office Building
> Washington, D.C., 20510
> Phone: (202) 224-5274
> http://billnelson.senate.gov
> taleen_mekhdjavakian at billnelson.senate.gov
> <mailto:taleen_mekhdjavakian at billnelson.senate.gov> 
> 
> Senator Bill Nelson 
> United States Senate
> Digna C. Alvarez, 
> Regional Director for Hillsborough County, 
> Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse
> 801 North Florida Avenue, 
> Tampa, Florida 33602
> Telephone: (813) 225-7040
> Fax: (813) 225-7050
> https://www.billnelson.senate.gov 
> Digna_ Alvarez at billnilson.senate.gov <mailto:Alvarez at billnilson.senate.gov> 
> 
> 
> 
> We must follow up with our legislators through calls and emails, making sure
> that we have not been forgotten. We must meet our members of Congress
> wherever and whenever they appear. We must continue to demand our civil
> rights, the right to access information, the right to pursue our educational
> goals without inaccessible technology holding us back, the right to literacy
> through Braille, and the right to a fair and equal wage. I intend to keep up
> the pressure and I hope you will join me in that effort. 
> Please urge the Senator to oppose H.R. 620, the ADA Education, and Reform
> Act of 2017. H.R. 620, the ADA Education, and Reform Act will be voted on in
> committee (referred to as markup) over the next week or two. If passed, this
> legislation will dramatically weaken the ADA, hindering education,
> employment, and community participation for all people with disabilities.
> The bill prevents people with disabilities from filing a lawsuit regarding
> an ADA violation until the person first notifies the violator. The violator
> then has 60 days to respond and then has another 120 days to remedy the
> problem, for a total delay of 180 days.
>               Does it make sense to wait 180 days for accessible
> instructional material? By then, the class will be over. How about waiting
> 180 days for an accessible job application? By then the job will be filled.
> How about waiting 180 days at the doctor’s office for an accessible check in
> kiosk? Furthermore, this legislation will do nothing to stop so called
> frivolous lawsuits, which will still be valid under state law. Businesses do
> not need more time to comply with the ADA¬they have had twenty-seven years
> already. Here are some brief points: (1) the ADA was enacted in 1990, so
> covered entities have had ample time to learn about and comply with the law;
> (2) the ADA already contains an “undue burden” provision to protect covered
> entities when the costs of making facilities accessible are too high; and
> (3) Title III of the ADA (which applies to public accommodations) does not
> allow monetary damages for noncompliance.
> The National Federation of the Blind has joined with 216 other allied civil
> rights organizations in opposing this bill. You can read our joint letter
> athttps://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/sign-on-letters/comments_on_hr620
> _03162017.pdf. If you want to know how this bill would affect us, consider
> internet access guaranteed under the ADA and our as just one example.
> Please ask your Representatives to cosponsor H.R. 1772, H.R. 1734, and H.R.
> 1377. call your two senators to get them to cosponsor our Senate bill, S.
> 732. The Capitol Switchboard Number is (202) 224-3121 where you can ask for
> the office in question. A short summary of each bill is included below. I
> have also included a list of all the current cosponsors. 
> 
> Bill Summaries
> 
> Accessible Instructional Material in Higher Education Act, H.R. 1772 (AIM
> HIGH)
> This bill will promote instructional technology and content that are
> accessible to the blind and other students with print disabilities. Read the
> AIM HIGH fact sheet to learn more.
> https://nfb.org/aimhighfactsheet
> 
> 
> 
> Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017, H.R. 1734 and S. 732 (ATAA)
> These bills will facilitate the purchase of access technology for blind
> people by creating a refundable, per person tax credit. Read the Access
> Technology Affordability Act of 2017 fact sheet to learn more.
> https://nfb.org/access-technology-affordability-act
> 
> 
> 
> Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act of 2017, H.R. 1377
> (TIME)
> This bill will increase employment opportunities by removing stigmas and low
> expectations propagated by section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
> Note that the bill now phases out subminimum wages over a six-year period
> corresponding to the recommendation of the National Council on Disability.
> Read the TIME Act fact sheet to learn more.
> https://nfb.org/fair-wages
> 
> 
> Current Cosponsors Listed Alphabetically By State
> 
> 
> 
> Accessible Instructional Material in Higher Education Act, H.R. 1772 (AIM
> HIGH) 
> 
> Rep. Roe, David P. [R-TN-1] - Sponsor
> 
> Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large]
> 
> Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-3]
> 
> Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2]
> 
> Rep. Murphy, Stephanie N. [D-FL-7]
> 
> Rep. Hanabusa, Colleen [D-HI-1]
> 
> Rep. Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL-16]
> 
> Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
> 
> Rep. Brooks, Susan W. [R-IN-5]
> 
> Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
> 
> Rep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-5]
> 
> Rep. Harper, Gregg [R-MS-3]
> 
> Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]
> 
> Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21]
> 
> Rep. Price, David E. [D-NC-4]
> 
> Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-5]
> 
> Rep. Gonzalez-Colon, Jenniffer [R-PR-At Large]
> 
> Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5]
> 
> 
> 
> Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017, H.R. 1734 and S. 732 (ATAA) 
> 
> Rep. Young, David [R-IA-3] - Sponsor
> 
> Rep. Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D-CA-40]
> 
> Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12]
> 
> Rep. Hanabusa, Colleen [D-HI-1]
> 
> Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
> 
> Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-16]
> 
> 
> 
> Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act of 2017, H.R. 1377
> (TIME) 
> 
> Rep. Harper, Gregg [R-MS-3] – Sponsor
> 
> Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-42]
> 
> Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]
> 
> Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
> 
> Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
> 
> Rep. Lujan Grisham, Michelle [D-NM-1]
> 
> Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]
> Rep. Gonzalez-Colon, Jenniffer [R-PR-At Large]
> 
> Jeanette Torres
> 
> 
> 
> 
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