[Nfbmd] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] FW: Legislative Alert-Surface Transportation Bill

[Chris Nusbaum]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:17:55 -0600
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] FW: Legislative Alert-Surface Transportation Bill
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org


>
>Fellow Federationists:
>
>I am writing to update you on a potential threat
>to the Randolph-Sheppard program.  Congressman
>LaTourette and Senator Portman of Ohio are
>planning to offer amendments to the House and
>Senate versions of the surface transportation
>bill.  Their amendments would allow states to
>commercialize rest areas on federal highways and
>interstates.  It appears that the Senate is
>going to take the first action early next week
>(March 5-9), considering amendments to the
>Senate surface transportation bill, S.
>1813.  Senator Portman’s amendment is number 1742.
>
>Currently, many blind vendors operate vending
>machines at interstate rest areas throughout the
>country.  If commercialization is allowed, these
>blind vendors stand a great chance of losing
>their livelihoods.  We must educate our members
>of Congress about the impact of commercialization on blind vendors.
>
>I will be updating this issue as information
>becomes available; however, we are asking you to
>take immediate action to defeat this threat to
>the Randolph-Sheppard program.  It is essential
>that we make as many calls as possible on
>Monday, March 5, 2012.  Please see the action
>items listed below, and contact me with any
>questions.  I have included my contact
>information at the end of this message.  Thank
>you all very much in advance for your work on this issue!
>
>Please take the following action items:
>
>§         Call your senators and urge them to
>oppose amendment number 1742 to the surface
>transportation bill, S. 1813.  You can be
>connected to your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121.
>
>§         Call Senator Portman (202-224-3353),
>and urge him to withdraw his amendment number
>1742 to the Senate transportation bill, S. 1813;
>we must tell his office that this would
>negatively impact vendors in the Randolph-Sheppard program.
>
>§         Call Senator Harry Reid
>(202-224-3542), Senate Majority Leader, and urge
>him to refuse to allow Senator Portman’s
>amendment number 1742 to be considered during
>debate on S. 1813 because of the negative impact
>to blind vendors that would result from this amendment.
>
>§         Call Senator Barbara Boxer
>(202-224-3553), Chairman of the Senate Committee
>on the Environment and Public Works, and urge
>her to oppose any amendment to S. 1813 that
>calls for commercialization on federal highways
>and interstates because of the negative impact to blind vendors.
>
>Jesse
>
>
>Jesse Hartle
>Government Programs Specialist
>Phone:  (410) 659-9314, Ext. 2233
>Email:  <mailto:jhartle at nfb.org>jhartle at nfb.org
>



-- 
Chris Nusbaum

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real
problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that exists. If
a blind person has the proper training and opportunity, blindness can
be reduced to a mere physical nuissence." -- Kenneth Jernigan

Visit the I C.A.N. Foundation online at: www.icanfoundation.info for
information on our foundation and how it helps blind and visually
impaired children in MD say "I can!"