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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi Friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Here’s a quick update on the status of our legislative priorities for the 2025 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The General Assembly adjourned on Monday, and we have had a lot of success this year. We still have work to do in some areas of course, and we’ve already begun our efforts here.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Blind Home-Owners Property Tax Credit<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Both the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate passed the Blind Home Owners’ Property Tax Credit bill (SB-0911 / HB-0910). We are waiting to hear the date the Governor will sign the law, and we’ll be bringing a contingent to Annapolis for the bill signing. Congratulations – due to your collective activism, the blind home owner property tax credit will rise from $15,000 to $40,000. Special thanks go to Ben Danforth who brought this as a resolution to our Convention in 2023.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Maryland Service Animal Program<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Both the House and Senate passed the bill that establishes the first ever grant program to train service animals, including guide dogs, in Maryland. We’ll keep you posted on when the bill signing date will be when Governor Moore will officially enact the legislation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Braille and Tactile Flag Legislation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Both the House and Senate passed the Braille and Tactile Flag legislation that will require each state-run veteran cemetery to have a tactile or Braille flag displayed. We’ll let you know when the bill is scheduled for signing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>MTA Medical Recertification Bill<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Both the House and Senate passed the bill that takes away the requirement to provide new medical information when recertifying with MTA for those with permanent disabilities. We’ll let you know when the bill signing is going to be.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Autonomous Vehicle Legislation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Unfortunately, we did not get the autonomous vehicle legislation we were supporting out of committee. Our coalition of organizations is already working on moving this forward in the 2026 session. Stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Accessible Paperless Ballot return<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The status of this matter is a bit unclear. Though we got the legislation out of the Senate, the House did not take it up. However, we also got the language in the Senate version of the budget bill. We don’t yet know if it made it through to the final budget bill that the General Assembly adopted, as I haven’t had a chance to comb through the entire budget yet. I’ll share information when I learn what happened.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Delivery Services Fees<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We were successful in advocating for removal of delivery service fees in the 2026 budget bill. Doubtless we’ll see this tax again.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Other Matters<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We also testified – in writing or orally – on roughly 250 bills this session. For the most-part, the General Assembly did what we were hoping it’d do on these bills. It is important to get new legislation passed that ensures our rights are protected and our participation in society preserved. However, it’s more important to defeat bad laws that would curtail our rights or access. We were successful in both areas this year.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you all for all of your work – it takes each of us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Regards,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ronza<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ronza Othman, </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>President</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>443-426-4110<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pronouns: she, her, hers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>