[nfbmi-talk] Fw: FOIA Response to Request for Information on BSBP Grant for $900, 000

Tue Oct 21 16:30:10 UTC 2014

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Haynes, Carla (LARA) 
To: joe harcz Comcast (joeharcz at comcast.net) 
Cc: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) ; Luzenski, Sue (LARA) ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Belknap, Katie (LARA) ; Jones, Leamon (LARA) ; Gaston, Diamalyn (LARA) 
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 12:13 PM
Subject: FOIA Response to Request for Information on BSBP Grant for $900,000

October 21, 2014

Mr. Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

E-mail: joeharcz at comcast.net

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI 48458

Re:  FOIA Response to Request for Information on BSBP RSA Grant

Dear Mr. Harcz, Jr.:

This letter is in response to your October 14, 2014, email request for information, received by this office on October 15, 2014.  Please be advised that the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) is processing this request under the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq.

You have requested information that you describe in your email (which is attached) as:

"At the last BSBP Commission meeting Mr. Pemble told the public that BSBP received an additional grant from RSA, of $900,000 for Vocational Rehabilitation purposes.  But, he gave no details.  Thus I am invoking Section 504 and indeed the ADA and requesting a copy of said grant forthwith in my most effective format which is to send it to me, in a timely manner and without surcharge, as either a plain text attachment or plain text enclosure to my e-mail address listed above."

Your request is granted as to existing, nonexempt information in the possession of the Department.  Please find attached to this correspondence the Grant Award Notification from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education.  This document is an accessible PDF file.  If you have any difficulties in reading this file, please let me know.

FOIA Response - P.J. Harcz, Jr.

October 21, 2014

Page 2 of 2

The cost to produce this report is $16.74 (calculated by using $33.48 which is the hourly wage plus fringe benefits of the Department's lowest paid employee capable of processing this request multiplied by the amount of time to process this request which is 1/2 of an hour = $16.74).  As this amount is below the Department threshold of $25.00 for charging costs involved in complying with a FOIA request, this FOIA fee is being waived.

Please note that nothing within the federal American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA), as amended, or the state's FOIA (MCL 15.231 et seq.) requires a public body to process FOIA requests free of charge.  Further, while the ADA and Section 504 of 

the RA may mandate that, upon request, material be produced in an accessible format without charge, neither the ADA or Section 504 of the RA preclude a public body from charging costs under the state's FOIA.  Thusly, please note that no labor fee charges have been, or will be, assessed to convert existing, nonexempt public records responsive to your requests into an accessible format to forward to you.

Sincerely,

Carla Miller Haynes, FOIA Coordinator

Bureau of Services for Blind Persons

Attachment - Grant Award Notification

cc:     Edward F. Rodgers II

          Sue Luzenski

          Mike Pemble

          Katie Belknap

          Leamon Jones

Diamalyn Gaston

From: joe harcz Comcast

Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 3:02:36 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

To: Rodgers, Edward (LARA)

Cc: Luzenski, Sue (LARA); Mike Pemble BSBP Dep. Dir.; Belknap, Katie (LARA); Christyne.Cavataio at ed.gov; Marlene Malloy MCRS Dir.; BRIAN SABOURIN; MARK MCWILLIAMS MPAS; nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org; Gary Gaynor; commissioner-hudson at outlook.com; BSBPcommissioners; Tracy Brown

Subject: bsbp rsa grant info request

October 14 2014 Request Grant Information

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI 48458

joeharcz at comcast.net

810-516-5262

To:

Edward Rodgers Director

Mich. Bureau Services to Blind Persons

Mike Pemble, Deputy Director

(Via E-mail)

Sirs,

At the last BSBP Commission meeting Mr. Pemble told the public that BSBP received an additional grant from RSA, of $900,000 for Vocational Rehabilitation purposes. But, he gave no details. Thus I am invoking Section 504 and indeed the ADA and requesting a copy of said grant forthwith in my most effective format which is to send it to me, in a timely manner and without surcharge, as either a plain text attachment or plain text enclosure to my e-mail address listed above.

I thank you as always for your prompt and accessible response.

(Note: A failure to promptly respond to a request for a reasonable accommodation and for public information in alternate form is a violation of the ADA and Section 504 itself.)

Sincerely,

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

Cc: NFB MI

Cc: BSBP Commission

Cc: MCRS

Cc: CAP/MPAS

Cc: MI SILC

Cc: RSA

Carla Miller Haynes

LARA Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP)

201 N. Washington Square, 2nd Floor

P.O. Box 30652

Lansing, MI  48909

Telephone:  517-373-2063 or Toll-Free 1-800-292-4200

Fax:  517-335-5140

www.michigan.gov/bsbp

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