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

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Tue Oct 21 23:18:21 UTC 2014


----- Original Message ----- 
From: joe harcz Comcast 
To: Haynes, Carla (LARA) 
Cc: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) ; Luzenski, Sue (LARA) ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Belknap, Katie (LARA) ; Jones, Leamon (LARA) ; Gaston, Diamalyn (LARA) 
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 7:14 PM
Subject: Re: FOIA Response to Request for Information on BSBP Grant for $900,000


Isn't this a bit like RSA giving a heroin addict more heroin Ms. Haynes and all?

I mean there is no and I repeat no accounting for the VR bucks you all have had at your disposal, and huge amounts of those funds have been misappropriated for non-VR activities including feeding non-blind, non-disabled cronies at the federal trough, but very little going to actual rehabilitation of blind customers.



Best,

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.
  ----- 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

   



More information about the NFBMI-Talk mailing list