[NFBMI-Talk] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - July 22, 2019

[Jeff Crouch]

Hello. I thought I'd pass this on since I saw it.

The National Federation of the Blind 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.

Thanks and warmest regards.

Jeff Crouch

Board Member: National Federation of the Blind of Michigan

Vice President, Michigan Association of Blind Students

    R

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Pare, John via NFBNet-Members-List <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
Date: Mon, Jul 22, 2019, 19:43
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - July 22, 2019
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>


Dear Federation Family:



The House of Representatives will go on its annual August break at the end
of this week. The Senate will go on its August break at the end of the
following week. We need to build as much cosponsor support as we can before
this occurs.



Please call your representative and two senators and urge them to cosponsor
the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act and the Access Technology
Affordability Act if they have not already done so. A complete list of
current cosponsors is included at the end of this email. A summary of the
two bills follows.



Transformation to Competitive Employment Act

House - H.R. 873 - Sponsored by Bobby Scott (D-VA-3)

Senate - S. 260 - Sponsored by Bob Casey (D-PA)

These bills would phase out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
over a six-year period, at which point the provision would officially be
sunset.



Access Technology Affordability Act

House - H.R. 2086 - Sponsored by Mike Thompson (D-CA-5)

Senate - S. 815 - Sponsored by John Boozman (R-AR)

This legislation removes an employment barrier commonly experienced by
blind Americans who cannot afford the high cost of access technology by
creating a refundable tax credit in the amount of $2,000 to offset the cost
of these technologies.



When you call or email, you might say something like the following:

"Hello, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent of [your
senator/representative]. I live in [city, state]. I am calling to urge
[your senator/representative] to cosponsor [S. 260 for Senate calls/H.R.
873 for House calls], the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act.
This bill would phase out subminimum wages for people with disabilities
over a six-year period, at which point Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor
Standards Act, the provision that allows this practice, would be sunset. I
urge [your senator/representative] to cosponsor the bill.



I am also calling to urge [your senator/representative] to cosponsor [S.
815 for Senate calls/H.R. 2086 for House calls], the Access Technology
Affordability Act. This legislation removes an employment barrier commonly
experienced by blind Americans who cannot afford the high cost of access
technology by creating a refundable tax credit in the amount of $2,000 to
offset the cost of these technologies. I urge [your senator/representative]
to cosponsor the bill.



Thanks."



You can contact your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard
and asking for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. If you
email your representative or senators, please copy Gabe Cazares at
gcazares at nfb.org. Your calls and emails do make a difference. Of particular
note, we are up to fifty cosponsors on the House Transformation to
Competitive Employment Act.



List of cosponsors as of July 22, 2019:



Transformation to Competitive Employment Act S. 260

Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA]

Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]

Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]

Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]

Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]

Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]



Transformation to Competitive Employment Act H.R. 873

Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]

Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray, Jr. [D-CA-39]

Rep. Cox, TJ [D-CA-21]

Rep. Davis, Susan A. [D-CA-53]

Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-11]

Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-10]

Rep. Hill, Katie [D-CA-25]

Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]

Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17]

Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-41]

Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]

Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2]

Rep. Garcia, Jesus G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]

Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]

Rep. Axne, Cynthia [D-IA-3]

Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]

Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2]

Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]

Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]

Rep. Trone, David J. [D-MD-6]

Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]

Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]

Rep. Neal, Richard E. [D-MA-1]

Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]

Rep. Levin, Andy [D-MI-9]

Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11]

Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-13]

Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]

Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [D-NY-16]

Rep. Katko, John [R-NY-24]

Rep. Maloney, Sean Patrick [D-NY-18]

Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25]

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14]

Rep. Price, David E. [D-NC-4]

Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]

Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-13]

Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]

Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]

Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

Rep. Gonzalez-Colon, Jenniffer [R-PR-At Large]

Rep. Langevin, James R. [D-RI-2]

Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]

Rep. Cooper, Jim [D-TN-5]

Rep. Burgess, Michael C. [R-TX-26]

Rep. Stewart, Chris [R-UT-2]

Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]

Rep. Rodgers, Cathy McMorris [R-WA-5]

Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]



Access Technology Affordability Act S. 815

Sen. Jones, Doug [D-AL]

Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]

Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]

Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]

Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]

Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]

Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]

Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]

Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]

Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]

Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]

Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]



Access Technology Affordability Act H.R. 2086

Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-42]

Rep. Hunter, Duncan D. [R-CA-50]

Rep. Gaetz, Matt [R-FL-1]

Rep. Murphy, Stephanie N. [D-FL-7]

Rep. Visclosky, Peter J. [D-IN-1]

Rep. Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [D-MD-2]

Rep. Sarbanes, John P. [D-MD-3]

Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]

Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]

Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-2]

Rep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-5]

Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-4]

Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-13]

Rep. Upton, Fred [R-MI-6]

Rep. Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9]

Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]

Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16]

Rep. Cooper, Jim [D-TN-5]

Rep. Stewart, Chris [R-UT-2]



If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 410-659-9314,
extension 2218 or email me at JPare at nfb.org.


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