[NFBMI-Talk] Legislative Alert: Call Your Congressional Rep About H.R. 3935

Mon May 13 21:17:49 UTC 2024

Hello to all members of and supporters of the National Federation of the
Blind of Indiana.

Justin Young, one of our hard-working legislative liaisons who is aligned
with the National Center in Baltimore, is urging us to support the Securing
Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act
<https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3935#:~:text=H.R.,Congress.gov%20%7C%20Library%20of%20Congress>.
This act already has passed the U.S. Senate but now must be considered and
passed in the House this year if it has a chance of becoming the law of the
land during this 118th Congress.

H.R. 3935 was not one of the highest-priority legislative items we pitched
at Washington Seminar in 2024.  It is an aviation bill, not a disabilities
bill in the pure sense.  But it has some accessibility provisions, and the
Federation believes this is an area where we can get a significant win for
the blind in the arena of air travel.  The bill summary states in part: "This
bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through FY2028,
including activities and programs related to airport planning and
development, facilities and equipment, and operations. The National
Transportation Safety Board is also reauthorized through FY2028. ... The
bill also addresses a wide range of issues. For example, the bill ... requires
the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish standards to ensure the
aircraft boarding and deplaning process is accessible for individuals with
disabilities, including for individuals who use wheelchairs ..."  Justin
tells us that, among other things, H.R. 3935 "initiates a pilot program for
air passengers to register their service animal, eliminating the need to
complete the service animal forms for each flight."

H.R. 3935 has been sitting in the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee for nearly one year.  André Carson is on that Committee, as well
as my own district's Representative Rudy Yakym.

See below for further details.  Please contact me or our brilliant NFB
Indiana Legislative Chair Chris Hollingsworth if you want to find out how
to contact your specific House representative.  Call or write and let them
know that you want them to encourage the movement of H.R. 3935 through
Committee as fast as possible so it can be sent to the floor for a House
vote sometime this year--with all the accessibility provisions left in,
same as was done in the Senate version. .

Thank you.

Cordially,

Kane Brolin
President, Indiana State Affiliate
National Federation of the Blind
(574)386-8868 (mobile)

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: NFBNet-Members-List <nfbnet-members-list-bounces at nfbnet.org> On
Behalf Of Young, Justin via NFBNet-Members-List
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 11:02 AM
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - May 10, 2024

Dear Federation Family,

Thank you to all who made calls and sent emails to your United States
Senators this week. Because of our efforts, H.R. 3935 passed the Senate on
May 9, 2024, with all of the accessibility provisions intact, by an
overwhelming majority. This is great news, but the job is not done yet. The
bill now heads to the House of Representatives for final consideration.

We need your help by contacting your members in the House of
Representatives urging them to vote in favor of H.R. 3935, keeping in these
important accessibility provisions for blind and disabled air travelers.

These provisions include training requirements for assisting passengers
with disabilities, better access standards for the accessibility of
in-flight entertainment, and improved access to airline websites.
Additionally, the bill initiates a pilot program for air passengers to
register their service animal, eliminating the need to complete the service
animal forms for each flight. Therefore, we are asking you to contact your
Representative in the House, either by phone or by email, to urge them to
maintain the disability related portions of the bill while being considered
by the House of Representatives. Given that the House is likely to vote on
this by the end of next week, it would be most beneficial to contact your
Representative’s office before Friday, May 17.

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

"Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a constituent of [REPRESENTATIVE
NAME]. I live in [CITY, STATE]. I would like to urge [REPRESENTATIVE NAME]
to maintain the accessibility-related provisions of H.R 3935 as it moves
through the House of Representatives. These provisions in the legislation
will help increase the accessibility of air travel for blind and disabled
passengers.

Thanks."

If applicable, feel free to personalize your message with a recent
disability barrier you experienced while traveling.

You can contact your Representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard and
asking for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. The contact
information for all House of Representatives offices is also in the
attached spreadsheet. The members on the spreadsheet are organized in
alphabetical order by last name. If you send an email to your
Representative’s office, please copy me at jyoung at nfb.org <mailto:
jyoung at nfb.org>  on the email.

Thank you for all that you do,

Justin T. Young, Ed.D

Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

410-659-9314, extension 2210 |  <mailto:jyoung at nfb.org> jyoung at nfb.org

 <https://nfb.org/>

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