[NFBMT] Legislative Alert: Urgent ... Federal Budget Cuts

Wed Nov 29 02:01:02 UTC 2017

Office of Senator Jon Tester
311 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-2604
Phone: (202) 224-2644
Fax: (202) 224-8594
https://www.tester.senate.gov/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorTester/
Twitter: @SenatorTester

Senator Tester's Montana staff serves the state from offices in Billings,
Bozeman, Butte, Glendive, Great Falls, Kalispell, Helena, and Missoula.
Please bring your concerns with federal agencies, academy nominations, and
other situations to one of these Montana offices.

.	BILLINGS
Judge Jameson Federal Building
2900 4th Ave N, Suite 201
Billings, MT 59101
Phone: (406) 252-0550
Fax: (406) 252-7768

BOZEMAN
Avant Courier Building
1 E Main Street, Suite 202
Bozeman, MT 59715
Phone: (406) 586-4450
Fax: (406) 586-7647

BUTTE
Silver Bow Center
125 W Granite, Suite 200
Butte, MT 59701
Phone: (406) 723-3277
Fax: (406) 782-4717

Glendive
122 W Towne
Glendive, MT 59330
Phone: (406) 365-2391
Fax: (406) 365-8836

Great Falls
119 1st Avenue N, Suite 102
Great Falls, MT 59401
Phone: (406) 452-9585
Fax: (406) 452-9586

Helena
Capital One Center
208 N Montana Avenue, Suite 202
Helena, MT 59601
Phone: (406) 449-5401
Fax: (406) 449-5462

Kalispell
8 Third Street E
Kalispell, MT 59901
Phone: (406) 257-3360
Fax: (406) 257-3974

Missoula
130 W Front St.
Missoula, MT 59802
Phone: (406) 728-3003
Fax: (406) 728-2193

Senator Steve Daines
https://www.daines.senate.gov/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDainesMT/
Twitter:  @SteveDaines

Office Locations
Washington, D.C.
320 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
p: (202) 224-2651

Billings
222 N. 32nd Street, Ste. 100
Billings, MT 59101
p: (406) 245-6822

Great Falls
104 4th Street North, Ste. 302
Great Falls, MT 59401
p: (406) 453-0148

Helena
30 West 14th Street, Ste. 206
Helena, MT 59601
p: (406) 443-3189

Bozeman
13 S. Willson Ave. Ste. 8
Bozeman, MT 59718
p: (406) 587-3446

Missoula
218 East Front Street, Ste. 103
Missoula, MT 59802
p: (406) 549-8198

Kalispell
40 2nd St East, Suite 211
 (KM Building)
Kalispell, Montana 59901
 p: (406) 257-3765

Sidney
609 S. Central Ave. Suite #4
 (Central Plaza Building)
Sidney, MT, 59270
p: (406) 482-9010

Hardin
310 N Center
 Hardin MT 59034
p: (406) 665-4126

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jim Marks via
NFBMT
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 3:52 PM
To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List' <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jim Marks <blind.grizzly at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBMT] Federal Budget Cuts

Great, thanks much, Travis.  I just learned that the bill passed the Senate
committee approval and is headed to the Senate floor for a vote within just a
few hours.  Please act right away by asking Senators Daines and Tester to
oppose the bill.  I believe it's the tax bill, folks.  However, one can just
ask Daines an Tester to vote against the budget cuts for programs like
vocational rehabilitation.

Jim Marks
Blind.grizzly at gmail.com
(406) 438-1421

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Travis Moses via
NFBMT
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 3:42 PM
To: NFB of Montana Discussion List <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Travis Moses <travissmoses at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBMT] Federal Budget Cuts

 Done thanks Jim for the info.

>
> On Nov 28, 2017 at 3:28 PM,  <Jim Marks via NFBMT
(mailto:nfbmt at nfbnet.org)>  wrote:
>
>
>
>  I just received the following information from the Council of State
> Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. It says that the proposed
> federal budget cuts will severely damage public VR programs, including
> Montana Blind and Low Vision Services. Other important government
> programs are on the same chopping block. The current federal budget
> expires on December 8, so there is very little time to provide our
> input. We should each contact Senators Daines and Tester asking them
> to oppose this frightening development. Joy, would you once again send
> out their contact information? Calls and e-mails are best. Here is the
info:
>
>
>
> This evening, Hill staff shared with us that if the Senate tax bill is
> passed as is with the PAYGO, VR and many, many other programs will all
> be zeroed out. The link below has a list of programs that will be gone
> but we are asked to ignore the numbers and percentages as they are
> old, which we learned tonight:
> <https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/sequestrati
> on_rep orts/2018_jc_sequestration_report_may2017_potus.pdf/>
> https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/sequestratio
> n_repo rts/2018_jc_sequestration_report_may2017_potus.pdf/. Hill
> staffer says it is pretty unlikely the Senate tax bill passes as even
> with the elimination of every program on the list, OMB will still be
> short the money necessary to cover the deficit. It is also absolutely
> possible this could happen but unclear how it would actually be
> implemented. Again, VR isn't eliminated in the tax bill itself, but
> the PAYGO would be devastating to just about every program in the
> country - including financial aid for higher education, Centers for
> Disease Control, Department of Justice, etc.
>
>
>
> CSAVR staff will be drafting a letter tomorrow to the House and Senate
> leadership, but we also think it is time for State Agencies to write
> letters and to have your advocates write letters, just to be on the
> safe side. We will be reaching out to other disability advocates in
> the beltway tomorrow to see if we can join forces to respond. Stay tuned.
More to come!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim Marks
>
> Blind.grizzly at gmail.com  <mailto:Blind.grizzly at gmail.com>
>
> (406) 438-1421
>
>
>
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>
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