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Dear Fellow Federationists:<br>
<br>
Thank you for all of your calls and emails regarding the elimination of
the increased standard deduction for blind people.<br>
So, here is where we stand as of today (Wednesday, November 15). The
House bill has gone to the House floor and will most likely be voted on
and passed tomorrow, November 16. It eliminates the additional standard
deduction for the blind. The Senate Committee on Finance is currently
debating the Senate version of the bill. The Senate version does not
modify the existing additional standard deduction for the blind. The next
key step will be when the Senate bill goes to the floor of the Senate for
a final vote. It is possible that Senator Boozman will be permitted to
offer an amendment to include the Access Technology Affordability Act in
the Senate’s version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This is what we have
been hoping for since January. The number one thing we can do to help
this effort is to add cosponsors to the Access Technology Affordability
Act in the Senate (S. 732). There are currently three cosponsors on the
bill, Senators Cardin and Van Hollen from Maryland and Senator Coons from
Delaware. Therefore, please call or email your two senators and urge them
to cosponsor S. 732, the Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017. The
best way to contact your senators is to call the Capitol Switchboard at
(202) 224-3121 and ask for the office in question. If you email your
senators, please copy me at
<a href="mailto:JPare@nfb.org">JPare@nfb.org</a>.<br>
In other news, we are expecting the Accessible Instructional Materials in
Higher Education bill to be introduced in the Senate in the very near
future. Also, I have received some questions regarding hotel reservations
for Washington Seminar. The following information is published in the
<a href="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1710/bm171010.htm">
November 2017 issue of the Braille Monitor</a>.<br>
Washington Seminar will be held January 28 through February 1, 2018, with
the Great Gathering-In taking place on Monday, January 29. You can now
reserve a room at the Holiday Inn Capitol (550 C Street, SW, Washington,
DC 20024) for Washington Seminar for check-in beginning Friday, January
26, and check-out Friday, February 2. The rate is $192.00 per night; this
rate does not include DC sales tax, which is currently 14.8 percent. You
may begin booking reservations directly online by clicking on the weblink
below:
<a href="http://ichotelsgroup.com/redirect?path=rates&brandCode=HI®ionCode=1&localeCode=en&GPC=FB8&hotelCode=WASSM&_PMID=99801505">
http://ichotelsgroup.com/redirect?path=rates&brandCode=HI®ionCode=1&localeCode=en&GPC=FB8&hotelCode=WASSM&_PMID=99801505</a>
.<br>
You may also make reservations by calling (877) 572-6951 and referencing
booking code FB8. Credit card information is needed at time of
reservation. Individual cancellation policy requires notification
seventy-two hours prior to date of arrival to avoid one night's room plus
tax cancellation charge on the credit card provided. If your departure
date changes, you must inform the hotel seventy-two hours in advance of
departure to avoid a $100 fee; call (877) 572-6951 and reference your
confirmation number. Please obtain a cancellation number when cancelling
a reservation. The firm deadline date to make a reservation is Tuesday,
January 2, 2018. Reservation requests received after the deadline date
will be subject to availability and prevailing rate.<br>
Warm regards,<br>
<br>
John<br>
<br>
John G. Paré Jr. <br>
Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy <br>
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2218 |
<a href="mailto:jpare@nfb.org">jpare@nfb.org</a> <br>
<br>
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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. <br>
<br>
<br><br>
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