[NFBNJ] URGENT Legislative Alert - November 10, 2017

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!
yes, we can and will make a difference when our voices are heard.
Please read all information provided below.
Make the calls, write an email to provide the information to your representative/s.
If emailing, please copy John Pare at jpare at nfb.org

I have provided two email messages.
The first, from Kimie Beverly is to the point, the second, from John Pare,  has some background information to provide if needed.

Call the Capitol switchboard at 
202 224 3121

I have provided contact information for Senator Booker and Senator Menendez. 

Senator Cory Booker

US Senator, New Jersey

359 Dirksen Building

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: 202 224 3224

Kimberly Miller-Tolbert, legislative staffer

Email: Kimberly_Miller-Tolbert at booker.senate.gov



Senator Robert Menendez

US Senate, New Jersey

528 Hart Building

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: 202 224 4744

Steve Lieberman, Legislative Correspondent

Email: Stephen_Lieberman at Menendez.Senate.Gov



Don’t wait for someone else to make the calls and to write the emails, we need all to make the calls and to write the emails.

We can make a difference!



We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President 
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org

www.nfbnj.org
Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking 
www.carshelpingtheblind.org 
or call 855 659 9314


***

Good Morning Joe:



Tax is back and moving quickly through the Senate. Can you please ask your members to call Senate Finance Committee member Robert Menendez’s office and ask for 2 things related to tax reform:



1.       Please keep the additional standard deduction for the blind as stated in the Finance committee bill. 



2.       Please offer an amendment to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act providing for the Access Technology Affordability Act (S. 732). 



In addition, please call Senator Cory Booker.



Thank you so much!



Kimie Beverly

Government Affairs Specialist

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314, extension 2441 |

 kbeverly at nfb.org




Second email message:
From: John Pare 
Subject: Legislative Alert - November 10, 2017

Dear Fellow Federationists: 
The House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, favorably reported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act out of committee on Thursday, November 9. The bill now goes to the House floor. Please continue to call your representative and urge him or her to demand that the additional standard deduction for blind people be restored.
A summary of the Senate companion bill, also called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was released on Thursday, November 9. The Senate bill does not eliminate the additional standard deduction for the blind. This is extremely good news!
Please call your two senators and urge them to continue to maintain the additional standard deduction for the blind. Please also ask them to vote for any amendment which incorporates the Access Technology Affordability Act (S. 732) into the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
As a quick reminder, beginning in the 1940s, as a result of NFB’s advocacy, the IRS has included an additional standard deduction for blind people compared to non-blind people. This deduction reduces one’s taxable income and the corresponding amount of taxes a blind person has to pay. In 2017, the standard deduction for a non-blind person filing as single is $6,350 and the standard deduction for a blind person filing as single is $7,900, an increase of $1,550. As far as the effect this deduction has on how much in taxes one would have to pay, that depends on one’s individual tax situation.
 
The deduction is not intended to pay for a specific item, but all of the extra items that blind people have to pay for to live the lives we want. Examples include transportation, access technology, readers, Braille transcription, white canes, supplies for a guide dog, etc.
 
Your calls and emails are making a big difference so please keep them up! The best way to contact your member of Congress is to call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for the office in question. Emailing your member of Congress is also a good idea. If you do so, please copy me at JPare at nfb.org.
Warm regards,
 
John
 
John G. Paré Jr. 
Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314,extension 2218 
| Jpare at nfb.org
 
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