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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>We have an opportunity for our voices to be heard and to make a
difference!</DIV>
<DIV>Each voice is important as one voice becomes many voices as we walk
alone
and march together to inform our Congressional Representatives and Senators
on
the following bills, Transformation to Competitive Employment
Act.</DIV>
<DIV>Ryan Stevens, NFBNJ Legislative Director has provided additional
information for all to consider.</DIV>
<DIV>For those that already made the calls, thanks.</DIV>
<DIV>For those that have not made the calls, please do so.</DIV>
<DIV>Please read through the entire message as it provides what is needed
for a
successful call.</DIV>
<DIV>My past experience, each call takes less than 2 minutes. Please
invest six minutes to make the calls.</DIV>
<DIV>Each of us has one Congressional representative and we all have both
Senators to contact.</DIV>
<DIV>After you have made the calls, please email Ryan and Linda.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In addition, if you email, please copy Gabe Cazares at <A
href="mailto:gcazares@nfb.org">gcazares@nfb.org</A> Ryan Stevens at <A
href="mailto:rysteve@comcast.net">rysteve@comcast.net</A> and
Linda
Melendez at <A
href="mailto:lindamelendez220@gmail.com">lindamelendez220@gmail.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Enough of me writing, I need to make my calls! GRIN!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
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style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri";
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=rysteve@comcast.net
href="mailto:rysteve@comcast.net">Ryan Stevens</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 05, 2019 1:23 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfbnj1@verizon.net
href="mailto:nfbnj1@verizon.net">nfbnj1@verizon.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> FW: [Nfbnet-master-list] Legislative
Alert</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>From Ryan Stevens:</DIV>
<DIV>As you may have seen, Gabe Cazares, NFB's Manager of Governmental
Affairs
has asked us to call our Congressional representatives and express our
support
for the Transformation to Competetive Employment Act. In the Senate, the
bill
number is S260, and in the House, it's Hr873. This act would eliminate
subminimum wages for disabled workers six years after its passage. I am
including Gabe's original alert to give you more details.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I would be so proud of this affiliate if we flooded the phone lines to
show
our support for this legislation. After my signature is a list of all New
Jersey
House members which includes district numbers, representative names and DC
phone
numbers. Beneath that will be the phone numbers for Senators Booker and
Menendez. Please use them as a guide. If you do not know who your member of
Congress is, you can go to house.gov and enter your zip code, or get in
touch
with your local library.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When you call, plese email me at rysteve@comcast.net and Linda Melendez
at
lindamelendez220@gmail.com to let us know you did so. This way, we can keep
track of our progress. I wish to thank you, my fellow NFBNJ members, in
advance
for your work on moving our cause to finally rid subminimum wages for
disabled
workers forward.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Take care,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Ryan</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ryan Stevens</DIV>
<DIV>Legislative Director</DIV>
<DIV>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>House members:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>District
Member
Phone</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1
Donald
Norcross
202-225-6501</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2
Jefferson van Drew
202-225-6572</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>3
Andy
Kim
202-225-4765</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4
Chris Smith
202-225-3765</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5
Josh
Gottheimer
202-225-4465</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>6
Frank Pallone,
Jr.
202-225-4671</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>7
Tomaz Malinowski
202-225-5361</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>8
Albio Sires
202-225-7919</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>9
Bill Pascrell, Jr. 202-225-5751</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>10 Donald
Payne,
Jr.
202-225-3436</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>11 Mikie
Sherrill 202-225-5034</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>12 Bonnie
Watson-Coleman
202-225-5801</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Senators:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Corey Booker 202-224-3224</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Robert Menendez 202-224-4744</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>From Gabe </DIV>
<DIV>Legislative Alert</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Howdy Fellow Federationists:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Washington
Seminar.
Because of your advocacy, we are off to a fantastic start in the 116th
Congress!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As President Riccobono announced at the Great Gathering-In, we have a
new
bill which needs your immediate attention. The Transformation to Competitive
Employment Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Casey of Pennsylvania
and
Senator Van Hollen of Maryland, and was assigned bill number S. 260. In the
House, Chairman Bobby Scott of Virginia and Representative Cathy McMorris
Rodgers of Washington introduced companion legislation, H.R. 873. 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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>All of this means that we have the opportunity to give these bills a
strong
start by immediately building cosponsor support for both S. 260 and H.R.
873.
Therefore, please call or email your senators and ask them to cosponsor S.
260
and call or email your representative and has him or her to cosponsor H.R.
873.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When you call or email, you might say something like the
following:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“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. Thanks.”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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 me at gcazares@nfb.org
<mailto:gcazares@nfb.org> .</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It is critical that we move on this quickly, so please strive to make
your
calls and send your emails as soon as possible.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Warm regards,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>..Gabe</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gabe Cazares</DIV>
<DIV>Manager of Government Affairs</DIV>
<DIV>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230</DIV>
<DIV>(410) 659-9314, extension 2206 | gcazares@nfb.org</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><<A href="https://nfb.org/">https://nfb.org/</A>> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
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href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind</A>>
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href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind</A>>
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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