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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Cleveland,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am calling an emergency legislative teleconference call for tomorrow at 12:00 PM. All who are available, please call in and we will discuss the National Office’s request to contact our Congressional Representatives. For those who work, if you are at lunch, please call in. This should not take but 15 minutes. However, if you are not available, I will share the call and hopefully, you can call later that same day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We are needed to make telephone calls and send emails. I want us to come together as a Chapter and work the telephone and emails tomorrow afternoon, I would like to flood their telephones like we did last year.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I will go over the legislative initiative at 12:00 PM and provide telephone numbers to reach out to them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please call our teleconference number at 12:00 PM <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>641-715-3294<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Code: 246345<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>See you on the call and read below!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Gabe Cazares<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Manager of Government Affairs<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Howdy Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>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!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>As President Riccobono announced at the Great Gathering-In, we have a new bill which needs your immediate attention. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>