[nfbwatlk] FW: Grassroots Call to Action on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Reauthorization

[Mike Freeman]

-----Original Message-----
From: Lewis, Anil [mailto:ALewis at nfb.org] 
Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2013 2:23 PM
Subject: Grassroots Call to Action on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
Reauthorization

Federation:

This is a call to action for you to make phone calls, send e-mails, and post
to social media to save rehabilitation services for people with disabilities
on Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30.  Senate Bill S. 1356 has been
introduced to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).  This bill
includes two major policy changes in the language of the Rehabilitation Act
that threaten to send us backwards in our struggle to acquire the proper
education, training, and opportunity to obtain competitive, integrated
employment.

(1) The bill has proposed language in Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act
that requires vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies to include training
and employment at wages below the federal minimum wage as a VR service.

(2) The bill proposes to transfer the Rehabilitation Services Administration
(RSA) from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor, severing
the essential link between the provision of quality education and
rehabilitation services for people with disabilities.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is
scheduled to discuss and vote on this bill on Wednesday, July 31, and we
need to act to ensure that these two tremendously flawed proposals are
removed.  Our initial action is simple, but it will require all of us to
take action.  We need all of our members, family members, friends,
colleagues, and acquaintances that reside in states where their Senator
serves on the HELP committee to make calls, send e-mails, post tweets, and
Facebook messages to communicate the following two straightforward requests
to their Senator:

I am a voting constituent in the state and I am respectfully requesting that
the WIA reauthorization be amended to:

(1) Remove Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act.
(2) Remove the language transferring RSA to the Department of Labor.

We are encouraging that only the actual residents make these requests of
their respective Senators.  Start recruiting as many individuals as possible
now to begin this action on Monday, July 29 and continue it through Tuesday,
July 30.  Use the information below to make calls to your particular
Senator's office and send e-mails to each of the e-mail addresses listed for
your Senator.

Remember, once you have made your calls, sent your e-mails, posted your
tweets and Facebook messages, get others to do the same.

Sincerely,

Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Director of Advocacy and Policy

"Eliminating Subminimum Wages For People With Disabilities"

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland   21230

(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)
(410) 685-5653 (FAX)
Email: alewis at nfb.org<mailto:alewis at nfb.org>
Web: www.nfb.org<http://www.nfb.org>





Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
(202) 224-2621
Chief of Staff: Mike Spahn michael_spahn at murray.senate.gov HELP Contact:
Megan Foster  megan_foster at murray.senate.gov Additional Contact: Ariel
Eevans ariel_evans at murray.senate.gov

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