[NFBWATLK] Urgent! Fwd: Washington Legislative Alert: ATAA and Congressman Reichert & DelBene

[Marci Carpenter]

Hello Everyone,

I received the following request from our national office today. While it is especially good to have constituents calling and emailing, we just need a lot of people to call or email the local and DC offices for Congresswoman DelBene and Congressman Reichert. We have a chance to get the Access Technology and Affordability Act (ATAA, HR 1734) into the next House tax bill.

This needs to happen in the  next couple of days because Congress will adjourn for its August recess very soon. 

If you send emails please send a copy to me.

Thanks,

 Marci Carpenter, President
National Federation of the Blind of Washington
206-604-5507
mjc59 at comcast.net <mailto:mjc59 at comcast.net>
 



> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: "Eacobacci, Kimie" <KEacobacci at nfb.org>
> Subject: Washington Legislative Alert: ATAA and Congressman Reichert
> Date: July 23, 2018 at 1:09:50 PM PDT
> To: "State President, Washington" <mjc59 at comcast.net>
> 
> Good Afternoon Marci:
>  
> John Pare and I recently met with Chairman Brady’s Ways and Means committee staff to discuss ATAA (HR 1734). Brady’s staff said they like the bill but need members on the committee to reach out to Chairman Brady letting him know they want to see ATAA included in the next tax reform. We know Tax Reform 2.0 is coming soon and this would be the perfect time for our Washington members to send emails to the following members’ DC and District office with the following message below: 
>  
> Congressman Reichert’s District Office
> Zachary "Zack" Guill, Deputy District Director
> Tel: (425) 677-7414
> E-mail: zack.guill at mail.house.gov <mailto:zack.guill at mail.house.gov>
>  
> Congressman Reichert’s DC Office
> Natalie Kamphaus, Legislative Director
> Tel: (202) 225-7761
> E-mail: natalie.kamphaus at mail.house.gov <mailto:natalie.kamphaus at mail.house.gov>
>  
> Congresswoman DelBene’s District Office
> Molly Keenan, District Director
> Tel: (425) 485-0085
> E-mail: molly.keenan at mail.house.gov <mailto:molly.keenan at mail.house.gov>
>  
> Congresswoman DelBene’s DC Office
> Lauren Soltani, Legislative Director
> Tel: (202) 225-6311
> E-mail: lauren.soltani at mail.house.gov <mailto:lauren.soltani at mail.house.gov>
>  
> Below is a short sample ask that your members could use:
>  
> “My name is [name] and I am a constituent of Congressman/Congresswoman           . I am writing to let the Congressman/Congresswoman know that I support the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1734) and ask that Congressman/Congresswoman               let Chairman Brady know that your office would like HR 1734 included in the upcoming tax reform legislation. HR 1734 will remove employment barriers for blind Americans and allow me to be a part of the growing economy. I’ve summarized how ATAA will help me succeed in my pursuit of education and live independently:
>  
> ATAA makes blind people job ready
> We asked blind people what is their biggest barrier to employment and the answer was not lack of education or lack of training, but the need for access technology. (attached). Since blind people are unable to use conventional office equipment, we need access technology to perform most jobs. Unfortunately, access technology is very expensive. For this reason, we are asking for a refundable tax credit to offset the cost to make them more affordable. Furthermore, the job application process has changed so that they must be completed online. Therefore, blind people now need access technology even before they have a job in order to apply for work.
>  
> ATAA saves the government money
> The National Federation of the Blind estimates the total net savings to the United States Government to be $9,773,339 annually. (Attached). This is conservatively based upon fewer blind people drawing from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), along with increased payroll tax revenue totaling $46,736,229, offset against annual costs of $36,962,890 for the credit itself.
>  
> Thank you for your support of blind Americans.
>  
> Sincerely,
> [Your Name]”
>  
>