[Nfbwv-talk] Legislative Alert

Tue Mar 30 22:14:53 UTC 2010

Fellow Federationists:
            Thank you for your hard work over the past few months in building congressional
support for our three legislative priorities.  Congress has adjourned for the two-week
spring recess, and will not return to
Washington
 until April 12.  We encourage you to schedule visits with your members in their
district offices and attend town hall meetings to discuss and urge cosponsorship
of our legislative priorities.
            Thanks to your efforts, we now have 230 cosponsors on H.R. 734, the House
version of the "Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act" originally introduced by Congressman
Towns.
            We need to continue building momentum on all of our bills.  Currently:
            -- The Senate companion to the "Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act"
 (S. 841, originally introduced by Senator Kerry) has 28 cosponsors;
            -- The "Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind" (H.R. 4533, introduced
by Congresswoman Schakowsky) has 27 cosponsors; and
            -- The "Blind Persons Return to Work Act" (H.R. 886, introduced by Congressman
John Lewis) has 56 cosponsors, while its Senate companion (S. 2962, introduced by
Senators Dodd and McCain) has five cosponsors.
            As you can see, we have a great deal of work yet to go on each of these
bills.
            Because Congress has taken a particular interest in job creation, expansion,
and increased employment, we have an unparalleled opportunity to ensure that the
Blind Persons Return to Work Act becomes law during this congressional session.
If we increase our House sponsorship to 100 and our Senate sponsorship to 25, we
believe we can incorporate this legislation into a larger Jobs Bill.  Please make
an extra effort to persuade your members to cosponsor H.R. 886 and S. 2962.
            Many of the congressional representatives who were ranked as being likely
to cosponsor this legislation at the 2010 Washington Seminar have yet to cosponsor
these bills.  In addition, we need to get as many cosponsors from representatives
who serve on the Committee on
House Ways
 and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance.
            Finally, several congressional representatives who've cosponsored changes
to the Social Security Disability Insurance Earnings structure for the blind in previous
congressional sessions have not yet cosponsored the bill this session.  Listed below
are congressional representatives who received rankings of 4 or 5, serve on the House
Committee on Ways Means or the Senate Committee on Finance, have cosponsored previous
forms of this legislation-and have not yet cosponsored H.R. 886 and S. 2962.
            I know that you will, as always, work hard over the upcoming two-week
spring district period to increase commitments from your representatives on this
important legislation.
            Thank you for your continuing efforts on behalf of our National Federation
of the Blind.
Yours,
Ronza M. Othman, Esq.
Government Programs Specialist
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
Phone: (410) 659-9314, extention 2374
E-mail:
rothman at nfb.org
RO/wmb
Members Ranked at 4 or 5
Sen. Robert Bennett, UT
Sen. Sam Brownback, KS
Sen. Susan Collins, ME (previously cosponsored in the 110
th Congress)
Sen. Jim DeMint, SC
Sen. Dick Durbin, IL
Sen. Judd Gregg, NH
Sen. Mike Johanns, NE
Sen. John Kerry, MA (Senate Committee on Finance)
Sen. George LaMieux, FL
Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA
Sen. Ben Nelson, NE
Sen. Harry Reid, NV
Rep. Gary Ackerman, NY
Rep. Marion Berry, AR
Rep. Brian Bilbray, CA
Rep. John Boozman, AR (previously cosponsored in the 110
th Congress)
Rep. Charles Boustany, LA
Rep. Bruce Braley, IA
Rep. Michael Capuano, MA
Rep. John Carter, TX
Rep. Kathy Castor, FL
Rep. Ben Chandler, KY (previously cosponsored in the 110
th Congress)
Rep. Yvette Clark, NY
Rep. Joe Crowley, NY (House Committee on Ways and Means)
Rep. John Culberson, TX
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, NE
Rep. Barney Frank, MA
Rep. Ralph Hall, TX
Rep. Alcee Hastings, FL
Rep. Dean Heller, NV
Rep. Jim Himes, CT
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, TX
Rep. Jim Jordan, OH
Rep. James Langevin, RI
Rep. Steven LaTourette, OH
Rep. John Linder, GA
Rep. Elizabeth Markey, CO
Rep. Jim Matheson, UT
Rep. Kendrick Meek, FL (House Committee on Ways and Means)
Rep. John Olver, MA
Rep. Donald Payne, NJ
Rep. Peter Roskam, IL
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, NH
Rep. Adrian Smith, NE
Rep. Zack Space, OH
Rep. Patrick Tiberi, OH
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, GA
Rep. Charlie Wilson, OH
Rep. John Yarmuth, KY (House Committee on Ways and Means)
Previous Cosponsors
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, NM (Senate Committee on Finance)
Sen. Susan Collins, ME (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Sen. James Inhofe, OK
Sen. Bernard Sanders, VT
Sen. David Vitter, LA
Rep. Neil Abercrombie, HI
Rep. Robert Andrews, NJ
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, WI
Rep. Shelley Berkley, NV
Rep. John Boozman, AR (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Rep. Ben Chandler, KY (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Rep. Steve Cohen, TN
Rep. Lincoln Davis, TN
Rep. Keith Ellison, MN
Rep. Mary Fallin, OK
Rep. Bob Filner, CA
Rep. Charles Gonzalez, TX
Rep. Thomas Latham, IA
Rep. Ed Pastor, AZ
Rep. Todd Platts, PA
Rep. Mike Ross, AR
Rep. Bobby Scott, VA
Rep. Betty Sutton, OH
Rep. Peter Visclosky, IN
Rep. Peter Welch, VT
Senate Committee on Finance Members
Majority - Democrats
Sen. Max Baucus, MT (Chairman)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, NM (previously cosponsored in the 110
th Congress)
Sen. Maria Cantwell, WA
Sen. Thomas Carper, DE
Sen. Kent Conrad, ND
Sen. John Kerry, MA (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, AR
Sen. Robert Menendez, NJ
Sen. Bill Nelson, FL
Sen. John Rockefeller, WV
Sen. Charles Schumer, NY
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, MI
Sen. Ron Wyden, OR
Minority - Republicans
Sen. Jim Bunning, KY
Sen. John Cornyn, TX
Sen. John Ensign, NV
Sen. Mike Enzi, WY
Sen. Chuck Grassley, IA (Ranking Member)
Sen. Orrin Hatch, UT
Sen. John Kyl, AZ
Sen. Pat Roberts, KS
House Committee on Ways and Means
Majority - Democrats
Rep. Xavier Becerra, CA
Rep. Shelley Berkley, NV
Rep. Joe Crowley, NY (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Rep. Artur Davis, AL
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, TX
Rep. Bob Etheridge, NC
Rep. Brian Higgins, NY
Rep. Ron Kind, WI
Rep. John Larson, CT
Rep. Sander Levin, MI
Rep. Kendrick Meek, FL (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Rep. Richard Neal, MA
Rep. Earl Pomeroy, ND
Rep. Charles Rangel, NY
Rep. John Tanner, TN
Rep. Mike Thompson, CA
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, MD
Rep. John Yarmuth, KY (received a ranking of 4 or 5)
Minority - Republicans
Rep. Charles Boustany, LA
Rep. Kevin Brady, TX
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, FL
Rep. Dave Camp, MI (Ranking Member)
Rep. Eric Cantor, VA
Rep. Geoff Davis, KY
Rep. Dean Heller, NV
Rep. Wally Herger, CA
Rep. Sam Johnson, TX
Rep. John Linder, GA
Rep. Devin Nunes, CA
Rep. Dave Reichert, WA
Rep. Peter Roskam, IL
Rep. Patrick Tiberi, OH

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