[Ohio-Talk] Parental Rights Legislation

Wed Jun 23 12:50:45 UTC 2021

Hello, I would like to publicly thank the team Eric this is great news, and I cannot wait until we get this bill as part of the law. This is even more of a reason for all of you to review the email that we sent out last week asking you to take part in the board meeting that will be held in person in September starting on the 19 and all of the activity leading up to the Columbus seminar.

Dear Members of the Ohio Affiliate,
The time has finally come when we are beginning to plan in person family gatherings. That is true for our personal families as well as for our Federation family. We are doing this of course, with the understanding that Covid-19 has not gone away. What we know is that getting one of the vaccines that are now available. To us is the only way to stay safe. If you are not fully vaccinated, you should consider wearing your mask at all Federation events.
With this in mind we are now beginning to plan for an in person gathering in Columbus this fall. Our planning is only beginning, but I want to get this information to you as quickly as possible. It is now June, and some chapters will not meet in July. Therefore, we have got to begin preparing now.
Our Parental Rights bill will soon be introduced in the House and in the Senate. We are planning for a Columbus Seminar on September 20 and 21. The Board of Directors will meet in the afternoon of September 19. We are also planning a short job seekers seminar for the morning of September 20.
As I have already said, I don’t know exactly how everything will work yet, because we are in the very early planning stages. But, what I do know is that as a member of a chapter or division of the National Federation
of the Blind of Ohio, you are an integral part of who we are as an
organization, and we are relying on you to help us make these events 
successful. Use these opportunities to build your chapter and therefore to build the affiliate. 
Please read carefully the outline for the three days beginning on September 19,  as presented below. Talk
with your chapter president and let him/her know if you want to be a part of
these events and how much time you have to commit. The Board of
Directors is committed to making these events all inclusive. This means that
we will do what we can to assist with transportation, meals, and lodging,
though we will be deeply grateful for personal support for the events. We
expect anyone who agrees to participate in any or all  of the events to do so in
a way that is in accordance with the code of conduct of the National Federation of the Blind and is also engaging, respectful, consistent with the brand and values of
the National Federation of the Blind, and that will help participants grow as members of this organization. This is true regardless of whether or not we are
providing you with financial assistance. 
The Board of Directors will meet at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 19. This of
course is an open meeting, and we urge as many members who can do so to
attend.  If for travel scheduling or other logistical reasons members need
to stay at the hotel Saturday night, we will work out the details if we know
of the situation in advance. We will gather for a relaxing dinner at a local restaurant shortly after the conclusion of the meeting.
Monday begins our legislative work. The entire day of Monday, September 20,  is devoted to legislative training if that is what you are interested in. But if you are looking for a job, there will be a job seekers seminar that will run from 9:00 to noon, and at the same time  We will offer  a tour of the Ohio State House as a part of our legislative work. Lunch is on your own unless you are a part of the job seekers seminar, but once again, if you need financial assistance please be sure to discuss the matter with me in advance. 
In the afternoon you can be sure that we will have inspirational and
motivational speakers. You will get training on how to work in the Ohio
General Assembly all year long. Monday evening will be our great Gathering
In. This will include a meal appropriate for the occasion. If for any reason you have been unable to join us for the earlier activities we want you there in time for the evening activities. Again we will
do what we can to break down financial barriers to participation. Those of
you who have been a part of the Washington Seminar understand the importance
of participating in the Great Gathering In. Although we want to be as inclusive as possible, you should also
understand that by the time Tuesday morning is here, we have to be organized
and ready to hit Capitol Square running. This means that all the training
has to take place the night before.
Chapters please assist your members as much as possible. I will again say that The affiliate will also work with anyone who needs assistance.
To the degree that it is needed, we will help with the cost of
transportation and lodging. We will do so in compliance with current
affiliate policies. This means that anyone who is requesting assistance with
lodging should be prepared to share a hotel room with one to three other
people. Transportation expenses will be reimbursed if discussed with me in advance and provided that the appropriate receipts are
included with a signed expense reimbursement form.  On the next page you
will find the information we need from all members who wish to participate
In this exciting opportunity. Please begin discussing this with   your Chapter or
Division president as soon as possible.
       Thank you in advance for your dedication and continued service to
the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio! I hope to see each and every
one of you in Columbus. Let's go build the Federation!
Member Participant form
1.      Name First and Last:
2.      Mobile Phone or other (please indicate which type):
3.      Email Address:
4.      Name and phone number of emergency contact:
5.      Arrival date:
6.      Departure date:
7.      Do you need transportation assistance? If so, please describe:
8.      Do you need financial assistance with lodging? 
9.      Do you have a roommate(s)? If so, please provide names: 
10.      Are you prepared to share a room with one to three others? 
11.      Please let us know of any special needs that you have related to
sharing a room. For example, are you allergic to dogs, do you need an
accessible room? 
12.      Please let us know your meal preferences. For example, vegetarian,
kosher, no seafood: 
13.      Do you have allergies or other medical conditions that we should be
aware of? If so, please list: 
14.      If you are planning on participating in the legislative activities,
who is your state senator? 
15.      Who is your state representative?
16.      Are you able to walk long distances?
Please email your request directly to me.
Richard Payne,  President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
937-396-5573or 937/829/3368
Rchpay7 at gmail.com <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> 

Richard Payne,  President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
937/829/3368
Rchpay7 at gmail.com
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Eric Duffy via Ohio-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 9:05 PM
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Eric Duffy <peduffy63 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Ohio-Talk] Parental Rights Legislation

This is good news, and we have the Springfield and Cleveland chapters to thank.

We have companion bills, and we have not taken this approach with this legislation in the past. But, that is how we will get this legislation passed this time. We won’t do it without all of you though. Be sure your Rep. and Senator are aware of these bill numbers, and let them know you’re counting on their support.
Blind parents of today and in the future are counting on us to get this done.

Eric

> On Jun 22, 2021, at 8:54 PM, Todd Elzey via Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> The Legislative Committee is pleased to announce that we now have an 
> official Senate bill number for our parental rights legislation. The 
> bill number is S.B. 202. S.B. 202 is sponsored by Senator Bob Hackett 
> (R) from District 10, and Senator Nickie Antonio (D) District 23. S.B. 
> 202 is currently co-sponsored by Senators Andrew Brenner, Jerry 
> Cirino, Hearcel Craig, Tina Maharath, Mark Romanchuk, and Kenny Yuko.
> 
> S.B. 202 is identical to H.B. 352. Of course, we need as many 
> co-sponsors to sign on to S.B. 202 as possible so that we can get it 
> through the Senate concurrently with H.B. 352. So if you do not see 
> your Senator listed as a co-sponsor of S.B. 352 please reach out to 
> their office this week to ask that they sign on as co-sponsors.
> 
> Please let Eric or I know if you have any questions regarding these 
> bills or the process.
> 
> Todd Elzey
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