[Tall-Corn] Legislative Update - December 19, 2017

Wed Dec 20 04:49:59 UTC 2017

Good evening all,

I am forwarding the below message from John ParÃ to the list, because the
work we have done has helped, but we still need your support. As we prepare
to attend the 2018 Washington Seminar, I will be reaching out to you all to
call your member of Congress and our senators to help us when the team is
talking with them in DC. Please see John’s remarks below.    

Dear Fellow Federationists:

The House of Representatives passed the conferenced version of the Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act this afternoon. The Senate is expected to pass it this evening.
President Trump is expected to sign it into law by the end of the week.

The good news is the additional standard deduction for the blind was
included in the bill. This means that a blind person filing single or head
of household will get an additional $1,550 deduction. A blind person filing
married will get an additional $1,250 deduction, and two blind spouses
filing jointly will get an additional $2,500 deduction.

This provision would not have been preserved if it had not been for your
advocacy. Thanks to everyone for sending emails and making phone calls.

While we had hoped the Access Technology Affordability Act would be merged
into the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, our bill sponsors are still fully committed
to passage of our legislation. We need to continue to build cosponsors on
the House and Senate bills (H.R. 1734 and S. 732).

As far as the impact the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on the federal
deficit, there is still great concern. Some analysts predict an additional
$1.5 trillion of federal debt, while others believe that increased economic
activity will offset any additional debt. Our concern is that increased
federal debt could lead to automatic spending cuts mandated by the Budget
Control Act of 2011. We will need to keep a close watch and be ready to
advocate against any cuts to vocational rehabilitation, IDEA, Medicaid,
Medicare, or SSDI.

For those attending Washington Seminar, please remember we are only fourteen
days away from the deadline to make hotel reservations at the Holiday Inn
Capitol. That means that we are only forty-one days away from the Great
Gathering-In and the official start of the 2018 Washington Seminar. You can
make your reservations online by visiting the Holiday Inn Capitol
<http://ichotelsgroup.com/redirect?path=rates&brandCode=HI&regionCode=1&loca
leCode=en&GPC=FB8&hotelCode=WASSM&_PMID=99801505> ’s reservations portal
which will already include our group code, or by calling the Holiday Inn
Capitol directly. The telephone number to call is 1 877-572-6951, and the
booking code to reference is FB8. The 2018 room rate is $192.00 per night.
This rate does not include DC sales tax, currently 14.8%. The last day to
make your room reservations is Tuesday, January 2, 2018, so please make your
reservations as soon as possible.

More information regarding our 2018 legislative priorities, fact sheets, and
FAQs is forthcoming. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any
questions.

Warm regards,
John

John G. ParÃ© Jr. 
Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy 
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314, extension 2218 | jpare at nfb.org 

 <https://nfb.org/> National Federation of the Blind

<http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind> Facebook
<https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice> Twitter
<https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind> Youtube

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

---
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