[Tall-Corn] NFBI Legislative Goals For 2024

Tue Nov 28 15:11:50 UTC 2023

Craig, You are right that some pharmacies are using script talk, some are using their own but most are not using anything. This law is to provide the basis for making these services available to all. Incidentally, Cindy and I have used script talk for the past fifteen years or so and it needs our needs. What happens when your pharmacy decides not to support it any more? Well, you go look for one that does and there are not too many choices. That happened to us in the past year and it took a couple of months to get things straightened out to our satisfaction. 

A bill much like the one we are proposing has been passed now in several states and hopefully several more will be done this year.

Thanks for showing your interest in this bill.

Bob

From: Tall-Corn <tall-corn-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Craig Deichmann via Tall-Corn
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2023 9:53 PM
To: NFB of Iowa Internet Mailing List <tall-corn at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Craig Deichmann <craig.deichmann at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tall-Corn] NFBI Legislative Goals For 2024

We have accessible labeling for prescriptions in the State Of Iowa already. I have been using it for the last three years. It is called Scriptalk.

Craig

On Nov 27, 2023, at 8:58 PM, Bob Ray via Tall-Corn <tall-corn at nfbnet.org <mailto:tall-corn at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

Greetings, 

Remember back to our State Convention and we talked about the goals of the NFBI for this upcoming legislative season. We said that there would most likely be two major legislative one for getting a law passed for accessible prescriptions and one to get mobile voting for the blind of Iowa. At that same convention we passed a resolution supporting the idea requiring pharmacies to make accessible labelling available for prescriptions. Several states have done this and our time is now. Senator Nate Bolton was with us at the convention he said he would be glad to help us get  that legislation going. Since then we have provided Senator Bolton and Senator Bisignano as well as Representative John Forbes with a proposed bill that would meet our needs. They have submitted it to the Legislative Service Bureau and it is currently being prepared for introduction.

The second goal of course was to continue our attempts to bring mobile voting to Iowa and that it needs to be accessible. At the same time we also need to find ways to improve the voting at the polling places on election day. This means that we need to find ways to help the counties make sure their accessible machines are properly installed and set up. Mary McGee and I hope to be going to visit with Secretary of State, Paul Pate to find ways to accomplish these things. The law of course is clear that Secretary Pate has the authority to make things happen. He has talked to the NFBI in the past that he would rather see the Legislature pass a law introducing the mobile voting since he feels that would be cleaner. He has also stated publicly that he doesn’t believe we need mobile voting for blind persons in this state.  

Two years ago three legislators got a bill introduced to get mobile voting in Iowa. They stopped a bit short of where we wish to go in that the ballots from this mobile voting would need to be done on paper ballots that would need to be processed in the same manner as all other absentee ballots. That doesn’t solve the accessibility issue completely but it is a step in the right direction. Here are  a few facts about Mobile voting that may surprise you.

In the 2020 elections nationally over fifty percent of the ballots cast were cast by mobile voting. The estimates are that this year may even be higher. 

Next, more and more states are signing on for this type of voting and in a few of them we have been able to get people with disabilities included as people that may make use of them.

Many people are concerned about the safeguards that are available for electronic voting. In many states where they have been allowing people in the military to use this method for some years the safeguards have met or surpassed those for paper ballots.

You will remember at state convention that Senator Nate Bolton told us that if want a legislator to sponsor or at least support a bill they much prefer to hear from their own constituents. This means that Mary McGee and I, and others may spend some effort trying to get legislators interested in sponsoring and supporting a bill like this but if we wan to get it passed all of us need to contact our own legislators, one Representative and one senator and talk to them about why it is important that this bill be introduced     and passed for this year’s election. 

So far the legislators that have been willing to help us are all Democrats. That does not mean that the Republicans will not support us, it means thatwe we haven’t been able to get to the ones that will. Remember that this year’s Legislature is mostly Republican and they can make the difference. We have always had good bipartisan support and this year should be no exception. 

All bills introduced into the Iowa Legislature are assigned to committees. Both of these bill will most likely be assigned to the State Government Committee. What we need for each of you to do is contact your Representative and Senator  to ask them in your own words to support both of these bills.  Let them know why it is important to you. It would also be helpful if you would tell them that the Legislative Committee of the NFB of Iowa will be getting in touch with them and that you support what our committee is telling them. 

You have never come to the Iowa Legislature and met legislators? Well, it is of course best if you can at least talk to them on the phone in the next few weeks before they come to Des Moines so that you can explain why these things are important. What happens shortly after the legislative session starts? On January 16th the NFBI is going to have a day at the Iowa Legislature and the Iowa Disability Council has made us a grant to help people get to that event. In the morning you will be able to learn about legislative process and in the afternoon you should make appointments to see your Representative and your Senator. More details on this event will be coming out shortly.

We of course also know that budget matters and possibly other thins related to the Iowa Department For The Blind may well come up and we will need to be watching them too.

Please, everyone we need your help to get our goals through the Iowa   Legislature and we also have an opportunity here this year to see the Legislature in action. If you have any questions feel free to contact either of the members of the NFBI Legislative Committee. Convince your Legislators that is important that blind persons have the rights of being first classed citizens in Iowa. Call on us any time for answers to your questions.

Bob Ray, Legislative Chair NFBI    

Email: bray at nfbi.org <mailto:bray at nfbi.org> 

Phone. 515 334-7231

Mary L. McGee

Address: 201 Locust, #341, 

          Des Moines, IA, 50309

Phone:  515 280-1281

EMIAL: mmcatitude at gmail.com <mailto:mmcatitude at gmail.com> 

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