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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Thank you Bob for the updates! It may have been cold outside today, but things were definitely heating up inside the Capitol! The work of the movement is definitely happening, and we can’t stop now! Our elected officials know who we are and they won’t soon forget! Please continue to write your representatives and senators if you haven’t done so already, and let’s work to get these two bills across the finish line! Remember, it is a shortened session this year since it is an election year, so we can’t afford to slow down. Let’s continue the work that has been started, and let’s go build the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Scott Van Gorp, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa<br>Phone: 515-720-5282<br></span><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="mailto:svangorp@nfbi.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Email</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="http://www.nfbi.org/"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Website</span></i></a></span><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Facebook</span></i></a></span><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Twitter</span></i></a></span><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Live the life you want.<br></span></i><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><br>The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa 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.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Tall-Corn <tall-corn-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Bob Ray via Tall-Corn<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, January 16, 2024 7:49 PM<br><b>To:</b> tall-corn@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> bray@nfbi.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [Tall-Corn] LEGISLATIVE DAY SUCCESS<br><b>Importance:</b> High<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Greetings Fellow Federationists, Today was a day that those attending the Legislative Day event may remember for a very long time. As all Iowans know the weather has been less than attractive for many days here in central Iowa. We started the day with 3 participants having to take themselves out of the mix. Next, Weather related transportation issues caused four of us to be about an hour late. Wait there is more.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Eight Federationists met with employees of the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council in their office in down town Des Moines. Much of the morning was spent in discussing elections and how to improve them with staff from the Iowa Secretary Of State’s staff We have offered to work with the Secretary’s staff to find ways to improve the current situation for blind voters in Iowa. There was also a proposal for a “study” to look at the possible inclusion of blind persons in electronic voting in a limited way. We are willing to talk about it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>During lunch we discussed with the two staff members of the Iowa D. D. Council staff what we hoped to accomplish today at the Statehouse.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>About 1:00 this afternoon we went over to the Statehouse and broke up into groups to meet with various Legislators. Though many Legislators were not available we were successful in meeting with several key people. The chairman of the subcommittee that is going to be handling our accessible prescriptions bill, Senator Mark Castello, met with all of us and asked some good questions and may well have us speak at his Senate subcommittee when it meets on this bill. Also, on that same bill, Representative John Forbes and Representative David Young came to us and assured us that they take the lead on this bill in the house and work for its passage.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We did find a great deal of interest in our Mobile Voting bill too and we will see where all of that goes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>No matter how you cut it today was a success it was in no small part because of the work that Mary McGee did to make it happen. Congratulations to all of us for a hard won success. And now we will need to follow through to see things are completed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Bob Ray, Legislative Chair, NFB of IOWA<span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>Address:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>3900 76<sup>th</sup> Street<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Urbandale, IA 50322<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Email: <a href="mailto:bray@nfbi.org">bray@nfbi.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone. 515 334-7231<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Mary L. McGee</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Address: 201 Locust, #341, </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> Des Moines, IA, 50309</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Phone: 515 280-1281</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>EMAIL: <a href="mailto:mmcatitude@gmail.com">mmcatitude@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-autospace:none'>Helen Stevens <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-autospace:none'>Phone: 570 983-7867<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>EMAIL: <a href="mailto:hstevensnfb@gmail.com">hstevensnfb@gmail.com</a></span>The NFBI Legislative Committee <o:p></o:p></p></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /><table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"><tr><td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://s-install.avcdn.net/ipm/preview/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;"/></a></td><td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free.<a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a></td></tr></table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div></body></html>