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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=dandrews@visi.com href="mailto:dandrews@visi.com">David Andrews</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org">nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 03, 2012 0:17</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Nfbnet-members-list] FW: Legislative Alert-Surface
TransportationBill</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"><BR>Fellow
Federationists:<BR> <BR>I am writing to update you on a potential threat
to the Randolph-Sheppard program. Congressman LaTourette and Senator
Portman of Ohio are planning to offer amendments to the House and Senate
versions of the surface transportation bill. Their amendments would
allow states to commercialize rest areas on federal highways and
interstates. It appears that the Senate is going to take the first
action early next week (March 5-9), considering amendments to the Senate
surface transportation bill, S. 1813. Senator Portman’s amendment is
number 1742. <BR> <BR>Currently, many blind vendors operate vending
machines at interstate rest areas throughout the country. If
commercialization is allowed, these blind vendors stand a great chance of
losing their livelihoods. We must educate our members of Congress about
the impact of commercialization on blind vendors. <BR> <BR>I will
be updating this issue as information becomes available; however, we are
asking you to take immediate action to defeat this threat to the
Randolph-Sheppard program. It is essential that we make as many calls as
possible on Monday, March 5, 2012. Please see the action items listed
below, and contact me with any questions. I have included my contact
information at the end of this message. Thank you all very much in
advance for your work on this issue! <BR> <BR>Please take the
following action items: <BR> <BR><FONT face=Wingdings size=2>§</FONT>
<FONT face="Times New Roman, Times"
size=1> </FONT>Call your
senators and urge them to oppose amendment number 1742 to the surface
transportation bill, S. 1813. You can be connected to your senators by
calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121.<BR> <BR><FONT
face=Wingdings size=2>§</FONT> <FONT face="Times New Roman, Times"
size=1> </FONT>Call Senator
Portman (202-224-3353), and urge him to withdraw his amendment number 1742 to
the Senate transportation bill, S. 1813; we must tell his office that this
would negatively impact vendors in the Randolph-Sheppard program.
<BR> <BR><FONT face=Wingdings size=2>§</FONT> <FONT
face="Times New Roman, Times"
size=1> </FONT>Call Senator
Harry Reid (202-224-3542), Senate Majority Leader, and urge him to refuse to
allow Senator Portman’s amendment number 1742 to be considered during debate
on S. 1813 because of the negative impact to blind vendors that would result
from this amendment. <BR> <BR><FONT face=Wingdings size=2>§</FONT>
<FONT face="Times New Roman, Times"
size=1> </FONT>Call Senator
Barbara Boxer (202-224-3553), Chairman of the Senate Committee on the
Environment and Public Works, and urge her to oppose any amendment to S. 1813
that calls for commercialization on federal highways and interstates because
of the negative impact to blind vendors.
<BR> <BR>Jesse<BR> <BR> <BR>Jesse Hartle<BR>Government Programs
Specialist<BR>Phone: (410) 659-9314, Ext. 2233<BR>Email: <A
href="mailto:jhartle@nfb.org">jhartle@nfb.org</A><BR><FONT
face="Book Antiqua, Bookman" size=2> </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
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