[vendtalk] Your Immediate Action is Essential

[Kevan Worley]

Greetings,

 

I am re-sending some information which you may have received on Friday.
However, it is urgent that we re-read and distribute this information to all
of our colleagues, friends and family members. We must urge them to call
Senators. Please read below, distribute and make your calls NOW!!! After I
hit 'send' I am calling my Senators again.

 

Folks, your NFB is working for you. We are trying to deal with the cut-back
in USPS sites, challenges to our DoD locations, and now the potential of
losing roadside rest areas. The time to engage is NOW. Please read below and
act.

 

Kevan Worley

Executive Director -NABM

 

Friends and Colleagues,

 

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 this week (March 5-9), considering
amendments to the Senate surface transportation bill, S. 1813.  Senator
Portman's amendment is number 1742.

 

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.

 

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 TODAY - 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!

 

Please take the following action items:

 

.        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.

 

.        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.

 

.        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.

 

.        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.

 

Jesse

 

Jesse Hartle

Government Programs Specialist

Phone:  (410) 659-9314, Ext. 2233

Email:  jhartle at nfb.org <mailto:jhartle at nfb.org%3cmailto:jhartle at nfb.org>
<mailto:jhartle at nfb.org>