[Colorado-talk] Fw: From Jesse Hartle-Legislative Alert-Letter of Support for Talking Books

Tue Feb 26 11:10:28 CST 2008

BlankPlease urge your House of Representatives member to sign onto the letter described in the below post from our national office.
Scott C. LaBarre, Esq.

LaBarre Law Offices P.C.
1660 South Albion Street, Ste. 918
Denver, Colorado 80222
303 504-5979 (voice)
303 757-3640 (fax)
slabarre at labarrelaw.com (e-mail)
www.labarrelaw.com (website)

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the designated recipient, you may not read, copy, distribute or retain this message. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender at 303) 504-5979 or slabarre at labarrelaw.com, and destroy and delete it from your system. This message and any attachments are covered by the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2521.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Briggs, Wanda 
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:08 AM
Subject: From Jesse Hartle-Legislative Alert-Letter of Support for Talking Books

Fellow Federationists:

Congressman Edolphus Towns of New York is planning to circulate a "Dear Colleague" letter in support of full funding for the digital talking book conversion project.  As you know this initiative was one of the NFB's top priorities at the 2008 Washington Seminar.  Now we need to follow up with members of the House of Representatives and urge them to sign on to Congressman Towns' letter of support.  The Library of Congress only asked for $12.5 million to continue the digital conversion in its fiscal year 2009 budget request.  This is the same amount that was appropriated in the FY 2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill but is below the original $19.1 that the National Library Service for the Blind determined would be needed to convert the program from cassette to the new digital format.  Continual under-funding will turn what was to be a four-year project into a six-year project, at best.  

Congressman Towns' letter asks the Legislative Branch Subcommittee in the House to include not only the $19.1 million for fiscal year 2009, but asks that the Subcommittee include an additional $6.6 million to bring the program back on track for a four-year conversion.  

We had many strong reports of support on this issue during Washington Seminar, and questions about "Dear Colleague" letters.  We now have the letter and need you to contact your members in the House and ask them to join in support of the Talking Books program by signing on to Congressman Towns' letter.  We need to work hard the rest of this week to get as many cosigners on this letter as possible.  If you have a member interested in signing on to this letter, advise them to contact Dana Grayson in Congressman Towns' office.  To be connected with your member of Congress, please call the Capital switchboard at (202) 225-3121. 

 I will send out an email Friday afternoon to update you on our progress.  Thank you all in advance for your work on this important initiative to save our library.  

Cordially,

Jesse Hartle   

Government Programs Specialist

National Federation of the Blind

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Please urge your House of Representatives member to sign onto the letter described in the below post from our national office.
Scott C. LaBarre, Esq.

LaBarre Law Offices P.C.
1660 South Albion Street, Ste. 918
Denver, Colorado 80222
303 504-5979 (voice)
303 757-3640 (fax)
mailto:slabarre at labarrelaw.com slabarre at labarrelaw.com
(e-mail)
http://www.labarrelaw.com www.labarrelaw.com
(website)

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the designated recipient, you may not read, copy, distribute or retain this message. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender at 303) 504-5979 or mailto:slabarre at labarrelaw.com slabarre at labarrelaw.com
, and destroy and delete it from your system. This message and any attachments are covered by the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2521.
----- Original Message -----
From:
mailto:Wbriggs at nfb.org Briggs, Wanda
Sent:
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:08 AM
Subject:
From Jesse Hartle-Legislative Alert-Letter of Support for Talking Books
Fellow Federationist
s
:

Congressman Edolphus Towns of New York is planning to circulate a "Dear Colleague" letter in support of full funding for the digital talking book conversion project.

As you know this initiative was one of the NFB’s top priorities at the 2008 Washington Seminar.

Now we need to follow up with members of the House of Representatives and urge them to sign on to Congressman Towns’ letter of support.

The Library of Congress only asked for $12.5 million to continue the digital conversion in its fiscal year 2009 budget request.

This is the same amount that was appropriated in the FY 2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill but is below the original $19.1 that the National Library Service for the Blind determined would be needed to convert the program from cassette to the new digital format.

Continual under-funding will turn what was to be a four-year project into a six-year project, at best.

Congressman Towns’ letter asks the Legislative Branch Subcommittee in the House to include not only the $19.1 million for fiscal year 2009, but asks that the Subcommittee include an additional $6.6 million to bring the program back on track for a four-year conversion.

We had many strong reports of support on this issue during Washington Seminar, and questions about "Dear Colleague" letters.

We now have the letter and need you to contact your members in the House and ask them to join in support of the Talking Books program by signing on to Congressman Towns’ letter.

We need to work hard the rest of this week to get as many cosigners on this letter as possible.

If you have a member interested in signing on to this letter, advise them to contact Dana Grayson in Congressman Towns’ office.

To be connected with your member of Congress, please call the Capital switchboard at (202) 225-3121.

I will send out an email Friday afternoon to update you on our progress.

Thank you all in advance for your work on this important initiative to save our library.

Cordially,

Jesse Hartle

Government Programs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind

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