[Iabs-talk] Fw: Legislative Alert-Take Action-Cosponsors Needed for NFB Silent Car Legislation

Sun Apr 13 11:10:34 CDT 2008

BlankI am resending this because I need to urge you all to visit your congressmen.  We have visited or scheduled appointments with 4 congressman.  We have NFBI members ready to visit a 5th but this leaves 80% of our congressmen not yet visited.  Please contact Syed and let him know when you are available to visit your congressman.  Syed is at 773 814 8556.  This is truly crucial.  We spend money to send our members to Washington but if we do not follow up, it is not as effective. 

Patti Gregory-Chang
President, National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
pattichang at att.net
www.nfbofillinois.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: McCarthy, Jim 
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 11:17 AM
Subject: Legislative Alert-Take Action-Cosponsors Needed for NFB Silent Car Legislation

Fellow Federationists:

            It pleases me to write to you announcing that our silent car legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.  Ed Towns, Democrat of New York, and Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, has introduced H.R. 5734, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008.  Therefore, your help is needed to gain cosponsors of this important legislation.

            This legislation assures that blind and other pedestrians will receive the information needed to make proper judgments regarding the presence of vehicles, in order that we can travel safely.  It does so by:

  a.. Requiring the Department of Transportation to convene a study within ninety days of its enactment;
  b.. Requiring the study to determine whether a minimum sound standard or some other approach will provide blind and other pedestrians the most accurate information regarding speed, location, and direction of travel for the vehicles;
  c.. Requiring that, when making this consideration, the study must evaluate the cost of each method examined, including the cost of providing all pedestrians any technology they must possess under each approach; and 
  d.. Requiring that the study consider which approach permits the greatest amount of independent spontaneous travel for blind and other pedestrians. 

            Once the study reaches its conclusions, the Department of Transportation must report its findings to Congress, and within ninety days of the study's end, the Department of Transportation must establish a vehicle safety standard that implements the results of the study.  Finally, two years after the safety standard is implemented, all new cars sold in the United States must comply.

            This legislation is under jurisdiction of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  This subcommittee and its full committee are the most important members for this bill, though we want all the members that we can get to cosponsor this legislation.  Both of our original sponsors are members of the subcommittee, and Stearns was its chair when republicans controlled the House of Representatives.

            Now that the bill has been introduced, we need cosponsors.  This is so because the attention gained will push Committee and House leadership to conduct hearings that will help us get out the message that, if solutions are not promptly found and implemented, silent cars will place the independence of blind Americans in real peril.  To help with this task, it is critical that you get your representatives to sign on to H.R. 5734.  Recall that you can reach the Capitol switchboard by calling (202) 225-3121.   I am providing lists of the subcommittee and full committee members, but you are urged to get all members of the House to join as cosponsors.  Thank you for all you do.  Let us now make a difference in assuring that we can hear cars now and in the future.

Most cordially,

James McCarthy

Government Programs Specialist

National Federation of the Blind

FULL COMMITTEE on

Energy and Commerce

John D. Dingell (MI), Chairman 

(Ratio:  31-26)

Henry A. Waxman, CA 

Joe Barton, TX, Ranking Member

Edward J. Markey, MA

Ralph M. Hall, TX

Rick Boucher, VA

Fred Upton, MI

Edolphus Towns, NY

Cliff Stearns, FL

Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ

Nathan Deal, GA

Bart Gordon, TN

Ed Whitfield, KY

Bobby L. Rush, IL

Barbara Cubin, WY

Anna G. Eshoo, CA

John Shimkus, IL

Bart Stupak, MI

Heather Wilson, NM 

Eliot L. Engel, NY

John Shadegg, AZ

Gene Green, TX

Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, MS 

Diana DeGette, CO, Vice Chair

Vito Fossella, NY 

Lois Capps, CA

Roy Blunt, MO

Mike Doyle, PA

Steve Buyer, IN

Jane Harman, CA

George Radanovich, CA

Tom Allen, ME

Joseph R. Pitts, PA 

Jan Schakowsky, IL

Mary Bono Mack, CA 

Hilda L. Solis, CA

Greg Walden, OR

Charles A. Gonzalez, TX

Lee Terry, NE

Jay Inslee, WA

Mike Ferguson, NJ

Tammy Baldwin, WI

Mike Rogers, MI

Mike Ross, AR

Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC

Darlene Hooley, OR

John Sullivan, OK

Anthony D. Weiner, NY

Tim Murphy, PA 

Jim Matheson, UT

Michael C. Burgess, TX 

G. K. Butterfield, NC

Marsha Blackburn, TN

Charlie Melancon, LA                         

John Barrow, GA                  

Baron P. Hill, IN                    

Vacancy         

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
(Ratio:  16-13)
Bobby L. Rush (IL), Chairman

Jan Schakowsky, IL, Vice Chair

Ed Whitfield, KY, Ranking Member 

G. K. Butterfield, NC

Cliff Stearns, FL 

John Barrow, GA 

Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, MS

Baron P. Hill, IN

Vito Fossella, NY

Edward J. Markey, MA

George Radanovich, CA 

Rick Boucher, VA

Joseph R. Pitts, PA

Edolphus Towns, NY

Mary Bono Mack, CA 

Diana DeGette, CO

Lee Terry, NE

Charles A. Gonzalez, TX

Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC 

Mike Ross, AR

John Sullivan, OK

Darlene Hooley, OR

Michael C. Burgess, TX

Anthony D. Weiner, NY

Marsha Blackburn, TN 

Jim Matheson, UT

Joe Barton, TX (Ex Officio) 

Charlie Melancon, LA                          

John D. Dingell (Ex Officio)                          

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I am resending this because I need to urge you all to visit your congressmen.  We have visited or scheduled appointments with 4 congressman.  We have NFBI members ready to visit a 5th but this leaves 80% of our congressmen not yet visited.  Please contact Syed and let him know when you are available to visit your congressman.  Syed is at 773 814 8556.  This is truly crucial.  We spend money to send our members to Washington but if we do not follow up, it is not as effective.

Patti Gregory-Chang
President, National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
mailto:pattichang at att.net pattichang at att.net
http://www.nfbofillinois.org www.nfbofillinois.org
----- Original Message -----
From:
mailto:JMcCarthy at nfb.org McCarthy, Jim
Sent:
Friday, April 11, 2008 11:17 AM
Subject:
Legislative Alert-Take Action-Cosponsors Needed for NFB Silent Car Legislation

Fellow Federationists:

It pleases me to write to you announcing that our silent car legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Ed Towns, Democrat of New York, and Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, has introduced H.R. 5734, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008.

Therefore, your help is needed to gain cosponsors of this important legislation.

This legislation assures that blind and other pedestrians will receive the information needed to make proper judgments regarding the presence of vehicles, in order that we can travel safely.

It does so by:
Requiring the Department of Transportation to convene a study within ninety days of its enactment;
Requiring the study to determine whether a minimum sound standard or some other approach will provide blind and other pedestrians the most accurate information regarding speed, location, and direction of travel for the vehicles;
Requiring that, when making this consideration, the study must evaluate the cost of each method examined, including the cost of providing all pedestrians any technology they must possess under each approach; and
Requiring that the study consider which approach permits the greatest amount of independent spontaneous travel for blind and other pedestrians.

Once the study reaches its conclusions, the Department of Transportation must report its findings to Congress, and within ninety days of the study’s end, the Department of Transportation must establish a vehicle safety standard that
[A]
implements
the results of the study.

Finally, two years after the safety standard is implemented, all new cars sold in the United States must comply.

This legislation is under jurisdiction of the House
Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

This subcommittee and its full committee are the most important members for this bill, though we want all the members that we can get to cosponsor this legislation.

Both of our original sponsors are members of the subcommittee, and Stearns was its chair when republicans controlled the House of Representatives.

Now that the bill has been introduced, we need cosponsors.

This is so because the attention gained will push Committee and House leadership to conduct hearings that will help us get out the message that
, if solutions are not promptly found and implemented,
 silent cars 
will
place the independence of blind Americans in real peril
.

To help with this task, it is critical that you get your representatives to sign on to H.R. 5734.

Recall that you can reach the Capitol switchboard by calling (202) 225-3121.

I am providing lists of the subcommittee and full committee members, but you are urged to get all members of the House to join as cosponsors.

Thank you for all you do.

Let us now make a difference in assuring that we can hear cars now and in the future.

Most cordially,

James McCarthy
Government Programs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind

FULL COMMITTEE
on
Energy and Commerce
John D. Dingell (MI),
Chairman
(Ratio:  31-26)
Henry A. Waxman, CA 
Joe Barton, TX,
Ranking Member
Edward J. Markey, MA
Ralph M. Hall, TX
Rick Boucher, VA
Fred Upton, MI
Edolphus Towns, NY
Cliff Stearns, FL
Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ
Nathan Deal, GA
Bart Gordon, TN
Ed Whitfield, KY
Bobby L. Rush, IL
Barbara Cubin, WY
Anna G. Eshoo, CA
John Shimkus, IL
Bart Stupak, MI
Heather Wilson, NM
Eliot L. Engel, NY
John Shadegg, AZ
Gene Green, TX
Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, MS
Diana DeGette, CO, Vice Chair
Vito Fossella, NY
Lois Capps, CA
Roy Blunt, MO
Mike Doyle, PA
Steve Buyer, IN
Jane Harman, CA
George Radanovich, CA
Tom Allen, ME
Joseph R. Pitts, PA
Jan Schakowsky, IL
Mary Bono Mack, CA
Hilda L. Solis, CA
Greg Walden, OR
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX
Lee Terry, NE
Jay Inslee, WA
Mike Ferguson, NJ
Tammy Baldwin, WI
Mike Rogers, MI
Mike Ross, AR
Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC
Darlene Hooley, OR
John Sullivan, OK
Anthony D. Weiner, NY
Tim Murphy, PA
Jim Matheson, UT
Michael C. Burgess, TX
G. K. Butterfield, NC
M
arsha Blackburn, TN
Charlie Melancon, LA

John Barrow, GA

Baron P. Hill, IN

Vacancy

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
(Ratio:  16-13)
Bobby L. Rush (IL),
Chairman
Jan Schakowsky, IL,
Vice Chair
Ed Whitfield, KY,
Ranking Member
G. K. Butterfield, NC
Cliff Stearns, FL
John Barrow, GA 
Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, MS
Baron P. Hill, IN
Vito Fossella, NY
Edward J. Markey, MA
George Radanovich, CA
Rick Boucher, VA
Joseph R. Pitts, PA
Edolphus Towns, NY
Mary Bono Mack, CA
Diana DeGette, CO
Lee Terry, NE
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX
Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC
Mike Ross, AR
John Sullivan, OK
Darlene Hooley, OR
Michael C. Burgess, TX
Anthony D. Weiner, NY
Marsha Blackburn, TN
Jim Matheson, UT
Joe Barton, TX
(Ex Officio)
Charlie Melancon, LA

John D. Dingell
(Ex Officio)

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