[New-hampshire-students] Fw: From Jim McCarthy - Updates from the 2008 Washington Seminar

[Marie Johnson]

BlankHello group, 
Although we got no solid commitments to co-sponsor these bills,from any of our wonderful reps, I believe we can count on Rep. Shea-Porter and Sen. Sununu for the greatest amount of help.  
If possible, please try to notify them while they are on home ground and let's make a plan to give each other the low-down after contacting them.
If you would like to get together first, either by phone or in person, with me and or any of the Board, to discuss talking points, call me and we'll see what we can set up.
Until then, here is the letter of concern for your reading pleasure!!
From: McCarthy, Jim
 
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 5:05 PM
Subject: Updates from the 2008 Washington Seminar


Fellow Federationists,

 

Let me begin by thanking those of you who were able to be at the 2008 Washington Seminar for a very successful time in our Nation's Capitol.  Here are several updates that will help you as you continue to advocate for the agenda we set at the Washington Seminar.

 

-- Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act - Our legislation to raise the amount blind people can earn before losing SSDI benefits is in both houses of Congress.  The bill number in the House is H.R. 3834, and the bill number in the Senate is S. 2559.  Many of you received commitments from your members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation.  I need you to follow up with all who you believed would cosponsor this legislation, to assure that they actually do so.  Therefore, I will attach the latest list of cosponsors so that you know which members who agreed to cosponsor actually followed through.

 

-- Quiet Cars - As you now know, we seek a minimum sound standard for vehicles in order that blind and other pedestrians can make the essential judgments required to travel safely.  While at Washington Seminar, Congressman Edolphus Towns of New York, an orientation and mobility instructor prior to his distinguished congressional career, agreed to take the lead on this legislation.  I provided him a draft and his staff is reviewing it at this time.  The chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation pledged to hold a hearing concerning this issue and that office also has the draft bill for consideration.  I fully expect to be announcing a bill number soon for this legislation.

 

Once a bill has been introduced, we must make the case that it is necessary.  To help with this task, an e-mail has been created for those of you who can to send stories of your encounters with quiet cars.  The email address is quietcarstories at nfb.org.  I encourage each and every 

one of you who has such a story to send it to the above address with information sufficient to allow us to contact you.  If your friends have stories, please urge them to send their stories to quietcarstories at nfb.org.

 

-- Full Funding for Digital Talking Books Conversion - The final issue considered at Washington Seminar was our push for full funding of the conversion of analog talking books to digital talking books and replacement of the cassette players and tapes with digital players and flash cartridges.  We seek the $19.1 million that the library needs for the second year of the project, as well as the $6.6 million Congress failed to provide for the first year, for a total of $25.7 million.  At Washington Seminar we did not know the amount the Library of Congress would request in its budget, but we believed the library would only request the $12.5 million it received last year.  Our concerns have been confirmed, which makes our job of seeking the entire amount difficult, but by no means impossible.  This is the kind of battle we relish and we will not shrink from it.  We know that full funding is necessary or blind people will certainly be left without books to read or machines on which to read them.  You can expect more information on our strategy as it is developed.

 

Members of Congress are about to go on their President's Day recess.  As a result, many of them should be in their districts next week.  To enhance the chance that our legislation is enacted during this second session of Congress, you need to meet the members and remind them of their commitments to you at the Washington Seminar, or if you did not see them, please get commitments from them.  Meeting the members in their districts makes a powerful statement of your interest in the issues and improves the odds that they will do what is needed.

 

Thank you for your hard work.  To those who were unable to join us in Washington, as we dig into the follow-up work, you can also help us accomplish our objectives, and I have no doubt that you will.

 

Cordially,

 

James D. McCarthy

Government Programs Specialist

National Federation of the Blind

 

JDM/wmb

 

Attachment





Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act

H.R. 3834

Cosponsors

110th       2008

 

AR

Representative Mike Ross

 

CA

Representative Linda Sanchez

Representative Bob Filner

 

GA

Representative John Lewis

Representative Sanford Bishop

 

IA

Representative Bruce Braley

Representative Leonard Boswell

 

IL

Representative Philip Hare

Representative Danny Davis

 

IN

Representative Peter Visclosky

 

KS

Representative Dennis Moore

 

MN

Representative James Oberstar

 

NJ

Representative Rush Holt

 

NY

Representative Edolphus Towns

 

 

OH

Representative Timothy Ryan

 

PA

Representative Robert Brady

 

TN

Representative Steve Cohen

Representative Lincoln Davis

 

TX

Representative Ron Paul

 

VA

Representative Bobby Scott

Representative Frank Wolf

 

VT

Representative Peter Welch

 

WA

Representative Jim McDermott

 

 

 

Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act

S. 2559

Cosponsors

110th       2008

AZ

Senator John McCain

 

CT

Senator Christopher Dodd

 

VA

Senator John Warner

 

ME

Senator Susan Collins

 

 


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Hello group,
Although we got no solid commitments to co-sponsor these bills,from any of our wonderful reps, I believe we can count on Rep. Shea-Porter and Sen. Sununu for the greatest amount of help.  
If possible, please try to notify them while they are on home ground and let's make a plan to give each other the low-down after contacting them.
If you would like to get together first, either by phone or in person, with me and or any of the Board, to discuss talking points, call me and we'll see what we can set up.
Until then, here is the letter of concern for your reading pleasure!!
From:
McCarthy, Jim
 
Sent:
Thursday, February 14, 2008 5:05 PM
Subject:
Updates from the 2008 Washington Seminar
Fellow Federationists,
 
Let me begin by thanking those of you who were able to be at the 2008 Washington Seminar for a very successful time in our Nation’s Capitol.
 
Here are several updates that will help you as you continue to advocate for the agenda we set at the Washington Seminar.
 
-- Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act - Our legislation to raise the amount blind people can earn before losing SSDI benefits is in both houses of Congress.
 
The bill number in the House is H.R. 3834, and the bill number in the Senate is S. 2559.
 
Many of you received commitments from your members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation.
 
I need you to follow up with all who you believed would cosponsor this legislation, to assure that they actually do so.
 
Therefore, I will attach the latest list of cosponsors so that you know which members who agreed to cosponsor actually followed through.
 
-- Quiet Cars - As you now know, we seek a minimum sound standard for vehicles in order that blind and other pedestrians can make the essential judgments required to travel safely.
 
While at Washington Seminar, Congressman Edolphus Towns of New York, an orientation and mobility instructor prior to his distinguished congressional career, agreed to take the lead on this legislation.
 
I provided him a draft and his staff is reviewing it at this time.
 
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation pledged to hold a hearing concerning this issue and that office also has the draft bill for consideration.
 
I fully expect to be announcing a bill number soon for this legislation.
 
Once a bill has been introduced, we must make the case that it is necessary.
 
To help with this task, an e-mail has been created for those of you who can to send stories of your encounters with quiet cars.
 
The email address is
mailto:quietcarstories at nfb.org
quietcarstories at nfb.org
.
 
I encourage each and every
one of you who has such a story to send it to the above address with information sufficient to allow us to contact you.
 
If your friends have stories, please urge them to send their stories to
mailto:quietcarstories at nfb.org
quietcarstories at nfb.org
.
 
-- Full Funding for Digital Talking Books Conversion - The final issue considered at Washington Seminar was our push for full funding of the conversion of analog talking books to digital talking books and replacement of the cassette players and tapes with digital players and flash cartridges.
 
We seek the $19.1 million that the library needs for the second year of the project, as well as the $6.6 million Congress failed to provide for the first year, for a total of $25.7 million.
 
At Washington Seminar we did not know the amount the Library of Congress would request in its budget, but we believed the library would only request the $12.5 million it received last year.
 
Our concerns have been confirmed, which makes our job of seeking the entire amount difficult, but by no means impossible.
 
This is the kind of battle we relish and we will not shrink from it.
 
We know that full funding is necessary or blind people will certainly be left without books to read or machines on which to read them.
 
You can expect more information on our strategy as it is developed.
 
Members of Congress are about to go on their President’s Day recess.
 
As a result, many of them should be in their districts next week.
 
To enhance the chance that our legislation is enacted during this second session of Congress, you need to meet the members and remind them of their commitments to you at the Washington Seminar, or if you did not see them, please get commitments from them.
 
Meeting the members in their districts makes a powerful statement of your interest in the issues and improves the odds that they will do what is needed.
 
Thank you for your hard work.
 
To those who were unable to join us in Washington, as we dig into the follow-up work, you can also help us accomplish our objectives, and I have no doubt that you will.
 
Cordially,
 
James D. McCarthy
Government Programs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
 
JDM/
wmb
 
Attachment
 
 
Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act
H.R. 3834
Cosponsors
110th
      
2008
 
AR
Representative Mike Ross
 
CA
Representative Linda Sanchez
Representative Bob Filner
 
GA
Representative John Lewis
Representative Sanford Bishop
 
IA
Representative Bruce Braley
Representative Leonard Boswell
 
IL
Representative Philip Hare
Representative Danny Davis
 
IN
Representative Peter Visclosky
 
KS
Representative Dennis Moore
 
MN
Representative James Oberstar
 
NJ
Representative Rush Holt
 
NY
Representative Edolphus Towns
 
 
OH
Representative Timothy Ryan
 
PA
Representative Robert Brady
 
TN
Representative Steve Cohen
Representative Lincoln Davis
 
TX
Representative Ron Paul
 
VA
Representative Bobby Scott
Representative Frank Wolf
 
VT
Representative Peter Welch
 
WA
Representative Jim McDermott
 
 
 
Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act
S. 2559
Cosponsors
110th
      
2008
AZ
Senator John McCain
 
CT
Senator Christopher Dodd
 
VA
Senator John Warner
 
ME
Senator Susan Collins
 
 
 
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