[nfb-talk] House Said to Remove Hall Clutter

[dmgina]

Gosh,
Maybe someone should come check our doctors office.
There is lots of clutter in the halls.
Don't know how everyone gets around it all.

--Dar
www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/5779
Every Saint has a past
Every Sinner has a future

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "McCarthy, Jim" <JMcCarthy at nfb.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:45 PM
Subject: [nfb-talk] House Said to Remove Hall Clutter


> Hello,
>
>
>
> I found this article rather amusing.  Though the NFB is not named
> specifically, I think we all know who it was they were talking about, and
> personally, my group and I found the easels advertising political 
> positions
> on the stimulus plan to be quite in line with public perceptions of 
> Capitol
> Hill and Washington in general.  Get rid of the unnecessary desks, but 
> keep
> the political spirit of Congress, I say.
>
>
>
> Joe Orozco
>
>
>
> House Set To Remove Hall Clutter.
>
> By Elizabeth Brotherton, ROLL CALL STAFF.
>
>
>
> Signage and furniture sitting in Congressional hallways created obstacles
> for a number of disabled people who came to lobby on Capitol Hill this 
> week,
> as advocates tripped and bumped into furnishings while on their way to
> offices and hearing rooms.. But a change in House policy could soon make
> things much easier for the disabled on on Capitol Hill, where corridors 
> are
> often filled with old committee tables, stacks of chairs and easels 
> holding
> a variety of large laminated signs.. Jointly proposed in the fall by House
> Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.) and ranking member Vernon
> Ehlers (R-Mich.), the new hallway policy seeks to improve House compliance
> with the requirements included in the Americans with Disabilities Act..
> Under the proposal, House offices would not be allowed to place or store
> items within a hallway or exit access, including equipment and furnishings
> such as signs, tables, easels, carpets and pedestals.. Anything placed in
> the hallway will be "presumed to be excess" and removed, according to the
> proposal, a copy of which was obtained by Roll Call.. These items would be
> held by the Chief Administrative Officer for three days and then disposed 
> of
> if not claimed. Temporary, extended and long-term storage would be 
> available
> for certain items.. The plan is waiting approval by the House Office
> Building Commission, of which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority
> Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) are
> members.. The HOBC is considering the bipartisan [House Administration]
> recommendations that address hallway accessibility and safety issues,"
> Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said Wednesday.. House Administration
> spokesman Kyle Anderson said that committee members expect the building
> commission to approve new regulations "in the near future. The problems
> created this week by signage and furniture weren't a surprise to Mariana
> Nork, a spokeswoman for the D.C. -based American Association of People 
> with
> Disabilities.. There's always people with disabilities up on the Hill, and
> people are always having difficulties," she said, adding that her group 
> has
> long lobbied for a policy of "no tables in the hallways, no signage, no 
> coat
> racks. The signage on the hill is horrible," Nork said. It's a tremendous
> barrier. ... It's extremely difficult to get around. Nork noted that when
> her group holds events on Capitol Hill, it must be careful that the
> locations picked are suited for the disabled, not only by clearing out
> nearby hallways but also by ensuring close access to handicapped 
> restrooms..
> An Ehlers spokeswoman said the struggles that the disabled regularly face 
> on
> Capitol Hill offer proof that the new policy should be implemented.. Fire
> and life-safety conditions need to be a top priority to ensure the safety 
> of
> not only Members and staff, but also visitors," spokeswoman Salley Collins
> said. We hope that the Speaker will take these policies under immediate
> consideration. A Democratic aide noted that this is not the first time 
> such
> recommendations have been made to the HOBC; a similar proposal was issued
> during the Republican-controlled 109th Congress but never approved.. House
> Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood, Chief Fire Marshal Kenneth Lauziere and
> Capitol Police Chief Phillip Morse endorsed the plan in September.. In his
> Sept. 26 letter recommending that hallways be cleared of "unnecessary
> obstructions," Morse writes that hallways already are narrow and crowded
> during the day, which would impede an evacuation.. In the event of an
> emergency, any objects, which obstruct the free flow of people or create a
> tripping hazard, are a serious impediment to a timely and successful
> evacuation," Morse writes in the letter.. The House is not the only 
> chamber
> seeking to improve disability access on Capitol Hill.. Sen. Mike Enzi
> (R-Wyo.) distributed a guide last week that outlines ways for Members to
> make their offices more accessible to disabled staffers and visitors.. And
> although problems remain, officials say things have improved for the
> disabled on Capitol Hill in recent years.. For example, an October 2007
> Office of Compliance report found that after years of undeveloped plans,
> officials had developed emergency evacuation procedures for the disabled..
>
>
>
>
>
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