[Nfbnet-members-list] FW: Legislative Alert-Surface Transportation Bill

David Andrews dandrews at visi.com
Sat Mar 3 05:17:55 UTC 2012


>
>Fellow Federationists:
>
>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 next 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 on 
>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:  <mailto:jhartle at nfb.org>jhartle at nfb.org
>
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