[Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Action Needed: WIA
Sloan, Rose
rsloan at nfb.org
Fri Mar 28 20:37:06 UTC 2014
Fellow Federationists:
I write to ask you to immediately contact your
Representatives who are on the House Education
and Workforce Committee regarding the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA). This bill is currently
being pre-conferenced which means the House and
Senate are working to resolve the differences
between the two versions of the bills.
As you know, we are adamantly opposed to Section
511 of Title V and the transfer of the
Rehabilitation Services Administration to the
Department of Labor, which are in the Senate
version of WIA. Now is the time to urge House
members of the Education and Workforce committee
to voice their objections to these two provisions.
Here is a call script that you can use when
contacting your Representatives.Please call as
soon as possible, but no later than by next Friday:
Hi! My name is ________. It is my understanding
that discussions are being held to resolve
differences between the House and Senate versions
of the Workforce Investment Act. Since
Representative ________ is on the Education and
Workforce committee, I am calling to voice my
objection to Section 511 of S. 1356, which
endorses segregated subminimum wage training and
employment. I am also concerned with the language
that diminishes the quality of rehabilitation
services by transferring the Rehabilitation
Services Administration from the Department of
Education to the Department of Labor. I urge
Representative _________ to ensure that these
sections are removed before the WIA language is finalized. Thank you!
If you are asked for the House companion bill number, it is H.R. 803.
Below is a list of Representatives who are on the
Education and Workforce Committee. If your state
does not have a member on the committee, please
contact Chairman Kline (R, MN). We need him to
know how important this issue is to us. His
office phone number is: <tel:(202)%20225-2271>(202) 225-2271.
Arizona, Matt Salmon, <tel:(202)%20225-2635>(202) 225-2635
Arizona, Raúl Grijalva, <tel:(202)%20225-2435>(202) 225-2435
California, Duncan D. Hunter, <tel:(202)%20225-5672>(202) 225-5672
California, Howard "Buck" McKeon,<tel:(202)%20225-1956>(202) 225-1956
California, George Miller, <tel:(202)%20225-2095>(202) 225-2095
California, Susan Davis, <tel:(202)%20225-2040>(202) 225-2040
Colorado, Jared Polis, <tel:(202)%20225-2161>(202) 225-2161
Connecticut, Joe Courtney, <tel:(202)%20225-2076>(202) 225-2076
Florida, Frederica Wilson, <tel:(202)%20225-4506>(202) 225-4506
Georgia, Tom Price,<tel:(202)%20225-4501>(202) 225-4501
Indiana, Larry Bucshon, <tel:(202)%20225-4636>(202) 225-4636
Indiana, Luke Messer, <tel:(202)%20225-3021>(202) 225-3021
Indiana, Susan Brooks, <tel:(202)%20225-2276>(202) 225-2276
Indiana, Todd Rokita, <tel:(202)%20225-5037>(202) 225-5037
Iowa, David Loebsack <tel:(202)%20225-6576>(202) 225-6576
Kentucky, Brett Guthrie, <tel:(202)%20225-3501>(202) 225-3501
Massachusetts, John Tierney, <tel:(202)%20225-8020>(202) 225-8020
Michigan, Tim Walberg, <tel:(202)%20225-6276>(202) 225-6276
Minnesota, John Kline, <tel:(202)%20225-2271>(202) 225-2271
Nevada Joe Heck,<tel:(202)%20225-3252>(202) 225-3252
New Jersey, Rush D. Holt, Jr., <tel:(202)%20225-5801>(202) 225-5801
New York, Carolyn McCarthy, <tel:(202)%20225-5516>(202) 225-5516
New York, Timothy Bishop, <tel:(202)%20225-3826>(202) 225-3826
North Carolina, Richard Hudson,<tel:(202)%20225-3715>(202) 225-3715
North Carolina, Virginia Foxx, <tel:(202)%20225-2071>(202) 225-2071
Northern Mariana Islands, Gregorio âKililiâ
Sablan,<tel:(202)%20225-2646>(202) 225-2646
Ohio, Marcia Fudge, <tel:(202)%20225-7032>(202) 225-7032
Oregon, Suzanne Bonamici, <tel:(202)%20225-0855>(202) 225-0855
Pennsylvania, Glenn "G.T." Thompson, <tel:(202)%20225-5121>(202) 225-5121
Pennsylvania, Lou Barletta, <tel:(202)%20225-6511>(202) 225-6511
South Carolina, Joe Wilson, <tel:(202)%20225-2452>(202) 225-2452
South Carolina, Trey Gowdy, <tel:(202)%20225-6030>(202) 225-6030
Tennessee, Phil Roe, <tel:(202)%20225-6356>(202) 225-6356
Tennessee, Scott DesJarlais, <tel:(202)%20225-6831>(202) 225-6831
Texas, Kenny Marchant, <tel:(202)%20225-6605>(202) 225-6605
Texas, Rubén Hinojosa, <tel:(202)%20225-2531>(202) 225-2531
Virginia, Bobby Scott, <tel:(202)%20225-8351>(202) 225-8351
Wisconsin, Tom Petri, <tel:(202)%20225-2476>(202) 225-2476
Wisconsin, Mark Pocan, <tel:(202)%20225-2906>(202) 225-2906
Feel free to e-mail, fax, and tweet your
Representatives as well, but this is a supplement
to the calls, not a substitute. See below for a sample letter.
Thank you for taking just a few minutes to make
these calls. Together, we can ensure that WIA
will continue to help people with disabilities
achieve the competitive integrated employment we strive for.
Best,
Rose
March XX, 2014
Dear Representative__________:
I am writing to express serious concerns with two
specific provisions under debate as part of
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization
legislation. I am opposed to the following two
provisions, which will be extremely detrimental
to individuals with disabilities who are eligible
for the individualized services and supports
provided by highly skilled rehabilitation
counselors in the Vocational Rehabilitation program.
§ Section 511, related to employment of
individuals with disabilities at a subminimum wage and
§ The proposed move of the Rehabilitation
Services Administration (RSA) from the Department
of Education (DOE) to the Department of Labor (DOL).
These proposals are steps in the wrong direction
at a time when it is critical to support career
development and self-sufficiency for individuals
with disabilities. While these provisions
originated in the Senate bill (S.1356),
pre-conferencing is underway between the House
and Senate Committee staff, and it is critical
that the House stand firm in opposition to both of these provisions.
Section 511 will strengthen and give legitimacy
to the flawed subminimum wage system and is based
on the false premise that people with
disabilities cannot be competitively employed.
This policy proposal faces strong opposition from
the community it is meant to serve. The language
endorses the practice of using subminimum wage
environments for training or employment, and does
not meet the intended goal of reducing the number
of young people tracked into subminimum wage work environments.
Individuals who are tracked into these
environments remain there ninety-five percent of
the time and are dependent on government
subsidies and other state income supports for the rest of their lives.
The proposed move of RSA to DOL is entirely
inconsistent with efforts to improve and increase
services to young people transitioning from
school to postsecondary educattion or careers.
Efforts should be focused on increasing
collaboration and partnerships in the DOE between
RSA and the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP), in order to improve transition services,
as opposed to moving RSA to DOL where this focus
would be lost. There is no data to indicate that
moving the RSA from the DOE to the DOL would
improve employment outcomes for individuals with
disabilities, particularly those individuals with
the most significant disabilities, including transition youth.
Since the 1992 Amendments to the Rehabilitation
Act, State VR Agencies have focused on providing
community based services and assuring that all
individuals with disabilities determined eligible
for VR Services have the opportunity to pursue
competitive employment in an integrated setting.
Opening the door to sheltered employment takes
the VR Program and the people they serve
backwards. It would undermine the forward
progress and success that the program has
achieved over the years in pursuing competitive,
integrated employment for VR consumers.
There are far better ways to help ensure that
individuals with disabilities can be productive
without Section 511, and I believe strengthening
VR within the DOE is the best approach to
securing access to competitive employment
opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
I urge you strike these two controversial
provisions from the final WIA reauthorization package.
Sincerely,
Your contact information.
Rose Sloan
Government Affairs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
<mailto:Rsloan at nfb.org>Rsloan at nfb.org
Sent from my iPhone
________
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