[nfbwatlk] WTBBL Bills

[Mike Freeman]

Greetings, Fellow Federationists.

The House Capital Budget Committee met this morning, the final day for 
bills to come out of comittee, and did not vote out HB-2058, the House 
version of the bill transferring the Washington Talking Book and Braille 
Library's building to state ownership. HB-2058 is, therefore, dead for 
this session. Likewise, SB-5911, the Senate version, is also dead for 
this session. However, our effort has not been in vain. We have much 
good will in the legislature and the issue of the future of the WTBBL 
building and of funding for WTBBL is definitely on the legislature's 
radar screen. Moreover, we have served notice to the city of Seattle 
that blind consumers cannot be ignored.

The budget proposed by the Secretary of State and the Washington State 
Library is still very much alive. It would provide funding for 
transition of operation by WTBBL to the Washington State Library and 
proposes increased funding such that WTBBL would no longer have to use 
gift funds to make up budgetary shortfalls. The time will shortly come 
when it wil be in order to contact your local legislators, urging them 
to support the Secretary of State's WTBBL budget proposal. Additionally, 
the Secretary of State and Washington State Library are proposing to 
negotiate with the city of Seattle to ensure that the WTBBL building 
continues to be used by and for WTBBL and its patrons. I will shortly 
post material giving the arcana of WSL's proposal to Seattle. Suffice it 
to say here that the proposal would bring the status of the building and 
who operates and has title to what (parking places and the like) back to 
what they were when we fought for the legislation and money to renovate 
the building for WTBBL in 1993. It would be a win-win situation for all 
including WTBBL staff in that they would again be able to use the 
parking facilities in the building (Seattle has quietly taken these over 
for use by the police precinct). The proposal would also stipulate that 
the WTBBL building could not be sold without the proceeds going to the 
benefit of WTBBL and without the interests of the city of Seattle and 
blind WTBBL patrons being protected.

The Secretary of State and the Washington State Library have assured 
Cindy van Winkle, President of WCB, and me that nothing will be done to 
change the status of the use of the WTBBL building by WTBBL for at least 
the next five years and that if after that it is contemplated to change 
the status of the building, no move will be made without the consent of 
the National Federation of the Blind of Washington and the Washington 
Council of the Blind.

This strong position would not be possible without our effort. Stay 
tuned for further information.

Michael Freeman, President
National Federation of the Blind of Washington