[nfbwatlk] Fw: [Nfbmo] Fw: From Jim McCarthy - Updates from the 2008 WashingtonSeminar

Mon Feb 18 15:20:41 CST 2008

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Gary Wunder
To: nfbmo list
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 9:25 AM
Subject: [Nfbmo] Fw: From Jim McCarthy - Updates from the 2008 
WashingtonSeminar

Blank
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Briggs, Wanda
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 2:28 PM
Subject: From Jim McCarthy - Updates from the 2008 Washington Seminar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Nfbmo mailing list
Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo
-------------- next part --------------
----- Original Message -----
From:
mailto:gwunder at earthlink.net Gary Wunder
To:
mailto:nfbmo at nfbnet.org nfbmo list
Sent:
Monday, February 18, 2008 9:25 AM
Subject:
[Nfbmo] Fw: From Jim McCarthy - Updates from the 2008 WashingtonSeminar
Blank
----- Original Message -----
From: Briggs, Wanda
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 2:28 PM
Subject: From Jim McCarthy - Updates from the 2008 Washington Seminar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

_______________________________________________
Nfbmo mailing list
mailto:Nfbmo at nfbnet.org Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo
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