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[an error occurred while processing this directive] Governmental Affairs: Advocacy in action. Read current and previous Legislative Network Alerts. View a listing of the Legislative Network Members. Frequently asked questions about the Legislative Network. |
Legislative Network Alerts Alert Number 112 February 28, 2005 Action Requested CALL AND/OR FAX YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS NOW! To: Members of the Legislative Network From: Patricia Leahy, Director of Governmental Affairs As we send this CALL TO ACTION, THERE ARE FOLKS ON THE HILL RIGHT NOW ASKING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO ALLOW GOVERNORS TO BLOCK GRANT ALL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT (WIA) PARTNER PROGRAMS -- INCLUDING THE PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED UNDER THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 (more commonly known as the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program). THESE WORKFORCE FOLKS ARE PLANNING A CAPITOL HILL BLITZ TOMORROW AND ON WEDNESDAY -- THE DAY THAT WE BELIEVE H.R. 27 WILL COME TO THE HOUSE FLOOR -- TO CONVINCE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THEIR STAFFS TO BLOCK GRANT THE VR PROGRAM. AS WE SAID ON MANY OCCASIONS, BLOCK GRANTING THE VR PROGRAM WOULD EVISCERATE THIS PUBLIC/PRIVATE VR PARTNERSHIP AND WOULD ALLOW FUNDS SPECIFICALLY EARMARKED FOR ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO WANT THE DIGNITY OF A CAREER TO BE DIVERTED TO OTHER POPULATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE NOT INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. The first rule of politics, as you all know, is ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL. And, we believe one of the first rules of life is that the best things in life are worth fighting for. So, we are asking you to CONTINUE to fight for the VR Program. We urgently need all of you -- all NRA Members and others in the advocacy community to CALL AND FAX THEIR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RIGHT NOW AND TELL THEM NOT TO BLOCK GRANT THE VR PROGRAM. Even if you have already called and/or written your Representatives, please follow up and ask YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS NOT TO VOTE FOR THE WIA PLUS BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENT WHICH MAY BE OFFERED TO H.R. 27 ON THE FLOOR ON WEDNESDAY OF THIS WEEK. 'ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL' -- YOU CAN AND HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE, BUT WE MUST KEEP UP THE FIGHT. H.R. 27 is the House version of the Workforce Investment Act reauthorization and, as you know from previous ALERTS, an amendment might be offered to H.R. 27 that would BLOCK GRANT THE VR PROGRAM. H.R. 27, as amended, is scheduled for House Floor action on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 or possibly on Thursday, March 3. The House Rules Committee sets the parameters (number and type) of amendments that can be offered to H.R. 27 when the bill comes to the House Floor. The amendments to H.R. 27, which must be germane to the issue(s), should be posted on the House Rules Committee website late on Tuesday, March 1. The Rules Committee website is http://www.house.gov/rules We are also attaching a copy of the Consortium of Citizens (CCD) Employment and Training Task Force letter, signed by all Members of the Task Force, asking the Congress not to blockgrant the VR Program. This letter also references several other concerns with the H.R. 27, of vital importance to the disABILITY community. The CCD letter was faxed to all 435 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives TODAY. Please include the CCD letter with your letter that you fax to your Member(s) of Congress. Following immediately below is a sample letter to use when contacting your Member of Congress via fax: If you are a constituent of the Representative and voted for him/her, please make sure you mention that fact. Dear Representative _______________: My name is ______________ and I am a constituent of yours and was pleased to have voted for you in the last election. (Alternatively, if you are not a constituent, you may identify yourself as a member of the great State of _____________. I (or we) do not write very often, but we feel compelled to contact you to ask you to PLEASE NOT ALLOW THE PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED UNDER THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 TO BE BLOCKGRANTED WHEN H.R. 27, THE JOB TRAINING IMPROVEMENT ACT, COMES TO THE HOUSE FLOOR ON WEDNESDAY OF THIS WEEK. THE PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED UNDER THE REHAB ACT ARE MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION (VR) PROGRAM which is a successful public/private partnership that has assisted over many years more than 14 million individuals with disABILITIES who sought the dignity of work and independence in their communities. BUT, NOW, THAT SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP IS BEING THREATENED BY AN AMENDMENT KNOWN AS THE WIA PLUS CONSOLIDATION BLOCK AMENDMENT WHICH WOULD BLOCKGRANT THE VR PROGRAM THAT NO ONE CAN DUPLICATE, NO ONE CAN MATCH AND NO ONE IN THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY WANTS TO HAVE BLOCK GRANTED. Some will tell you that even if the VR Program were to be blockgranted, that nothing would change. That is simply not true. The precious VR funds could -- and we assure you, would -- be diverted to other populations and before you know it -- there is no VR Program. We cannot -- and will not -- let that happen, but we need your help. The VR Program is unmatched in its long history of comprehensiveness of employment services and supports provided by both the public and private sectors -- to individuals with disabilities, unmatched in the public/private partnership that has characterized the VR Program throughout its existence, and unmatched in its impressive data that the VR program has continually had over its many years. In fact, the VR Program embodies the ABCs of excellent vocational rehabilitation practice: The VR Program is ACCOUNTABLE, BIPARTISAN, COMPREHENSIVE AND COST-EFFECTIVE and, as we said above, has the supporting documentation to back up these claims. Once again, I (we) ask you to VOTE NO on the WIA PLUS CONSOLIDATION BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENT WHICH MAY BE OFFERED AS AN AMENDMENT TO H.R. 27, which is scheduled for House Floor action on Wednesday of this week. VOTE NO ON THE WIA PLUS BLOCK GRANT BECAUSE THE VR PROGRAM IS NOT DUPLICATIVE OF ANY OTHER JOB TRAINING PROGRAM; IS EXTRAORDINARILY ACCOUNTABLE AND HAS THE DOCUMENTATION TO PROVE IT AND HAS ASSISTED MILLIONS OF ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES INTO THE WORLD OF WORK. THE VR PROGRAM HAS MADE AN INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO DESERVE NO LESS THAN WE HAVE TO GIVE. JOIN THE FIGHT: VOTE 'NO' ON THE WIA PLUS BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENT. Thank you. Click here to view the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) letter. |
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