REPUBLICAN BLITZ FOR TEACH ACT Hi Friends, This week, we need everyone to mobilize for the TEACH Act! From Monday through Friday, we will run a Republican Blitz, where everybody contacts the Republican members of Congress from their state delegation and urges them to cosponsor the TEACH Act, H.R. 3505 and S. 2060. The goal is to get a huge influx of cosponsors. This is a pivotal time. The TEACH Act is non-controversial, but the upcoming elections will limit our opportunities to pass the bill this Congress. We truly believe this bill has a chance, so we are going to take a real shot at trying to get this done. Consequently, we’re planning an important meeting with a higher education association to bring the schools on board, and then plan to meet with the Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee to explore about our options. We want to go into that meeting with the most cosponsors as possible, particularly from the majority party. Currently, H.R. 3505 has forty-two, with fifteen Republicans, twenty-seven Democrats. If we can get thirteen more Republicans we will be at fifty-five cosponsors and have an almost-even twenty-eight/twenty-seven breakdown. S. 2060 just got two new cosponsors, Senators Bennet and Ayotte. We are at an even two and two (for a total of four) and even though the Democrats are the majority party in the Senate, we already have a few waiting in the wings. We want to keep it even and won’t send them on until we secure a few more Republicans. Let’s build on this momentum! A few things to note: 1) This is a BLITZ. That means we need lots of people to send lots of emails, not just one or two people. Even if it’s not your member of Congress, if they are a Republican in your state delegation, email them! Let’s make it a digital version of the Washington Seminar, but just limited to the Republican offices. 2) Send your correspondence to the education staffer. If you don’t know who the education staffer is, just call the office and ask, or shoot me an email. 3) Know your audience. Some things are universal to advocacy, like telling your personal story and explaining what the bill does, but the points you emphasize to a Democrat might not be the best points to emphasize to a Republican. For the TEACH Act, it’s best to emphasize how the guidelines are voluntary, that we are trying to help schools better comply with the law and avoid litigation, which in turn helps blind students, and that the industry supports the bill. 4) Personalize your letters. Offices know a block/form letter when they see one. I’ve provided a sample letter below, but please make edits before sending. If you’re from a state where a particular school has faced a lawsuit related to this, add it in. If another Republican from your state has cosponsored, mention it. 5 Feel free to tweet or call, but in addition to emails rather than as a substitute. Some sample tweets: “Blind students need access to materials, help spur the market! Cosponsor the #TEACHAct” or “Blind students are being left behind and schools are being sued. The #TEACHAct is an easy fix. Will you cosponsor?” or “When blind students get to college, we need books. Publishers support the #TEACHAct, do you?” or “Congressman X and Congressman X have cosponsored the #TEACHAct. Join your delegation!” or even “Support Mr. Petri before he retires by cosponsoring #TEACHAct, a bill that improves access for the blind in higher ed!” I’ll be sending out reminders periodically next week. I hope everyone can help us reach our goal and we can increase the chances of passing the TEACH Act. Let’s face it, not only is the bill non-controversial, but blind students cannot afford to wait. Thanks guys! Cheers, Lauren Sample letter: Hello [Education Staffer’s first name], I am writing on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind of [your affiliate]. We last met with your office in January to discuss our legislative agenda, and one of those bills was the Technology, Education and Accessibility in College and Higher Education (TEACH) Act, H.R. 3505/S.2060. It has been a few months so I wanted to circle back and ask that Congressman/Congresswoman [Name] will come on as a cosponsor. The bill is non-controversial and bipartisan – can we count on [his/her] support? A quick reminder: Inaccessible educational technology is creating profound barriers to education for students with disabilities. The TEACH Act authorizes the creation of voluntary accessibility guidelines for instructional material so that those materials are usable by students with print disabilities, and then incentivizes schools to use technology that conforms to the guidelines with a safe harbor from litigation. The goal of the guidelines is to facilitate the equal access mandates that require schools to use accessible materials by stimulating the creation of a viable digital marketplace. By facilitating the national mandate and the national market, we can provide equal access for blind students without infringing on states’ rights. This bill is appealing to those on both sides of the aisle, is endorsed by a major industry group, and is supported by data from a Congressionally-authorized study. The TEACH Act does not create any new liability for schools or create any mandates on technology companies, and reduces costs and litigation while still making systemic change for blind students. [H.R. 3505/S. 2060] is sponsored by [Tom Petri in the House/our Republican leader is Orrin Hatch] – will your boss join them as a cosponsor? Over 160,000 people, many from our state, have signed this petition on Change.org, change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities , showing widespread support for this modest approach to a disgraceful problem. Blind students can’t afford to wait, so please let me know if there are questions. For more information, please visit https://nfb.org/TEACH . Thanks, hope to hear from you! Sincerely, [Your name] Lauren McLarney Government Affairs Specialist National Federation of the Blind 200 East Wells Street Baltimore, MD 21230 410.659.9314 ext. 2207 [email protected]
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 21:28:01 +0000
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