NAD Legislative Day Snags New HR 3101 Co-Sponsors!

Submitted by Leah Katz-Hernandez [1] on Mon, 04/26/2010 - 18:04

Hi again! The April 15, 2010 visit to the Capitol Hill was very successful for the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and its supporters. I have exciting news to share: two Republicans agreed to co-sponsor the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009, also called HR 3101! They are Rep. Parker Griffith (AL), a member of the Communications, Technology and the Internet Subcommittee, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL). Please be sure to thank them for their support! With the vital support of these Republicans along with the 44 Democratic co-sponsors, we hope Rep. Rick Boucher (VA) who currently is the chair of the subcommittee will finally decide that it is time to move the bill into the subcommittee.

The same day was also the first NAD Virtual Legislative Day, where many NAD members and supporters around the country called and email their Representative. Several offices that we met with reported that they received calls to support HR 3101! It is amazing what one can do with the power of the Internet and relay services. You have the power to express support for this important legislation! 

The NAD Board members spent the day at Capitol Hill offices meeting with various House Representatives on both sides of the aisle. Please check below for the names of the Board members who were on the Hill and the Representative’s offices that we met with. Most were on the subcommittee where the bill resides now. Also check out a video produced by iDeafNews about the NAD Board in action on Capitol Hill.

The NAD wishes to express its many thanks to thousands of members and supporters who participated in the successful NAD Legislative Day. As NAD Celebrity Spokesperson, Marlee Matlin, would say, we made NOISE!

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Representatives we met with on NAD Legislative Day:

Rep. Joe Barton (TX)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN)
Rep. Roy Blunt (MO)
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC)
Rep. Steve Buyer (IN)
Rep. Kathy Castor (FL) 
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (VA)
Rep. Diana DeGette (CO)
Rep. John Dingell (MI)
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (CA)
Rep. Parker Griffith, M.D. (AL)
Rep. Jay Inslee (WA))
Rep. Christopher Murphy (CT)
Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA)
Rep. George Radanovich (CA)
Rep. Mike Rogers (MI)
Rep. John B. Shadegg (AZ)
Rep. John Shimkus (IL)
Rep. Lee Terry (NE)
Rep. Peter Welch (VT)

The Board members who went to the Hill are; President Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Vice President Christopher Wagner, Secretary Lynn Null,  Julie Bourne and Sean Gerlis of NAD Region I,  Jack Cooper along with Ann Cooper and Michael Berger of Region II, and Astrid Amann Goodstein of Region IV.  Chief Executive Officer Nancy Bloch and Chief Operating Officer Shane Feldman also met with Representatives.  Director of Law & Advocacy Rosaline Crawford was a tremendous help in organizing the NAD Legislative Day.