Hello Federationists,
The Instructional Materials Accessibility Act, IMAA, is off to a strong start in the Congress. Now we need more House and Senate cosponsors to push the bill through committee hearings and on to final passage.
It is particularly important to attract cosponsors who are members of the Education and the Workforce Committee in the House and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the Senate. Our biggest challenge is time. This is an election year and the final year of the 107th Congress. That means if the bill does not pass this year, it must start over from the beginning next year.
All indications are that the IMAA is well received and noncontroversial, but we must keep it visible to the members of Congress. Senator Dodd has scheduled a hearing before the Subcommittee on Children and Families, which he chairs. This will be on June 28.
How can we move this bill forward? Contact all members of Congress from your state and ask them to cosponsor the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act, HR4582 or S2246. Members of the House and Senate Committees responsible for this bill are particularly important and shown below. To cosponsor the House bill, they should contact Mike Kennedy in Congressman Petri's office at 5-2476 as soon as possible. To cosponsor the Senate bill they should contact Jim Fenton in Senator Dodd's office at 4-2823. You can reach any Congressional office by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or 225-3121 and ask for the appropriate member’s office. Ask to speak with the staff person who handles education issues.
Explain why the IMAA, HR4582 or S2246, is so important to us. Talking points include:
Thank you all for your hard work. We will make the IMAA a reality if we contact all members of Congress and do not stop until they say yes! If you have any questions, please contact me at 410-659-9314, extension 240.
Sincerely,
James McCarthy
Request support for S2246