Received today and needs your attention
jleslie
Hi all -
I am a father of a wonderful 4 year old girl with Ds. I realized I have not been doing my job, and need your help!
A year ago Sara Weir at the NDSS asked me to become a member of the NDSS ambassador group she was starting to get better political traction for some key legislation needed to level the playing field for our kids with Ds. I became our ambassador for California, which was very exciting, but at the same time I now realize I have not been doing my job - I have not shared with you what we are working on. I have not given you a chance to get involved and help us make the world a better place for our children – shame on me, but I want to change that.
The first piece of legislation we have been working on was passing the ABLE Act (S.313/H.R.647) which in a nutshell lets us save for our children’s future using a 529 account (tax free plan) without jeopardizing their ability to take part in Social Security and Medi-Cal – should they need it. You can read plenty about ithere if you want more info. In the last Congress it had overwhelming support in both houses, but was not passed with all the budget bickering going on.
The problem is that while the bill has the support of Republicans and Democrats, California’s Congressional Representatives are mostly not supporting it:
1) Senator Feinstein does not support the ABLE Act (S313), but her peer Senator Boxer does.
2) Of our 53 House Reps members only 5(!?!) support the ABLE Act.
I believe most of our Representatives do not support it because no one has called them or emailed them and told them it was important to them. If 3 or 4 people from each District called each of these Representatives we would probably have 30 or more supporters. I want California to take a leadership position on this bill. I believe my daughter, Brianna deserves equal opportunity!
Can you guys reach out to your communities and request that folks call or email their Representative and Senator Feinstein’s office and ask that they support the ABLE Act (Senate Bill 313, House of Reps Bill 647)? Tell them it will mean the world to save for your child’s future without penalizing them?
- You can call Senator Feinstein’s office at (202)-224-3841
- You can find your Representative is by typing your zip code here
I am looking to get 3-10 folks from each District to call in to their rep and report back the results to us. Most calls last less than 2 minutes, so it is minimal time commit.
Alternatively, I am attaching an excel list of all our representatives email address (for the staffer in charge of health issues). Send him/her a quick email if you prefer – including Megan Thompson in Senator Feinstein’s office (Megan_Thompson@feinstein.senate.gov). I will include a template below. Please have your folks copy me on it so I can sick Sara Weir on them in Washington DC.
Next week the NDSS is hosting the national Buddy Walk on Washington. If we could get people to contact them either this week or next week, we could really amplify the message and move the needle.
I need your help to be successful. I am hoping if I can help arm you with info, you can help me mobilize some folks to make a change.
Thanks so much!
Brad Pitzele
PS – Template for email is below.
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Hi XX:
I hope this note finds you well. I wanted to reach out on the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013. The bill is being championed by Sens. Casey and Burr; and Reps. Crenshaw, McMorris Rodgers, and Van Hollen. During the last Congress (112th Congress), over half of the entire US Congress (236 Representatives and 41 Senators) supported this important legislation. I am writing to ask Congressman/Senator XXX to serve as an original cosponsor of this important legislation, which currently has 23 Senators and over 70 Representatives supporting it.
The ABLE Act will give individuals with disabilities and their families the ability to save for their child's future just like every other American family, and help people with disabilities live full, productive lives in their communities without losing benefits provided through private insurances, the Medicaid program, the supplemental security income program, the beneficiary's employment, and other sources. The account could fund a variety of essential expenses for individuals, including medical and dental care, education, community based supports, employment training, assistive technology, housing, and transportation.
[insert information on why the ABLE Act is important to your family]
I've copied the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) VP of Advocacy, Sara Weir, if you have any questions regarding the ABLE Act.
I look forward to working with you.
Best,
XXXX
Sara Hart Weir
Vice President, Advocacy & Affiliate Relations
National Down Syndrome Society
1602 L Street NW, Suite 925
Washington DC 20036
Office: (202) 465-3222
Cell: (202) 680-8867
Email: sw...@ndss.org