ACB Advocacy Update
- ICUB Admin
- Apr 7
- 9 min read
ACB Advocacy Review
March 24 through April 7, 2025
Every other week, the advocacy team at ACB works to consolidate all of its advocacy work into one place so our members can review our various advocacy activities. The email is by no means an exhaustive compilation of all the work we have done, but we hope it helps to paint a picture of advocacy work we are engaged in and to educate our members on advocacy activities and possible ways to get personally involved. This recap leaves out any individual advocacy work being carried out for privacy reasons. If you have any advocacy needs, please never hesitate to email us at advocacy@acb.org.
Set ACB Advocacy Platforms
The Washington Connection
ACB Advocacy Update
Letters or Comments ACB Has Signed Onto and/or Authored
Letter to Congress to support the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act
Letter to Congress to support the Veterans SUPPORT Act
Letter to CMS from the ITEM Coalition regarding the lens exclusion regulation - Recommendation for Deregulation of Rule Barring Medicare Coverage of Low Vision Devices
Voting amicus brief for Lupe v. Abbott in the Fifth Circuit
(this will be on our website soon)
Legislation ACB is Advocating for
and/or Monitoring
CONNECT for Health Act: Introduced on April 2, 2025
SSI Penalty Elimination Act: Introduced on April 1, 2025
Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act: Introduced on March 31, 2025
Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act: waiting to be reintroduced
We Can’t Wait: waiting to be reintroduced
Raise the Wage Act: waiting to be introduced
Cogswell-Macy Act: waiting to be reintroduced
Advocacy-Related Events ACB Has Participated In
Setting up Hill meetings for the Communication, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA)
Miscellaneous Advocacy Work ACB Has Engaged In
After providing confidential input to participating parties, ACB received the following announcement. It was also shared on social media.
“I am excited to share that earlier today, we launched the Accessible Games Initiative, a cross-industry effort to provide consumers with clear information about the accessibility features available in video games. The launch took place at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Please find further details on the launch by visiting the following website:Accessible Games Initiative Announcement. You can learn more about the Accessible Games Initiative and view the tags atwww.accessiblegames.com. We invite you to use our social media toolkit (attached) to spread the word with others in your communities on the Initiative.”
Announcements and Updates
March 24, 2025
ACB has an update on the accessible currency case. The Treasury Department’s status report dated March 20, 2025 to the court regarding the accessible currency lawsuit stated that the Treasury Department still intends to meet the 2026 target date for inclusion of a raised tactile feature into the new $10 bill.
March 26, 2025
ACB has learned that the National Library Service (NLS) will not be immediately impacted by the executive order to eliminate the IMLS. NLS, which is under the Library of Congress, is part of the legislative branch. As a result, the executive order does not have the authority to dismantle the program. NLS is separate from IMLS. Additionally, through the recent legislative continuing resolution, NLS is fully funded through the end of September. Many of us are nervous about the many cuts that are occurring around us. Rest assured, at least at this time, that NLS is still funded and NLS books are still readily available to patrons.
Many of us want to know how we can help advocate to prevent the loss of library sources and accessible literature. The elimination of IMLS can impact network libraries; many NLS patrons visit such libraries for services. To advocate, speak out for funding of your local network libraries.
March 27, 2025
The government put out a statement that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be reorganizing many of its subagencies. This includes the Administration for Community Living (ACL). ACL has housed numerous programs for people with disabilities. It is unknown what the results of this reorganization will be. Please read the announcement below.
April 1, 2025
On Monday, March 31, Congress introduced the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act. It was introduced in the House of representatives by Republican, Gus Bilirakis, and Democrat Marc Veasey, causing it to have bipartisan support. The bill would create the first federally funded program to specifically address children’s vision and eye health. Similar programs exist for services such as dental health; this would provide comparable services for vision care to diagnose and treat eye conditions at a young age. The bill has been pushed by ACB’s ally, Prevent Blindness. To reach out to your Congressmember and encourage them to sponsor the bill, follow the link below.
April 2, 2025
The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act has once again been introduced in Congress in the 119th congressional session. The bill raises the SSI asset level to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for married couples. Currently, the asset limit is only $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for married couples. In other words, SSI recipients can never have more than $2,000 in their bank accounts at any given time. The asset limit has not been updated since 1989. This bill is in great need to keep up with inflation. Currently, if an SSI recipient is found to have more than the permitted amount, they are at risk of losing their monthly benefits. The bill was introduced in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support.
April 3, 2025
ACB received notice of this press release that came out on Wednesday, April 2 regarding a bill on telehealth.
SCHATZ, WICKER LEAD BIPARTISAN GROUP OF 60 SENATORS IN INTRODUCING LEGISLATION TO EXPAND TELEHEALTH ACCESS, MAKE PERMANENT TELEHEALTH FLEXIBILITIES
CONNECT For Health Act Holds Broad Bipartisan Support, Most Comprehensive Legislation On Telehealth In Congress
Current Flexibilities Set To Expire September 30 Without Congressional Action
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) led a bipartisan group of 60 senators in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The CONNECT for Health Act will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. Current flexibilities are set to expire on September 30 unless Congress extends them.
“While telehealth use has rapidly increased in recent years, our laws have not kept up,” said Senator Schatz. “Telehealth is helping people get the care they need, and it’s here to stay. Our comprehensive bill makes it easier for more people to see their doctors no matter where they live.”
“We live in a digital world, and our health services should reflect that. In the past decade, telehealth has made medical care more accessible for patients across the state and country,” said Senator Wicker. “It is time to make telehealth coverage permanent for Medicare recipients so that more Americans, especially those in rural Mississippi, have access to health care.”
In addition to Schatz, Wicker, Warner, Hyde-Smith, Welch, and Barrasso, the bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Angus King (I-Maine.), Jim Justice (R-W.V.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.).
Telehealth provides essential access to care with nearly a quarter of Americans accessing telehealth in a month, according to the most recent available data.
The CONNECT for Health Act would:
Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to the location of the patient, including homes;
Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services;
Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirement for telemental health services;
Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies; and
Require more published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts of quality of care, and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers.
The CONNECT for Health Act was first introduced in 2016 and is considered the most comprehensive legislation on telehealth in Congress. Since 2016, several provisions of the bill have been enacted into law or adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including provisions to remove restrictions on telehealth services for mental health, stroke care, and home dialysis.
“Telehealth services have proven to be a safe and effective form of medical care. Through the expansion of telehealth services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more patients have received quality, affordable care. I’m glad to introduce legislation that will make permanent some of these services and ensure Virginians continue to access affordable health care when they need it, and where they need it,” said Senator Warner.
“Even before the pandemic, Mississippi recognized the vital role of telehealth. Across America, rural communities, the elderly, and those with mobility challenges have long struggled to access traditional healthcare,” said Senator Hyde-Smith. “This legislation is essential to delivering affordable, accessible, and quality care that Americans deserve, and I’m proud to continue this years-long effort to expand telehealth services.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic proved that telehealth not only works, but is essential,” said Senator Welch. “Rural and underserved areas in Vermont and across the country desperately need solutions to address the widening gap in health care access, and increasing telehealth services must be part of the answer. This bipartisan bill takes commonsense steps to help bridge that gap and make sure that our policies adapt to the capabilities of our technology.”
“Telehealth is a critical for rural states like Wyoming,” said Senator Barrasso. “It has given folks access to specialized care no matter where they live. This important bipartisan bill will make it easier for Medicare patients, especially those in remote areas, to continue to have access to the health care they need.”
Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Thompson (D- Calif.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio).
The CONNECT for Health Act has the support of more than 150 organizations including the American Medical Association, AARP, American Hospital Association, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and American Telemedicine Association.
The full text of the bill is available here.
April 4, 2025
I am sharing this message from a knowledgeable source. I did not write this up myself. The information below has been confirmed.
I wanted to bring to your attention a critical development regarding the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants to States funding. Late last evening, conversations with West Coast State Librarians revealed that funding for this program has been abruptly halted. This decision appears to have been made strategically during late hours, when most states were winding down for the day.
Efforts to obtain clarity from the new IMLS director regarding the fulfillment of statutory obligations have been met with limited success. Even members of Congress have sought assurances, but the situation remains uncertain. Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), co-authors of the reauthorization bill, wrote a letter to Sonderling last week, “to remind the Administration of its obligation to faithfully execute the provisions of the law as authorized.”
The link to the full article is: https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-leads-bipartisan-effort-to-preserve-support-for-public-libraries-and-museums
Alarm bells were first sounded by Washington State, where the IMLS Contract Hearing for Grants to States was immediately canceled, along with the contract notice. Early indications suggest that no funds from IMLS program will be allocated to the Washington State Library, at this time. We also are hearing reports that other states may receive updates about their funding this week, as well.
This news has triggered widespread concern among a few state libraries and related entities. We have confirmed this specific situation with our contacts who are closest to the conversation, which includes those within local, state, and federal governments, regarding the Washington State Library. While the full scope of the impact is still unclear, it is evident that network libraries across the country may face significant challenges.
I wanted to alert you to this situation promptly, as it may require us to consider contingency plans sooner rather than later. I will continue to monitor developments and share any additional information as it becomes available.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Claire Stanley, J.D.
Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
American Council of the Blind
(202) 599-2041
Comentarios