These are the resolutions passed at the Annual Convention on October 11, 2015.  Due to the length of the convention report, it will be in the next issue.

Resolution A15-01

Regarding Ending Subminimum Wage Payments to Workers with Disabilities

WHEREAS, Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) is founded on the erroneous belief that people with disabilities lack the capacity for competitive, integrated employment and currently permits approximately 100 Minnesota employers to obtain Special Wage Certificates resulting in over thousands of workers with disabilities to be paid wages that are less than the federal minimum wage, herein referred to as "subminimum wages"; and

WHEREAS, employers who pay subminimum wages to people with disabilities, arguing that the Special Wage Certificate is an essential tool for employing workers with disabilities, threaten that an increase in employee wages would require them to terminate their workers with disabilities, but some of these same employers have enough revenue to pay their executives six-figure salaries and pay professional lobbyists to advocate for the perpetuation of this discriminatory provision; and

WHEREAS, other employers of people with disabilities operating in similarly situated industries, working with comparable populations of employees with disabilities, are able to maintain successful businesses without the use of the Special Wage Certificates, proving the assertions and threats of subminimum wage employers to be false; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota is joined by our Fair Wage partners—over eighty other national and local organizations of and for people with disabilities—in our effort to support the policies and programs that work to end the payment of subminimum wages to workers with disabilities and to aggressively oppose the development and implementation of policies that would perpetuate the use of this discriminatory provision; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Gregg Harper has introduced the Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act (or TIME Act), HR 188 which, when enacted, will immediately stop the issuance of new Special Wage Certificates, responsibly phase out the use of the Special Wage Certificates over a three-year period, and finally repeal Section 14(c) of the FLSA; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kelly Ayotte has introduced a companion TIME Act in the Senate which is S. 2001; and

WHEREAS, there are 46 members of the US House of Representatives who have cosponsored HR 188 and 1 senator who has cosponsored S. 2001, but no Minnesota Members of Congress have yet co-sponsored the TIME Act: Now, Therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota in convention Assembled this 11th day of October, 2015, in the city of Bloomington, Minnesota, that we condemn and deplore the actions of all employers that take advantage of the unfair, discriminatory, immoral provision found in Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we continue to encourage the public to discontinue donating to, shopping at, or partnering with subminimum-wage employers until they discontinue their use of the Special Wage Certificates and pay every employee at least the federal minimum wage; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call on all other members of the US House of Representatives, especially those from Minnesota, to exercise the same courage by supporting the passage of HR 188 and S 2001.

Resolution A15-02

Regarding State Services for the Blind and Order of Selection

WHEREAS, the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA) increases to 15% of federal dollars received for Pre-employment Transition Services without increasing funding, resulting in the decrease of funds available for other vocational rehabilitation services; and

WHEREAS, other sources of vocational rehabilitation funding have decreased over the past few years; and

WHEREAS, all of these factors have resulted in the implementation of an "order of selection" which means that blind Minnesotans applying for services will not be able to receive the services they need to resume living a full life and become employed; and

WHEREAS, these financial circumstances have forced Minnesota State Services for the Blind to look for areas where costs can be cut: now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota in convention assembled this 11th day of October 2015, in the City of Bloomington, Minnesota, that this organization call upon the management of Minnesota State Services for the Blind to observe the following principles when considering areas of cost reduction:

1. adjustment to blindness training and related training in the alternative techniques of living and working independently are unique and not available elsewhere and should not be cut;
2. examination of internal organizational structure and positions should be carried out before services are permanently reduced;
3. external employment placement services, which have been largely curtailed, should remain, as much as possible, within agency staff and limited to placement services having experience with blindness;
4. the separate identity of this agency must be preserved and not lost in the name of efficiency which generally produces less effective services;
5. permanent policies to cut costs based upon reduced services should be the last resort and should be designed to affect the fewest number of customers;
6. the adjustment to blindness component of new staff training should be preserved; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization commend Minnesota State Services for the blind for their efforts to find alternative ways to serve blind persons during the "Order of Selection" such as the establishment of fixed times when blind persons can receive technology assistance from SSB's staff.

Resolution A15-03

Regarding Accessible Voting Machines

WHEREAS, the Help America Vote Act which was passed in 2002 has for the first time given blind Americans the chance to vote independently; and

WHEREAS, the first accessible voting machines were purchased in 2005 with funds made available for that purpose by the federal government; and

WHEREAS, voting technology such as automatic counters and ballot styles are constantly evolving, and

WHEREAS, many of the original accessible voting machines that were purchased are in need of repair and are no longer being manufactured; and

WHEREAS, the responsibility for funding and purchasing replacement machines has now been shifted to state and local governments: Now, Therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota in convention assembled this 11th day of October, 2015 in the city of Bloomington, Minnesota, that this organization urge Steve Simon, Minnesota's Secretary of State, to initiate or support legislation that will facilitate the purchase of accessible voting machines including the provision of financial assistance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon Secretary Simon to encourage the purchase of accessible voting machines that can mark the same ballot that is used by voters not using those machines; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that processes be established to maximize the privacy of ballots when circumstances dictate that those less preferred machines which produce an identifiable or nonstandard ballot must be used.