Disability parking bill moves through the House

Earlier this week, the disability parking bill addressed at the Day of Activism passed the Washington House of Representatives. The bill is intended to crack down on the fraudulent abuse of disability parking placards, but the Society expressed concern about its detrimental impact on people living with MS. The bill moved forward after legislators removed the section that concerned MS activists, preserving parking privileges for people living with MS.

A recent article from Everett's Herald newspaper provides a good overview of the issue, and quotes the Society's advocacy director, Jim Freeburg. The National MS Society has been urging lawmakers to focus on increasing enforcement rather than taking away privileges from legitimate users. House passage of the bill suggests that lawmakers are listening.

House Bill 2463 now moves onto the Senate where it will need to receive a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee before March 3 in order to become law.

Senate shows support for special needs transportation - you can too!

The Senate Majority Coalition Caucus released their latest proposal yesterday and it includes an additional $111 million for special needs transportation over the next twelve years. This is a significant increase over the proposal released this fall, but it still isn't perfect. The proposal neglects to include any new funding for community organizations providing special needs transportation. Instead, it allocates all of the additional funding to transit agencies offering paratransit services.

MS activists should be pleased that legislators heard our message from the Day of Activism. But we shouldn't rest. The House still needs to approve the transportation package, and this will only occur once legislators reach a consensus over reforms that the Senate is proposing. That consensus could take some time, but we hope legislators will move forward. MS activists should continue pressing legislators to take action on improving the state of accessible transportation in Washington. Too many people with MS and other disabilities need it!

MS activists should continue to talk about the importance of special needs transportation at legislators' town halls and on social media. If you are on Twitter (and now Facebook!), join the discussion with these hashtags:
#WaLeg - all things Washington Legislature
#WaTranspo - tweets about the transportation package
#KeepUsMoving - our hashtag for special needs transportation advocates
#MSactivist - for all your MS advocacy

Our Day of Activism in Olympia....Success!

Over 65 MS activists descended on the Legislature last week to talk to lawmakers about the importance of accessible transportation and disability parking for people with MS. Despite the cold, volunteers came from all over the state and met with half the Legislature - an incredible feat! It was an inspiring day and made me so proud to be a member of the MS community. 

Activists met with legislators to talk about House Bill 2463 - an effort to crack down on illegal users of disability parking placards that would restrict the ability of people with MS to get free and unlimited parking. Because of our advocacy, lawmakers removed the restrictions on parking privileges for people with MS and other mobility impairments. The bill moved out of the House Transportation Committee last week and should move forward.

Lisa and Martin Boon

Sue Dahlin-Morales meeting with Senator Andy Hill's staff

Cermit Rickey on the Capitol steps

Jane Foy and Nora Gibson

Veronica Chase discussing our priority issues.

Additionally, volunteers advocated for additional funding for accessible transportation. Too many people with MS are unable to get around their communities and the legislature should increase funding for accessible transportation (also known as the special needs transportation fund). While the legislature isn't expected to pass a new transportation package anytime soon, we will be working with them to ensure they don't forget about the transportation needs of their constituents who live with MS and other disabilities.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler (photo courtesy of Martin Boon)

One highlight of the day - Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler joined us to provide a quick update on the Affordable Care Act. Commissioner Kreidler is a long-time supporter of the MS community and is always a favorite speaker at the Day of Activism.

Thanks to all the Activists who attended the Day of Activism. And for all those who weren't able to attend, you can still make a difference. Email your legislators today and ask them to fund accessible transportation - it's not too late!

MS Activist to speak out about clinical trials

MS Activist Jonathan Sari just let me know that he will be speaking about the importance of clinical trials at an upcoming panel. His participation reminds me of the many ways that people with MS can be activists even when they aren't speaking to elected officials. Spreading awareness and encouraging others to take action are vital steps in strengthening the MS movement and I applaud Jonathan for his efforts.

His panel, to be held the evening of January 30th at Seattle's Town Hall, also features MS researcher Dr. Mariko Kita of Virginia Mason. For more information and registration information, visit this page.

Participation in clinical trials is incredibly important to help move MS research forward. Clinical trials often need hundreds of patients willing to see if new treatments are safe and effective. To facilitate this effort, the Society maintains a database of clinical trials that are recruiting people with MS. To learn more about these trials, visit this Society's webpage.

Jonathan will be joining us in Olympia this year to speak to legislators at our annual Day of Activism on February 5. If you see him there, be sure to ask about his participation on the panel. And don't forget - it's not too late to register for the Day of Activism!

Washington Day of Activism - it's coming soon....

Just a reminder that our annual Day of Activism in Olympia is soon upon us. MS Activists will be coming from all over Washington to raise awareness of MS at the state legislature on February 5 and we hope you will join us. Registration is still open - you can learn more details and sign up here. If you are new to advocacy but still want to attend, don't worry. We have two teleconferences planned for you so you can get up to speed. Sign up for those calls: Jan. 22 and Jan. 29.

The Day of Activism is one of my most favorite days of the year. When I took this job, I did it because I knew the stories of people with MS have the power to change laws. The Day of Activism is the day when this really happens. The real stories of the MS community are told to people in power and we make a difference.

Three years ago, together, we passed a law that allows more MS specialists to practice in our state. Two years ago, we stopped people with MS from losing their health care. Last year, we made sure everyone with MS has access to affordable and comprehensive health care.  This year, we will continue that tradition and make it easier for people with MS to get to where they need to go.

Will you join us?

Should the state have new rules for disability parking placards?

A new report to the Washington legislature recommends that the state allow fewer people with disabilities to qualify for free or unlimited street parking. This proposal, meant to crack down on fraud and abuse of disabled parking placards, may prevent many people with MS from gaining access to free or unlimited on-street parking.

The report does not propose revising eligibility for the blue disability parking placards, but instead suggests creating a new orange placard that allows for free parking and parking beyond the posted time limit. Currently, state law says that anyone with a disability placard can park in a metered space for an unlimited amount of time. This provision would be eliminated and under the new proposal, blue placards could not be used for free, unlimited on-street parking.

Nearly 700,000 permanent disability parking placards are in use throughout the state and it is thought that many of these placards are being used fraudently. The abuse seems to be most rampant in Seattle where many blocks are filled with a disproportionate number of disabled parkers during the work day. The City of Seattle has tried for many years to fix this problem and asked the legislature for a solution.

The new orange placards would have a much stricter definition of disability, and allow someone to qualify if they meet any of the four criteria:

• Cannot insert coins in parking meters or obtain tickets from ticket machines in parking lots or ramps due to a lack of fine motor control of both hands.
• Cannot reach up to 42 inches from the ground, due to lack of finger, hand, or upper extremity strength or mobility.
• Cannot approach a parking meter due to use of a wheelchair or other device.
• Cannot walk more than 20 feet due to an orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or lung condition which is so severe that the ability to walk is almost completely impeded.

These criteria seems to eliminate people with MS who experience fatigue and gait, except in the most extreme circumstances.

The report also suggests additional changes to crack down on fraud, including increasing penalties for fraudulent use of a disabled parking placard. The whole report is available here. The Chapter's Washington Government Relations Committee is reviewing the report and will ensure that the legislature understands the perspective of the MS community when they are reviewing the proposal.

What do you think about this proposal? Should it be harder for people to get a disabled parking permit? What else can be done to crack down on the abuse of disability parking placards?

MS Activists meet with Congressman Adam Smith

Advocacy director Jim Freeburg, Congressman Adam Smith, and MS activist Simone Thompson

Monday morning, MS activists met with Congressman Adam Smith, from Washington's 9th congressional district. Congressman Smith has been a long-time supporter of the MS community - not only is he a member of the Congressional MS Caucus, but he's also a strong supporter for increased funding of MS research and many of our priority issues. 

When we met with Congressman Smith, he shared some of his personal connections to people living with MS and it was great to hear that he is keeping up on some of the new MS research that's happening within his district. He's definitely an engaged and informed representative of his community! 

MS activist Simone Thompson shared her story with the Congressman and encouraged him to keep up the good work. We reiterated our priority issues - funding for the National Institutes of Health, the primary government backer of medical research, and a funding stream within the Department of Defense for MS research. The meeting was especially timely given Congress's budget agreement this week - we need to make sure that all of Congress knows the importance of funding medical research.

Congressman Smith appreciated our visit and left us with a request that we keep raising awareness of MS activism within his district. That's something we can and will do. Stay tuned for more details about how you can be involved in MS activism.