CAIR Launches 2012 'Muslims Vote' Campaign

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today launched its 2012 "Muslims Vote" campaign designed to empower American Muslims by increasing their political capacity and presence.

CAIR's initiative -- launched two weeks before the January 3 Iowa Caucus -- includes a2012 presidential voter guide, an online voter registration tool, a video promoting online voter registration, and the Twitter hashtag "#MuslimsVote." CAIR has also mailed all presidential candidates its 2012 election questionnaire.

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization's non-partisan voter campaign will focus on ensuring that American Muslims actively participate in the 2012 election cycle by volunteering in election campaigns, registering to vote, hosting candidate forums, and by mobilizing other community members through "get out the vote" initiatives.

CAIR will also pay special attention to Muslim voters under the age of 30 who -- like all Americans of that age -- are under-represented on voter rolls.

"We're calling on all American Muslims to fulfill their civic responsibility by doing their part in the upcoming presidential election," said CAIR Government Affairs Coordinator Robert McCaw. "We are committed to making sure our community's voice is heard in this critical election cycle."

"With large concentrations of Muslim voters in key swing states -- such as Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Michigan -- the American Muslim community has the potential to be influential in determining the next president of the United States," said McCaw.

Components of CAIR's 2012 "Muslims Vote" election campaign include:

• Distributing 2012 presidential voter guides to ensure that American Muslims are knowledgeable about the candidates and their positions.
  • SEE: CAIR 2012 Presidential Voter Guide
• Registering American Muslims to vote throughout the election cycle by means of traditional and Internet-based initiatives.
  • SEE: CAIR's Rock the Vote-Sponsored Online Voter Registration Tool 
• Video: CAIR Guide to Online Voter Registration
• Distributing questionnaires to all presidential candidates. Candidate responses will be published in CAIR's candidate scorecards, scheduled to be released in February.
  • SEE: CAIR's 2012 Candidate Questionnaire
• Distributing news items on CAIR's Twitter account @CAIRNational using the hashtag #MuslimsVote focusing on niche news relating to Muslims and the election.
• Reaching out to the leadership of the nation's top four political parties.
• Promoting outreach strategies and volunteer opportunities for Muslims.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Coordinator Robert McCaw, Tel: 202-742-6448, E-Mail: rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, E-Mail: csaylor@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail:ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com 

Celebrating Ramadan at the White House

The President hosts an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan in the State Dining Room.

Read a translation: Arabic | Bengali | Dari | French | Hindi | Indonesian | Persian | Punjabi | Russian | Turkish | Urdu

President Obama's remarks during his Iftar dinner, as provided by the White House

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.) Everyone, please have a seat, have a seat.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the White House. Tonight is part of a rich tradition here at the White House of celebrating the holy days of many faiths and the diversity that define us as a nation. So these are quintessentially American celebrations -- people of different faiths coming together, with humility before our maker, to reaffirm our obligations to one another, because no matter who we are, or how we pray, we’re all children of a loving God.

Now, this year, Ramadan is entirely in August. That means the days are long, the weather is hot, and you are hungry. (Laughter.) So I will be brief.

I want to welcome the members of the diplomatic corps who are here; the members of Congress, including two Muslim American members of Congress -- Keith Ellison and Andre Carson; and leaders and officials from across my administration. Thank you all for being here. Please give them a big round of applause. (Applause.)

To the millions of Muslim Americans across the United States and more -- the more than....

...one billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time of reflection and a time of devotion. It’s an occasion to join with family and friends in celebration of a faith known for its diversity and a commitment to justice and the dignity of all human beings. So to you and your families, Ramadan Kareem.

This evening reminds us of both the timeless teachings of a great religion and the enduring strengths of a great nation. Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life. This has been especially true over the past 10 years.

In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans.

Muslim Americans were innocent passengers on those planes, including a young married couple looking forward to the birth of their first child. They were workers in the Twin Towers -- Americans by birth and Americans by choice, immigrants who crossed the oceans to give their children a better life. They were cooks and waiters, but also analysts and executives.

There, in the towers where they worked, they came together for daily prayers and meals at Iftar. They were looking to the future -- getting married, sending their kids to college, enjoying a well-deserved retirement. And they were taken from us much too soon. And today, they live on in the love of their families and a nation that will never forget. And tonight, we’re deeply humbled to be joined by some of these 9/11 families, and I would ask them to stand and be recognized, please. (Applause.)

Muslim Americans were first responders -- the former police cadet who raced to the scene to help and then was lost when the towers collapsed around him; the EMTs who evacuated so many to safety; the nurse who tended to so many victims; the naval officer at the Pentagon who rushed into the flames and pulled the injured to safety. On this 10th anniversary, we honor these men and women for what they are -- American heroes.

Nor let us forget that every day for these past 10 years Muslim Americans have helped to protect our communities as police and firefighters, including some who join us tonight. Across our federal government, they keep our homeland secure, they guide our intelligence and counterterrorism efforts and they uphold the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans. So make no mistake, Muslim Americans help to keep us safe.

We see this in the brave service of our men and women in uniform, including thousands of Muslim Americans. In a time of war, they volunteered, knowing they could be sent into harm’s way. Our troops come from every corner of our country, with different backgrounds and different beliefs. But every day they come together and succeed together, as one American team.

During the 10 hard years of war, our troops have served with excellence and with honor. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice, among them Army Specialist Kareem Khan. Galvanized by 9/11 to serve his country, he gave his life in Iraq and now rests with his fellow heroes at Arlington. And we thank Kareem’s mother, Elsheba, for being here again tonight. (Applause.) Like Kareem, this generation has earned its place in history, and I would ask all of our service members here tonight -- members of the 9/11 Generation -- to stand and accept the thanks of our fellow Americans. (Applause.)

This year and every year, we must ask ourselves: How do we honor these patriots -- those who died and those who served? In this season of remembrance, the answer is the same as it was 10 Septembers ago. We must be the America they lived for and the America they died for, the America they sacrificed for.

An America that doesn’t simply tolerate people of different backgrounds and beliefs, but an America where we are enriched by our diversity. An America where we treat one another with respect and with dignity, remembering that here in the United States there is no “them” or “us;” it’s just us. An America where our fundamental freedoms and inalienable rights are not simply preserved, but continually renewed and refreshed -- among them the right of every person to worship as they choose. An America that stands up for dignity and the rights of people around the world, whether a young person demanding his or her freedom in the Middle East or North Africa, or a hungry child in the Horn of Africa, where we are working to save lives.

Put simply, we must be the America that goes forward as one family, like generations before us, pulling together in times of trial, staying true to our core values and emerging even stronger. This is who we are and this is who we must always be.

Tonight, as we near a solemn anniversary, I cannot imagine a more fitting wish for our nation. So God bless you all and God bless the United States of America. Thank you. (Applause.) ####

White House guest list for President Obama's Ramadan Iftar dinner

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
The Honorable Andre Carson, United States Representative
The Honorable John Conyers, United States Representative
The Honorable Keith Ellison, United States Representative
The Honorable Donald Payne, United States Representative

DIPLOMATIC CORPS
Her Excellency Amina Salum Ali, Ambassador, African Union Mission
His Excellency Abdallah Baali, Ambassador, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
His Excellency Yashar Aliyev, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Her Excellency Huda Ezra Nonoo, Ambassador of Bahrain
His Excellency Akramul Qader, Ambassador of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
His Excellency Bienvenu Joseph Charles Foe-Atangana, Ambassador of Cameroon
His Excellency Adam Bechir Mahamoud, Ambassador of the Republic of Chad
His Excellency Roble Olhaye, Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti
His Excellency Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt
His Excellency Mory Karamoko Kaba, Ambassador of Guinea
His Excellency Bayney Ram Karran, Ambassador of Guyana
His Excellency Dino Patti Djalal, Ambassador of Indonesia
His Excellency Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida’ie, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq
His Excellency Micahel Scott Oren, Ambassador of Israel
His Excellency Aziz Mekour, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco
Her Excellency Aminata Maiga Djibrilla, Ambassador of Niger
Her Excellency Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al Mughairy, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman
His Excellency Husain Haqqani, Ambassador of Pakistan
His Excellency Mr. Maen Areikat, Ambassador, PLO Mission
His Excellency Ali Bin Fahad Faleh Al-Hajri, Ambassador of the State of Qatar
His Excellency Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak, Ambassador of the Russian Federation
His Excellency Adel A.M. Al-Jubeir, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia
Her Excellency Fatou Danielle Diagne, Ambassador of Senegal
His Excellency Bockari Kortu Stevens, Ambassador of Sierra Leone
His Excellency Subhas Chandra Mungra, Ambassador of the Republic of Suriname
His Excellency Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Ambassador of Tanzania
His Excellency Edawe Limbiye Kadangha Bariki, Ambassador, Togo
His Excellency Namik Tan, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey
His Excellency Yousif Mana Saeed Alotaiba, Ambassador, United Arab Emirates
His Excellency Ilhomjon Tuychievich Nematov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan
His Excellency Abdulwahab A. Al Hajjri, Ambassador of the Republic Yemen
His Excellency Ufuk Gokcen, Ambassador and Permanent Observer, Organization of the Islamic Conference
The Honorable Damir Dzanko, Chargé d'Affaires at Interim of Bosnia
The Honorable Sufyan Salman Qudah, Chargé d'Affaires at Interim of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
The Honorable Jetish Jashari, Chargé d'Affaires at Embassy of Republic of Kosovo
The Honorable Tarek Ben Youssef, Chargé d'Affaires at Interim of Tunisia

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Mr. Hamza Abdullah, Arizona Cardinals
Mr. Husain Abdullah, Minnesota Vikings
Ms. Dina Amer
Mrs. Durriya Badani, Brookings Institute
Ms. Faiza Arain, Los Angeles Police Department
Dr. Mahmoud Eboo, Aga Khan
Mr. Mohamed Ali Malouche, Tunisian American Young Professionals
Mr. Akram Syed, National Association of Indian Muslims
Mrs. Mansura Shajahan
Mr. Yusuf Shajahan
Dr. Manzoor Tariq, Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America.

 ####

White House President Obama Monday on Ramadan

As Ramadan begins, Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world. Ramadan is a festive time that is anticipated for months by Muslims everywhere. Families and communities share the happiness of gathering together for iftar and prayers. Bazaars light up the night in many cities from Rabat to Jakarta. And here in the United States, Muslim Americans share Ramadan traditions with their neighbors, fellow students, and co-workers.

For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God's mercy. It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate. The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act. Now is the time for nations and peoples to come together to avert an even worse catastrophe by offering support and assistance to on-going relief efforts.

Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. In that spirit, I wish Muslims around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.

President Obama

President Obama Appoints Founder and Chair of KARAMAH, Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 9, 2011

President Obama Appoints Founder and Chair of KARAMAH, Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

WASHINGTON, DC - On June 7, 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, Founder and Chair of KARAMAH:Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

After the announcement of her appointment to the two-year term, Leonard Leo, the Chair of USCIRF, remarked: "My fellow Commissioners and I are most pleased to welcome Professor al-Hibri to the Commission. She comes with a distinguished record of service as a human rights advocate devoted to the protection of freedom of religion for people of all faiths, and we look forward to working with her".

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibility is to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. 

Dr. al-Hibri is the Founder and Chair of KARAMAH , a non-profit organization dedicated to contributing to the understanding and promotion of human rights worldwide through education, legal outreach, and advocacy (http://www.karamah.org).  Dr. al-Hibri is a Professor at the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. She is a former professor of Philiosphy and founding editor of Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy. She is also the recipient of the First Freedom Award for the State of Virginia in 2007 from the Council for America's First Freedom.

For the past twenty years, Dr. al-Hibri has written extensively on issues of Muslim women's rights, Islam and democracy, and humans rights in Islam, and is widely published in law journals and other legal publications.  Dr. al-Hibri has lectured extensively within the United States, Europe, and the Muslim world at universities, religious and interfaith institutions, community centers, governmental agencies, think tanks, and various public forums. Currently, Dr. al-Hibri is completing a book on the Islamic marriage contract in U.S. courts.   

CAIR APPLAUDS LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS IN FOILING TEXAS BOMB PLOT

Statement on the LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS IN FOILING TEXAS BOMB PLOT from CAIR

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/24/11) -- The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today applauded the efforts of the FBI and members of the public in preventing an alleged bomb plot in Lubbock, Texas.

CAIR said a Saudi Arabian citizen living in Texas has been charged with plotting to bomb targets in the United States. The FBI was tipped off to the alleged plot by officials of a company from which the suspect ordered chemicals that could be used to build a bomb.

SEE: Saudi Student in Texas Arrested on Suspicion of Plotting Terror Attacks

In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

"We applaud the efforts of the FBI, the Lubbock Police Department and all those who helped prevent this deadly plot from being carried out. Without public vigilance and swift action by law enforcement authorities, many Americans could have been killed or injured.
"We note that this case involves a foreign individual, was apparently planned before the suspect came to this country and was motivated by extremist views acquired outside the United States."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

What is happing on Capitol Hill this Week of February 21, 2011

Major Recent Events 
 

Major Cuts to Disability programs approved by the House; Senate to work on its spending bill next week   

 

On Saturday, the House of Representatives completed work on a FY 2011 Continuing Resolution (CR) that would make landmark cuts to domestic discretionary funding in the remainder of this fiscal year.  The cuts to programs were over $100 billion when compared to what President Obama requested for FY 2011.  Over 580 amendments were offered during the debate on the bill, with 67 passing that cut an additional $620 million. The overwhelming majority of the cuts were to domestic programs though $19 billion did come from security-related cuts.  The Senate is expected to work on a CR when they return from the President’s day recess the week of February 28. The Senate Democratic leadership has signaled an unwillingness to pursue the level of cuts in the House bill but it is unclear what the strategy will be.  

While reducing the deficit is important to all Americans, The Arc and UCP will continue work diligently to ensure that this is not done at the expense of the most vulnerable, underserved, and unserved segment of our society.  We will be calling on our grassroots in the coming weeks to help preserve the most essential programs for people with disabilities.

Below are some examples of the program cuts in the House bill:

Health Care:  Nine amendments were accepted aimed at blocking implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), prohibiting funds to pay the salary of employees or contractors working on implementation and prohibiting the Internal Revenue Service from enforcing the individual responsibilitysection of the ACA. 

Employment:  The House bill eliminates the State Supported Employment grant program and theProjects with Industry grant program.  Also the overall amount of funding to states for employment and training was cut by nearly $1.4 billion. 
Housing: Housing for Persons with Disabilities would be cut by 70%.  The Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program budget would be cut from the FY 2010 level of $300 million to $90 million for FY 2011.

Special Education: The House bill would cut funding to states for special education by $557 million.  Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers introduced an amendment which passed by a vote of 249 to 179.  The amendment would restore the $557 million to special education by taking that amount from regular education.  Several advocacy groups, including the Council for Exceptional Children, had opposed the amendment stating that it “robbed Peter to pay Paul.”

Social Security:  The Administration’s “Limitation on Administrative Expenses,” the amount the agency spends on salaries and other costs to administer its programs, would be funded at $10.675 billion.  This is $1.7 billion less than the President’s request for FY 2011 and will result in increased backlogs in disability cases.  In anticipation of the possibility of this reduced spending level, SSA has imposed a hiring freeze and is planning for the possibility of furloughs.

Transportation:  The biggest cut to transportation was to the high speed rail program, a priority of the Obama Administration.  Amtrak was cut an additional $151 million. 

Special Olympics: All funding would be eliminated.

FY 2012 Appropriations – President releases Budget Request; Disability programs slated for both significant cuts and increases

The Obama Administration released its budget request for FY 2012 on February 14th.  It included a five-year freeze on domestic discretionary spending, saving an estimated $400 billion over 10 years.  Within the overall freeze, some programs were viewed as investments and given an increase, others faced significant cuts, and many programs were proposed to be consolidated with other programs. The White House budget would reduce overall spending by 2.7 percent from the $3.8 trillion Obama proposed a year ago for fiscal 2011. 

Below is a summary of changes to disability-related programs in the President's Budget:
Health:  The Administration proposes cutting $62 billion from federal health spending to offset the cost of a two-year delay in reducing payments to physicians who treat Medicare patients.

Employment:  As has been proposed in previous budgets, the Supported Employment State Grant program, Projects with Industry and a few other smaller programs were proposed to be consolidated with the state grant. There were also a few proposals for new spending including: 
• targeted program for youth receiving SSI ($30 million)
• Mentoring program for individuals with intellectual disabilities ($5 million) 
• National activities to improve VR ($8 million)

Social Security:  The President has requested $12.522 billion for the Social Security Administration’s administrative expenses, an amount that Commissioner Michael Astrue indicates is “the minimum the agency needs to continue to reduce key backlogs and to increase deficit-reducing program integrity work.”  In addition, the request includes proposals to establish:
• Disability Research Consortium – to enhance recent efforts to expand disability research. ($5 million)
• SSI Children’s Pilot – an interagency pilot – Promoting Readiness of Minors in SSI (PROMISE) – to improve outcomes for children in the SSI program.  Funding will provide competitive grants to test and evaluate interventions that successfully improve child and family outcomes and result in children leaving the SSI program. ($10 million) 
• Disability Insurance /Work Incentives Simplification Pilot (WISP) – a legislative proposal to reauthorize SSA’s demonstration authority for 5 years, including its ability to test various methods of treating work activity of people receiving disability benefits.  Using that authority, WISP would test important improvements of return-to-work rules by simplifying treatment of beneficiaries’ earnings and potentially reducing overpayments.

Developmental Disabilities Act: The DD grant programs would remain level funded; however the funding for Projects of National Significance would be cut to $8 million from $14 million, a cut of $6 million.

Discrimination: $18 million would be added to EEOC’s budget for enforcement of the non-discrimination in employment provisions of the ADA. Funding for the Helping America Vote (HAVA) protection and advocacy voting project would be eliminated.

Special Education:  The Department of Education would receive a $200 million increase for special education and $50 million for programs for infants and toddlers. 

Special Olympics: The President’s Budget would provide level funding of $8 million.

Housing: The President’s Budget calls for $196 million for the Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program, a cut of 35% from FY 2010.  It would move Section 811 rental assistance vouchers to the Section 8 voucher program, freeing Section 811 dollars up for creating new accessible housing.  Under the new Frank Melville Housing program, housing developers would be able to leverage the Section 811 dollars in more efficient ways.  The anticipated number of accessible housing units would be 3-4,000 compared with the 1,000 new units annually under the current system. 

Respite. The President’s Budget calls for $10 million for the Lifespan Respite program which is a 400% increase over the current funding level ($2.5 million). It also provides $192 million for the Family Caregiver Support program which is 500% increase over the FY2010 level ($38 million).

New Programs: The Department of Education would receive $5 million to create a Mentoring for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities; NIDRR would receive an additional $10 million to investigate cloud computing for making computer technology accessible; and several departments would jointly receive $30 million to create a transition program called PROMISE for youth who receive SSI benefits.

Long Term Services and Supports – HHS announces MFP funding for states and seeks public comment on CFC regulations

States will see significant new federal support in their efforts to help move Medicaid beneficiaries out of institutions and into their own homes or other community settings, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday.  The Affordable Care Act provides additional funding for two programs supporting that goal: 

Money Follows the Person (MFP):  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended the MFP demonstration program (which was set to expire in fiscal year 2011) for an additional five years.  The 13 States receiving awards today (CO, FL, ID, ME, MA, MN, MS, NV, NM, RI, TN, VT, and WV) join the 29 States and the District of Columbia already operating MFP programs. Together, these States will receive more than $45 million in the first year of the awards, and more than $621 million through 2016. The MFP program provides individuals living in a nursing home or other institution new opportunities to live in the community with the services and supports they need.
Community First Choice (CFC) Option:  The ACA created the CFC Option, which will give States additional resources to make community living a first choice, and leave nursing homes and institutions as a fall back option.  Starting in October, this option will allow States to receive a six percent increase in federal matching funds for providing community-based attendant services and supports to people with Medicaid. Over the next three years—through 2014—States could see a total of $3.7 billion in new funds to provide these services.  The CFC proposed rule, posted today, describes the details of this program and solicits public comment.   See the HHS press release at:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/02/20110222b.html

Employment -  Three Transition Bills Introduced in House

Three separate bills that share the name, “Transitioning towards Excellence & Achievement in Mobility (TEAM)” have been introduced in Congress by Rep. Greg Harper (R-MS).  The TEAM legislation provides separate legislative responses to help ensure that youth with significant disabilities have the opportunity to become gainfully employed in integrated settings, pursue post-secondary education, and engage in typical community activities upon leaving high school.
The TEAM Education Act (H.R. 602) seeks to streamline the transition process at the high-school level and require coordination between the state education authority and the State I/DD authority.  Among other things,  it requires Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to begin including transition planning at age 14, and allows the State Intellectual/Developmental Disability (I/DD) Agency to participate in the IEP and transition planning team for students expected to be eligible for adult I/DD services.  It also provides $50 million to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to pilot the hiring of internal transition services coordinators 

The TEAM Empowerment Act (H.R. 603) seeks to increase coordination between state educational agencies and state I/DD authorities to successfully transition youth with significant disabilities from high school into meaningful employment and post-secondary education opportunities. The bill establishes an optional Transition Planning and Services Division within each State I/DD agency to provide the necessary capacity and expertise. It also provides $50,000,000 in funding beginning in fiscal year 2012.   

The TEAM-Employment Act (H.R. 604) would amend the Rehabilitation Act to realign preferred outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities, and streamlines public funding by requiring the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) systems to actively engage with other state entities. The bill institutes the attainment of integrated employment or post-secondary education as the preferred outcome for all individuals, including those with significant disabilities.  It directs VR programs to work toward ensuring that all individuals with disabilities can be employed in integrated settings at the greater of minimum or competitive wages with commensurate benefits, and can pursue independent living and community participation and removing VR authority to determine an adult with significant disabilities ineligible to receive supported employment services. 

Wasim Entabi

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Remarks by the President Obama on Egypt

I just received the press release from The White House I am posting in entirety

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                                                February 11, 2011

REMARKS BY THE PRESDIENT

ON EGYPT

Grand Foyer

3:06 P.M. EST

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place.  This is one of those moments.  This is one of those times.  The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same.

     By stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the Egyptian people’s hunger for change.  But this is not the end of Egypt’s transition.  It’s a beginning.  I’m sure there will be difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered.  But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers, and do so peacefully, constructively, and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks.  For Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.

The military has served patriotically and responsibly as a caretaker to the state, and will now have to ensure a transition that is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people.  That means protecting the rights of Egypt’s citizens, lifting the emergency law, revising the constitution and other laws to make this change irreversible, and laying out a clear path to elections that are fair and free.  Above all, this transition must bring all of Egypt’s voices to the table.  For the spirit of peaceful protest and perseverance that the Egyptian people have shown can serve as a powerful wind at the back of this change.

     The United States will continue to be a friend and partner to Egypt.  We stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary -- and asked for -- to pursue a credible transition to a democracy.  I’m also confident that the same ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that the young people of Egypt have shown in recent days can be harnessed to create new opportunity -- jobs and businesses that allow the extraordinary potential of this generation to take flight.  And I know that a democratic Egypt can advance its role of responsible leadership not only in the region but around the world.

     Egypt has played a pivotal role in human history for over 6,000 years.  But over the last few weeks, the wheel of history turned at a blinding pace as the Egyptian people demanded their universal rights. 

We saw mothers and fathers carrying their children on their shoulders to show them what true freedom might look like. 

We saw a young Egyptian say, “For the first time in my life, I really count.  My voice is heard.  Even though I’m only one person, this is the way real democracy works.”

     We saw protesters chant “Selmiyya, selmiyya” -- “We are peaceful” -- again and again. 

We saw a military that would not fire bullets at the people they were sworn to protect. 

And we saw doctors and nurses rushing into the streets to care for those who were wounded, volunteers checking protesters to ensure that they were unarmed.

     We saw people of faith praying together and chanting – “Muslims, Christians, We are one.”  And though we know that the strains between faiths still divide too many in this world and no single event will close that chasm immediately, these scenes remind us that we need not be defined by our differences.  We can be defined by the common humanity that we share.

     And above all, we saw a new generation emerge -- a generation that uses their own creativity and talent and technology to call for a government that represented their hopes and not their fears; a government that is responsive to their boundless aspirations.  One Egyptian put it simply:  Most people have discovered in the last few days…that they are worth something, and this cannot be taken away from them anymore, ever.

     This is the power of human dignity, and it can never be denied.  Egyptians have inspired us, and they’ve done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through violence.  For in Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence -- not terrorism, not mindless killing -- but nonviolence, moral force that bent the arc of history toward justice once more.

    

     And while the sights and sounds that we heard were entirely Egyptian, we can’t help but hear the echoes of history -- echoes from Germans tearing down a wall, Indonesian students taking to the streets, Gandhi leading his people down the path of justice. 

     As Martin Luther King said in celebrating the birth of a new nation in Ghana while trying to perfect his own, “There is something in the soul that cries out for freedom.”  Those were the cries that came from Tahrir Square, and the entire world has taken note.

     Today belongs to the people of Egypt, and the American people are moved by these scenes in Cairo and across Egypt because of who we are as a people and the kind of world that we want our children to grow up in.

     The word Tahrir means liberation.  It is a word that speaks to that something in our souls that cries out for freedom.  And forevermore it will remind us of the Egyptian people -- of what they did, of the things that they stood for, and how they changed their country, and in doing so changed the world.

     Thank you.

             

                       END            3:13 P.M. EST