Help Protect the Blind Pension In Missouri

Tell Missouri legislators to leave the Blind Pension alone.
Petition to the Missouri General Assembly

We, the undersigned residents of Missouri, respectfully urge our state legislators to oppose House Bill 2002 and House Bill 3354 and to protect the Blind Pension Program for the blind and visually impaired citizens of our state.

The Blind Pension Program has existed in Missouri since 1921. It was established to provide support for eligible blind Missourians and is funded through a statewide property tax levy. House Bill 2002 would transfer more than $64 million from the Blind Pension Fund to the public school system, and House Bill 3354 would change the levy that supports the program.

We support public education, but we do not support taking money from a program created specifically for blind Missourians and redirecting it away from that purpose. Missouri's blind and visually impaired residents should not lose long-term stability in a dedicated program simply because its reserve appears to be available.

These proposals affect some of Missouri's most vulnerable citizens. Approximately 3,000 blind and visually impaired Missourians depend on this stipend as a major part of their income. Even if these bills do not immediately reduce monthly benefits, they set a dangerous precedent. Once lawmakers begin reducing the levy and moving large sums out of the fund, the long-term strength of the program is put at risk.

A program that has served blind Missourians for more than one hundred years should not be weakened in a way that may be difficult or impossible to reverse. If Missouri policymakers believe there is excess money connected to blind services, then those resources should remain devoted to blind Missourians.

Instead of removing funds from the Blind Pension Program, Missouri should consider directing blind-related surplus funds toward blind-specific services such as employment training, outreach, rehabilitation, adjustment to blindness, research, and other resources that directly benefit blind and visually impaired citizens. With unemployment among blind and visually impaired people remaining a serious concern, Missouri should strengthen services for the blind, not weaken them.

We therefore call on Missouri legislators to reject House Bill 2002 to the extent it transfers money from the Blind Pension Fund, reject House Bill 3354, protect the long-term integrity of the Blind Pension Program, and ensure that any surplus connected to blind services remains dedicated to programs that directly benefit blind and visually impaired Missourians.

Missouri's blind citizens are not asking for special treatment. We are asking lawmakers not to dismantle or weaken a program that has worked for more than one hundred years. Leave the Blind Pension alone.

Call your Senator today and ask them to oppose HB 2002 and HB 3354.
Organizer

Missouri Council of the Blind

Missouri's largest blind consumer organization

314-832-7172

www.moblind.org