An effort to force a redesign of the nation’s currency so paper money could be more easily used by the blind would be too expensive and could cause undue hardships on the ATM industry.

On November 28, 2006, U.S. District Judge James Robertson ruled that the nation’s currency as currently designed violates the Rehabilitation Act, a law that prohibits discrimination in government programs on the basis of disability.  In his ruling, Robertson had said the United States was the only nation out of 180 issuing paper currency that printed bills that were identical in size and color in all their denominations.  The Treasury has been ordered to come up with ways for the blind to recognize the different denominations of paper currency.  

The Justice Department attorneys representing Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, asking that the decision be overturned, arguing that varying the size of denominations could cause significant burdens on the vending machine industry and cost the Bureau of Engraving and Printing an initial investment of $178 million and $37 million to $50 million in new printing plates.

ATMIA members will be meeting with a representative from the BEP to help them build a position on the impact of this decision on the ATM Industry.  If you are interested in participating in this effort, please feel free to contact lana@atmia.com. 

The Challenge:  Legislators are discussing proposed legislation on ATM issues without the participation of the professionals working in the industry.  The Result:  Legislation which is detrimental to our industry.

"We have this great wealth of knowledge in our membership and need to use it” said ATMIA’s International Director of Operations, Lana Harmelink.   Three years ago, ATMIA realized that there were many legislative proposals concerning ATM issues. However, the profession that would be tasked with compliance had little or no input into the legislative process.  ATMIA discovered that for legislators to be adequately informed about ATM issues, it needed to engage the participation of its entire industry.

To fill this communication gap, the Government Relations Committee (GRC) was formed by ATMIA and was to become the “Voice of the ATM Industry.”  The “Voice of the Industry” includes the responsibility of knowing “what is happening legislatively” as it pertains to the ATM profession.  So we need to monitor all impending legislation so we can get involved in lobbying and liaison with the relevant authorities. 

The solution involves incorporating a grassroots effort to compliment lobbying initiatives and engaging global member participation.  To become the “Voice of the Industry", participation of the entire membership is necessary.

"A constituent is worth ten lobbyists" said Lana.  To encourage discussion and industry involvement ATMIA has pulled leaders from all corners of the industry to speak at the annual ATMIA Conference Feb 20-23 in Orlando, FL during a general session entitled “Government Affairs: How to Get Involved and Make a Difference for your Industry.”  This topic includes panel of experts discussing the ATMIA Government Relations Committee’s accomplishments and agenda for 2007.

This panel discussion will take place during the ATMIA Conference East 2007 in Orlando, FL, Feb 20-23, 2007.  To learn more about the session and how to attend the conference please visit the event web site at ATMIA Conference East.