CALL TO ACTION!!!! Help ABATE of Florida’s Stiffer Penalties Bill!!

Deland, March 23, 2011 – Although ABATE of Florida, Inc. members have been busy calling and e-mailing Florida Representative Drake to get their “Stiffer Penalties” Bill, HB 403, on the agenda of the House Transportation and Highway Safety Subcommittee, at this point he has not placed it to be heard. We all know how important it is to get HB 403 heard and passed by this committee, because if not, it will die regardless of what happens in the Florida Senate with its version.

ABATE of Florida’s Lobbyist, Doc Reichenbach, is busy in Tallahassee with talks generating additional support for the Bill.  Even though the Bill has a lot of support, we can still do a big part by keeping the phones busy and e-mails flying.  Darrin “Scribe” Brooks, ABATE’s Legislative Trustee, mentioned that he has been told by many legislators’ offices this week they have been contacted by several people about supporting the Bill.

They have asked a lot from people, but they need your help again! This time ABATE needs to focus the calls on the OTHER members of the House Transportation and Highway Safety Subcommittee.  If they can get enough people to call and e-mail them about HB 403, maybe they will convince Rep. Drake to put our Bill on the Subcommittee’s agenda so the bikers will stop calling!

When contacting the Representatives, here’s an example of what to say; “My name is ______, I am calling on behalf of ABATE of Florida, the state’s largest motorcyclists’ rights organization. I am calling to ask for Rep. ____’s help with HB 403. It is scheduled to go to the House Transportation and Highway Safety Subcommittee, however, we are having trouble getting it placed onto the Subcommittee’s agenda. I was hoping that since Rep. _____ is a member of that committee they could help us get it heard. Thank you very much.”

Scribe said  that most of the Representatives’ offices he spoke with stated they already know about ABATE and their Lobbyist, which shows some of the presence they have at Florida’s capital. One Representative from the Jacksonville area said they already knew about the Bill from the ABATE members visiting him recently.

Here are the House Transportation and Highway Safety Subcommittee Members and what area they are from.  Please give them a call and drop them an email asking them to get HB403 put on the committee’s agenda to be heard ASAP!