Posted: February 23, 2010
ABATE of WI Lobby Day Brings Over 500 to the Capitol
By Dave"Chubby"Charlebois, Public Relations Director
Dave"Chubby"Charlebois
Public Relations Director
ABATE of WI Inc.
pubrel@abatewis.org
414-531-4685
Members and
supporters of ABATE of WI Inc once again got the job done February 23rd in
Madison with over 500 bikers in attendance looking for support for their 2010
legislative agenda. Bikers started to show up at the Capitol as early as 8am
and didn't leave until all legislative offices had been visited. Everyone that
attended should be congratulated
on a job well done. Once again, ABATE of WI and its supporters showed that
grassroots lobbying is the most effective way of reaching our legislators in Wisconsin.
ABATE of Wisconsin (A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments) is a motorcyclists' rights
organization dedicated to freedom of the road. Our 2010 legislative agenda will
seek to replace state funding for the motorcycle safety program that was
removed from the budget. Part of motorcycle registration fees were supposed to
go toward education and awareness programs for motorcyclists and the reduction
of the budget for these programs even with the increased revenue will only put
more burdens on individuals and lessen the awareness impact to the general
public. We will also seek to amend language in Wisconsin Act 466 that was
intended to both properly punish and educate drivers that commit a right-of-way
violation which causes a crash that involves serious injury or death to a
motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian. The original intent of this law was to
increase right of way violation penalties and make an awareness class mandatory
for offenders. Since this law took effect in October of 2006, to date, we have
information of very few increased penalties being issued or awareness classes
being taken. A great amount of interest was shown by our
legislators on these issues.
ABATE
members and supporters also took this opportunity to re-introduce themselves to
our legislators and let them know our stance on the current helmet law in Wisconsin
and the
overwhelming need for crash avoidance solutions not safer crashing. Information
on our Share the Road motorcycle awareness program and our anti-impaired riding
program was also given to legislators to give examples of the tireless efforts of our organization and
its members.
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