Success!
That is how I would describe ABATE of Wisconsin’s Lobby Day 2025. Success. Time will tell as the legislators absorb the information that ABATE members brought to Madison. Our members did an excellent job explaining why we feel all vehicles and equipment should be protected regardless of what fuel source is needed to power them. They also introduced our bill draft for Right-to-Repair and explained the need to protect E10 or less gas.
We had some last-minute changes with Senator Tomczyk contacting us to let us know that he is circulating a bill draft for cosponsors on our behalf. LRB-1293/1 would protect the sale and use of vehicles and equipment whether they have a gas engine, electric motor, or they run on hydrogen or propane. It is designed to allow a consumer to choose which engine is best for their needs and budget. We would like to thank Representatives Tucker and Green for taking the lead on the Assembly side.
During our meetings we asked our Representatives to sign on to the Tomczyk/Tucker bill draft and support it. We had extensive conversations about this piece of legislation, especially since last session the Governor vetoed this very bill. So, what are we doing differently this time? We are focused on getting the Democrats to understand that this bill would protect electric cars and equipment as much as it does gasoline powered. With the way the bill is drafted, no local or state government agency can ban the sale or use of electric vehicles and equipment either. I am hopeful that with follow-up conversations with the democratic members of the legislature, we can get some of them to understand our goal and support this bill.
Representative Penterman then surprised us by beginning to circulate LRB-0007/1 on our behalf. This is our Right to Repair legislation that would require manufacturers to provide the tools and technology to a consumer to repair their own piece of equipment, or to take it to an independent shop and have them do the work. This is an important piece of legislation that 33 states and Congress introduced last session to ensure that a consumer can have their vehicle or products repaired at a shop that they are comfortable with. We would like to thank Senator Jacque for stepping up to take the lead on the Senate version.
Our members came to the meeting equipped with valuable information about why this is important to the residents in their Legislative Districts. Right before our Lobby Day, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul joined 4 other states (Arizona, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on a lawsuit against John Deere over its alleged use of unfair practices that have driven up equipment costs for farmers, while also depriving them of the ability to make timely repairs on critical farming equipment, including tractors. John Deere is one company but there are others with similar practices such as Apple, Kubota Tractors and even the manufacturer of McFlurry Machines at McDonalds (a company called Taylor.) The impact of requiring owners to have their vehicles and equipment repaired by manufacturers is going to have a major impact on the independent shops. At one of our meetings, an independent shop owner spoke about how the impact of not passing this would have to his business, and to the industry. With tools like this we were able to present a very solid case on why this is important, and we look forward to having more discussions on this topic.
Our last agenda item was protecting E10 or less gasoline. We have been having discussions with Representative Novak on a bill draft that he is working on for the ethanol companies. I did receive a bill draft that is not ready to be released for cosponsors, but I did not have time to review it before Lobby Day. Representative Novak is a friend of motorcyclists and asked us what language we wanted in his bill. I still need to make sure that it is drafted in a way that we can support. He said that he would not move this piece of legislation unless the ethanol industry, the Fuel Retailers Association and ABATE of Wisconsin all agree on the language. THAT is the power of grassroots lobbying and the strength of ABATE of Wisconsin and its members. We want to thank Representative Novak for the ability to have a voice in how the state can move forward in expanding the sale of ethanol, while ensuring the motorcyclists and the recreational vehicle and equipment owners have the only gas legal for them to use.
Now for some thoughts from Steve about our Lobby Day. A big thank you goes out to Hupy & Abraham, S.C. and to the AMA District 16 for their generous donations toward the cost of our buses to get us all there. Our members are excellent at what we do, grassroots lobbying. That is what ABATE is, and we need to keep that in focus. Like always, a couple of us go to Madison the night before our Lobby Day so we can get set up bright and early to be ready for our members to show up. Every year we run into legislators in the hotel and have some personal time with them. It is amazing how they all know that we are coming and how excited they are to see us. This year we also ran into a couple of professional lobbyists and started up conversations with them. It was amazing to hear from them how good we are at what we do. They were very complimentary of how organized we are and how we can present the information at a grassroots level. They told us that there was a buzz around the Capitol, even the day before we got there, that the motorcyclists are coming. The day before we walked into the Capitol, there was a group of Librarians there lobbying on things important to them, and the legislators thought it was funny that “today is libraries and tomorrow is motorcyclists.” We are good at what we do. I have heard that we are the best in the nation at what we do, and I know why…..our members. Thank you! ABATE of Wisconsin’s Lobby Day is the most important day for motorcyclists in Wisconsin. We are successful because of our members showing up and remembering that even with all the awesome events and rides we have, our focus remains on grassroots lobbying to protect our right to ride and our lifestyle.
That’s it.
Steve
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