May 12, 2008

  WE SUPPORT THESE BILLS

HB 1295 has been passed in the House Transportation Committee thanks to the Freedom Fighters that showed up today! I want to thank Gregg Miller, Mike Sperry, Jason Walters, Peter Mustaiche, Theresa Sullivan (President Bossier/Shreveport Chapter Pelican State Abate) who compiled the power point presentation we utilized, and the others for being there. Although I was limited to three minutes in my testimony and no one besides Representative Smiley and I was able to provide testimony we evidently made an impact. Even with Colonel (Ret) Champagne (former head of the LHSC) and a couple of highly credentialed medical professionals testifying in opposition (and taking much more than the three minutes I was afforded) we were VICTORIOUS by a vote of 10-5!

Now this Bill goes to the full House floor. We need to contact the Members of the House NOW! E-mail them, call them, contact them immediately and let them know we want this Bill passed. Show your support and be a true Freedom Fighter. The ten minutes you spend doing this could make the difference between years of freedom and years of government intervention in our lifestyles. We have a golden opportunity this year to do something that we will not be able to attempt for another two years and by then that opportunity may be lost for ever. Exercise your right as an american citizen and contact your Representative now and keep the momentum going. Let's Fight the good Fight! 

Remember: One voice is but a whisper, but a thousand voices are a ROAR!

James "Poet" Sisco
State Executive President
Abate Of La., Inc.

To find a list of the Committee members contact info just click on the link under the Committee name below the list of Bills..  

Remember: One voice is but a whisper, but a thousand voices are a ROAR!  

ABATE Of Louisiana, Inc.

HB 747 passed the House Transportation Committee on May 15th.

On May 21st  this Bill was voted on by the full House. Our friend Representative Mert  Smiley testified

against it for us. The final vote was 51 yeas and 40  nays with 14 absent. It failed! The Bill has now

been returned to the calendar  for reconsideration which means it still has one more chance to make it 

out of the House and on to the Senate. We need to contact our  Representatives and let them know

how we feel.

The following link will show you  the votes on this Bill and who we need to work on: 

http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=433773_

This link will take you to the House web site so you can contact your  Representative: 

http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/H_Reps_FullInfo.asp

One Voice Is  But A Whisper, But A Thousand Voices Are A ROAR!!!  

ABATE Of Louisiana, Inc.'s Rebuttal:

1. Must wear safety helmet that complies with 49 CFR 571.218:

A. Helmets protect only 1/6 of the human body

B. 90% of all deaths in m/c accidents are due to massive body trauma

C. Helmets have proven to be ineffective in reducing the death rate in La. In 2006 the amount of m/c crashes were reduced for the 2nd straight year and helmet use increased  by 2%, but the amount of m/c riders killed has increased by 23%. Source is LHSC Highway Safety Research Group at this link: http://lhsc.lsu.edu/Reports/TrafficReports/dynamic_a/2006/a4.asp

2. Direct Supervision Issue:

A. For hunters a direct line of sight would be near impossible in forested or high vegetation areas common to Louisiana

B. For farmers the requirement to supervise their children under 16 to cross roads would be a burden since these young adults are sent on menial tasks that need to be accomplished enabling them to remain at their required tasks saving them much needed time. Farmers need every family member to assist in the running of a farm in order to make a living.

3. Safety Course Issue:

A. At present there are only 4 Safety Course Training sites in the State of Louisiana Source ATV Safety Institute at this link: https://online.svia.org/Training/ClassFind/CourseFind.aspx. These sites only offer a limited number of classes and these classes are limited in size. In order to meet this requirement by Jan. 9, 2009 there would have to be many more training sites added.

B. The state of Louisiana would have to find funding, that is not available, for an addition of a reasonable number of sites to accommodate the amount of individuals requiring this training.

4. Fine Issue:

A. Children often do things that are not within their parents control or knowledge.

B. If a parent is at work and the child is being supervised by another adult how can you hold the parent accountable by fining the parent?

C. In any other misdemeanor action towards minors the minors are required to answer for it. Diverting the responsibility for the infraction to the parents does not teach the young offender anything.

D. The fine that the Bill requires would also involve court costs and as a part or as a whole would be a burden to low income families.