HB1073 call to action!

This was sent to us from the leaders of the transition coalition:

Thank for you for signing the petition to support transit funding in Indiana.  The House Ways and Means Committee is considering HB 1073 which would:

1.       A method for the public to express their support for transit funding through a referendum;

2.       Local Home Rule, the role of local government to make decisions in the best interests of the people it serves;

3.       A method to partially fund mass transit through the flexibility to increase a local option income tax to become a dedicated funding source.

We contacted you in November to let you know there will be calls to act and contact Indiana legislators.  This is our first call to action!  We need your help NOW!

There are two preferred ways to contact your legislator.

1.  Via telephone:  The Indiana House switchboard number is 1-800-382-9841.If you call, we suggest you say:

“Hello, this is (state your name).  I am calling to ask Representative (state his/her name) to vote FOR HB1073 in the Ways and Means Committee.  Thank You.”

If you happen to be a constituent of the Representative you call, please include that in your statement, simply saying “I am a constituent of Rep. XXXXX, and I live at XXXXXX”Please Remember, this is a switchboard number.  The person who answers the phone does not impact the vote.  They are employed by the State and will take your call and record your sentiment.  This information is reported to the staff and legislators contacted.

2.  Via email:If you email, please keep the email brief.  The email will be received by his/her legislative assistant, and likely will be aggregated into a list, to be presented to the legislator en masse.

You will likely receive an automatic reply message thanking you for your email, that the matter is important, and that they will look into it.  This is standard practice.  KNOW THAT THE VOLUME OF EMAILS ARE REPORTED TO THE LEGISLATORS, SO THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO CONTACT MEMBERS.

At a minimum please make the same statement as you would in the phone call:

“Hello, this is (state your name).  I am contacting to ask Representative (state his/her name) to vote FOR HB1073 in the Ways and Means Committee.  Thank You.”

If you happen to be a constituent of the Representative you call, please include that in your statement, simply saying “I am a constituent of Rep. XXXXX, and I live at XXXXXX” We encourage you, in your own words, to share why improved mass transit is important to you and your neighbors, and that you would be willing to pay a bit more in taxes to pay for improved service. 

If you are constituent, or know the legislator personally, you should mention that.  For example you might say:  “I am a constituent of yours.  I live at 2222 Happy Way.  I met you at the Bob Evans restaurant last fall.”Our goal is to demonstrate support for a “yes” votes on HB 1073 to pass out of the House Ways and Means Committee. 

This first call to action is focused on those committee members.  It is important we contact every member of the committee.  Thank you for taking the extra time to make this contact.

Here is a link to the most current version of the bill.  Be aware that the language of the bill could change slightly before the vote. http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2012&session=1&request=getBill&docno=1073 Our main goal at this time, is to get a bill approved by the Ways and Means Committee, in order to keep our mass transit proposal alive.

You should expect to hear about and see changes in the bill as it moves forward. 

Chair: Representative Jeff Espich              h82@in.gov         317-232-9651     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Suzanne Crouch               h78@in.gov         317-232- 9769    or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Bob Cherry                         h53@in.gov         317-232-9619     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Thomas Dermody            h20@in.gov         317-232-9619     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Phyllis Pond                       h85@in.gov         317-234-2993     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Milo Smith                          h59@in.gov         317-232-9678     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Jeff Thompson                 h28@in.gov         317-232-9793     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Jim Baird                              h44@in.gov         317-232-9671     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Edward Clere                     h72@in.gov         317-232-9648     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Mike Karickhoff                h30@in.gov         317-234-9380     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Rebecca Kubacki              h22@in.gov         317-232-9674     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Dan Leonard                      h50@in.gov         317-232-9793     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Richard McClain                h24@in.gov         317-232-9648     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Randy Truitt                       h26@in.gov         317-234-9380     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Eric Turner                          h32@in.gov         317-232-9815     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Matt Ubelhor                    h62@in.gov         317-232-9647     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative William Crawford             h98@in.gov         317-232-9875     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Mara Candelaria Reardon            h12@in.gov         317-232-9600     or     1-800-382-9841

Representative Terry Goodin                     h66@in.gov         317-232-9875     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Clyde Kersey                     h43@in.gov         317-234-9218     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Sheila Klinker                     h27@in.gov         317-234-9218     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Win Moses                         h81@in.gov         317-232-9999     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Scott Pelath                       h09@in.gov         317-234-9294     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Cherrish Pryor                   h94@in.gov         317-234-9047     or            1-800-382-9841

Representative Peggy Welch                      h60@in.gov         317-232-9976     or            1-800-382-9841

Thanks for your hard work.  This is the part in our great process that lets you engage in a meaningful way on issues that matter to you.  We appreciate your support.  If you are willing, please bcc us at info@indianacat.org so we can count how many emails are sent to legislators.

Please use Tuesday afternoon, January 17th, as a goal line for having Ways and Means Committee members reached.