ABATE of Wisconsin Lobby Day

On February 22, 2011, members and friends of ABATE of Wisconsin will converge on the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.  The marbled halls will be awash in a sea of black leather and blue jeans as bikers bring their concerns and ABATE's legislative agenda to the attention of state lawmakers.

How do you get 500 plus bikers to the capitol?  Most will take advantage of busses that will be chartered to carry them to Madison from all corners of Wisconsin.  For the southeastern area, Hupy and Abraham S.C. will provide as many busses as necessary to bring concerned bikers to the legislative center of the state.  Hupy and Abraham S.C. has provided this sponsorship for the past two years. Attorney Michael Hupy also attends the lobby day effort and lends his expertise to the job at hand. Several other Hupy and Abraham S.C. employees who ride also attend yearly, including lead investigator and ABATE founder, Tony "Pan" Sanfelipo.


Roger "Bug" Woodke departs one of the chartered busses at Lobby Day, 2010





Topping the agenda for 2011 is the continued undertaking of correcting some shortfalls in our right of way violation law under Act 466.  Providing recognized awareness classes for offenders and adjusting the application of the rules from the courts to the DOT through Administrative Code is the challenge we face in 2011.

Another hot button topic is the Truth in Auto Insurance reform which ABATE opposes.  It is scheduled to be a talking point on February 22nd, but the current fast track push on this legislation may move it to a vote before lobby day arrives. That would be unfortunate because legislators need to hear from constituents on how this legislation is anti-consumer, anti-biker and just plain bad policy. There will be over 500 constituents in Madison to bring that message to lawmakers and hopefully it will still be a point of discussion and not passed through on the greased rail it's sitting on today.

Attorney Jason Abraham confers with ABATE Legislative Chair Dave Dwyer at public hearing on insurance reforms while Deputy Director Dave Charlebois and Region 1A Representative Paul Vita listen.




ABATE of Wisconsin is the largest and most prolific motorcycle rights organization in Wisconsin.  In fact, no other grass roots lobby organization has been around 36 years and accomplished what ABATE has. This is due to continued dedication by a core group of leaders and members who want to make a difference.  Activism for ABATE doesn't stop after lobby day.  The organization continues to work on legislative matters all year long. Besides watch dog vigilence on issues affecting motorcyclists, ABATE is also working hard on safety measures, including its Share the Road program of education in the schools and awareness rallies in the month of May. The Executive Director of ABATE, Ric Mellon, also sits on MOSAC, the motorcycle safety advisory committee for Wisconsin.

Some of the 500 + attendees at ABATE Lobby Day, 2010

Read More About ABATE of Wisconsin Lobby Day...

back to top