The Florida Senate will be voting on SB 1296 TOMORROW (3/4)! So we you need you to contact Senators TODAY and demand they OPPOSE SB 1296! Calls are preferred and you can call to leave a voicemail after hours. You can also email Senators using this tool. You can also make calls AND send emails to really drive the point home!
SB 1296 (full text and independent analyis of the bill from Senate staff) is an anti-freedom, anti-worker bill that will make life harder for Floridians at a time too many of us are already struggling just to make ends meet. The bill was heard in its final committee on Monday, March 2 and is now ready for the Senate floor. We need senators to hear from as many working people as possible about why we don’t want legislation to make our lives harder!
To help you out in making those calls, on this page you’ll find
- a list of the senators who we are asking you to call,
- a sample script you can use when making the phone call and
- most importantly a form you can use to let us know which senators you were able to call.
List of senators to call
If SB 1296 is heard on the Senate floor, there will be a handful of senators whose votes will decide the ultimate outcome of the vote. Below are the Senators who need to hear from you as to why you oppose SB 1296!
| Targeted Senators | |
|---|---|
| Sen. Ben Albritton, 850-487-5027 | Sen. Joe Gruters, 850-487-5022 |
| Sen. Bryan Avila, 850-487-5039 | Sen. Ed Hooper, 850-487-5021 |
| Sen. Jim Boyd, 850-487-5020 | Sen. Debbie Mayfield, 850-487-5019 |
| Sen. Jennifer Bradley, 850-487-5006 | Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, 850-487-5040 |
| Sen. Colleen Burton, 850-487-5012 | Sen. Corey Simon, 850-487-5003 |
| Sen. Ileana Garcia, 850-487-5036 | Sen. Tom Wright, 850-487-5008 |
Script
Now that you know who you are going to call, let’s talk about what you are going to say on the call. Below you’ll find some general advice for talking with legislators about SB 1296:
Please make sure that you speak about yourself as a worker in your community and discuss what workers need- the ability to pay their bills, the ability to support their families etc.
- Do not center your union in this conversation, instead center yourself and your experience.
- Do mention if you are a military veteran.
Before you call take some time to think through the following questions:
- How have increased prices impacted your family budget?
- What have you had to give up because of tighter budgets?
- What kind of relief do families like yours actually need to see?
Rather than getting into the specifics of the policies in SB 1296, it is important that you focus on the outcomes.
Specifically, we’d urge you to consider pointing out that SB 1296 makes it harder for you to support your family ; that it makes it harder for you to fight for the healthcare and benefits you need, and that it adds unnecessary government bureaucracy to your workplace .
While there is a possibility that a member of the senator’s staff—or even the senators themselves—will answer the call, it is most likely that you will be leaving a voicemail.
Before you make your call, make sure you are comfortable with both what you will say if you do get a live caller (left) and what you will say if you leave a voicemail (right).
Note: If you are a Republican union member, please be sure to emphasize that you are a registered Republican on your call.
| Live Caller Hi- my name is [name] and I am a concerned citizen and voter [if true, add: in your district]. I am calling to ask my Senator/Senator [name] to vote NO on senate bill 1296 and here is why: It would make it harder for me to pay my bills, support my family and access the critical healthcare and benefits that I need This bill doesn’t make it easier for me to live in Florida or support my family and it certainly doesn’t make it easier for me to pay my bills Why would anyone want to make it harder for families to live in Florida, especially during an affordability crises that is hitting our personal budgets hard? Please vote NO on senate bill 1296 | Voicemail OPTION 1: My name is [name] and I am a concerned citizen and voter [if true, add: in your district]. Please vote no on senate bill 1296. I am a worker in Florida busy raising my family, but this bill would hurt me. Please do not make it harder for me to pay my bills or support my family. Please vote NO on senate bill 1296. OPTION 2: My name is [name] and I am a concerned citizen and voter [if true, add: in your district]. I’m calling to ask you to vote NO on senate bill 1296. It doesn’t help me support my family or pay my bills and it doesn’t bring down costs for families like mine. Please do not make it harder for workers to pay their bills! Please vote NO on senate bill 1296. |
Let us know who you called!
It is important that we know how many calls senators are receiving. After each phone call you make, please find the senator you called on the list and select the appropraite response on this form.