URGENT! URGENT! URGENT! URGENT! URGENT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We NEED YOUR HELP! We just received some news that the Senate is REFUSING to even hear our bill! But it may not be over... We only have two days left! <<<>> As a citizen and possibly a constituent your voice matters: Step 1: Send the email below to him RIGHT NOW(modify a bit) Step 2: If you live near Ricksville, WA and are in his district call right now and leave a message. 360.786.7620 Step 3: When you do 1 & 2 COMMENT with DONE in the Facebook post linked in this update. Step 4: Call YOUR Senator tomorrow and ask them to pull strings if they have any! This is our LAST CHANCE until 2017 folks. Here is the email template. Send it now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Senator Schoesler, I'm begging you and the Senate to get HB2334, concerning taxation of martial arts and self-defense training, passed in the Senate this year. HB2334 already passed 96-0 in the House with bi-partisan support! I just heard that partisan politics might be preventing this bill from even getting a hearing in the Republican led Senate? I hope this is not true? This is NOT a partisan issue and jobs and businesses will be lost or closed as a result if this is the case. It simply CANNOT wait until 2017. HB2334 is a very simple bill that corrects an oversight and restores martial arts studios to sales taxation as a SERVICE instead of a retail sale. Surely you can see that martial arts schools are educational facilities not gymnasiums? The current law MISTAKENLY classifies a martial arts studio as an Athletic or Fitness Facility or Health Club where all business is taxed as a retail sale. These studios do not have 5,000 to 10,000 members paying $10-$40 a month. They have 100-200 paying $120 or more. Current law penalizes children and other participants who are learning an art form, cultural appreciation, confidence, discipline and respect or self-defense. Surely these are things Republicans and Democrats alike can agree are valuable and should be protected? As it stands anti-abduction, focus and discipline, bully prevention, women's self-defense, cultural martial arts forms, hand-to-hand training for law enforcement, military training are ALL considered a retail item when they are taught in a martial arts school. This makes no sense and is bad for our citizens. Current law is already damaging these businesses and restricting access and this cannot wait until 2017!!! In a martial arts school the instructors themselves are the product and they are the epitome of a mom-and-pop small business. They grow by a handful of students a month if any! In many cases they will simply lose members, not be able to pay the bills and close. In other cases they will have to lay off staff members who have been helping them with the books, teaching a few classes or cleaning the floors. The end result is a hard-working Washington business owner who now has to work 60-70 hours to keep the doors open. Again current law damages businesses, families and may just keep someone from gaining access to an education that will save their life. This is serious. Please, please speak with Chairman Andy Hill and encourage him to get HB2334 on the schedule for a public hearing and vote tomorrow or Monday at the latest. Sincerely,