Earlier this year the Florida legislature passed a bill that prevents local governments from writing and passing earned sick time laws and voters from petitioning to put earned sick time initiatives on the ballot such as the pending referendum in Orange County. MomsRising is proud to work with partners, including OrganizeNow and others to urge Gov. Rick Scott to veto this terrible bill.  Earlier this week MomsRising volunteer Kelly joined partners to help deliver over 11,000 petitions to the Gov.'s office.  Here is Kelly's story:

Earlier this week I joined Organize NOW as a representative of MomsRising presenting the 11,000+ petitions on behalf of residents of Florida urging Governor Rick Scott to veto this bill. While I am not a mom, I know a lot of moms and dads all of which will be personally affected if this bill is not vetoed. How is it that the legislators we have elected are refusing to represent our needs in the Florida legislature? Our own representatives are seeking to pit mothers and fathers against taking care of their child or their paycheck, or even their job. Furthermore, why would businesses want sick employees to work with the possibility of making everyone else sick?

  As myself and members of Organize NOW filled strollers and a wagon    with these petitions, a swarm of media was able to capture our desires of having Gov. Scott veto HB 655. I have never felt like I was doing something so right until I was pulling that wagon filled with petitions towards his office. Once we entered the office mixed with press and staffers we began to unload the petitions onto his receptionist’s desk, resulting in a very dramatic portrayal of the countless Floridians asking for a veto. Afterwards, we held a small press conference in which some mothers shared their own stories of how they have had to choose between taking care of their child and their paycheck. One mother even shared she had lost her job because her child was sick while she was working.

This bill is terrible for moms, dads and families. I urge Governor Scott to veto HB 655 for all the mothers in Florida who cannot afford to have their jobs taken from them because there is no one else to take care of a sick family member. This issue is so important to me because government is supposed to be for ALL the people not for big business.

Check out this great new clip to see footage of the stroller delivery and learn more about why it's so important for Gov. Scott to veto the bill.  law-would-let-employers-do-away-with-sick-days