Call your legislator to support the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act

Maryland PIRG is working with nurses, doctors, pharmacists, hospitals, farmers, restaurants, unions and others to pass the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act of 2017. The bill will combat the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria by restricting the use of antibiotics on farm animals.

Antibiotics are a cornerstone of modern medicine. Before antibiotics, infections were the leading cause of death in the United States. The overuse of antibiotics on farms in not necessary and contributes to the growing threat of bacteria that are resistant to all antibiotics. With 70% of U.S. antibiotic sales going towards use on farms, the pharmaceutical industry is padding their profits at the expense of public health.

Please make a call to your Senator and Delegates and ask them to protect public health by passing the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act (SB422/HB602)!

Here’s how:

First, find your State legislators by searching your address at mdelect.net, click on the names of your State Senator and Delegates for their contact information. If they are a sponsor of the bill, you can call to say “Thank you!”

•  Senate Bill #422 sponors: Senators Pinsky, Benson, Conway, Currie, Feldman, Ferguson, Guzzone, Kelley, King, Lee, Madaleno, Manno, Muse, Nathan-Pulliam, Ramirez, Robinson, Rosapepe, Smith, Young, and Zucker.
•  House Bill #602 sponsors: Delegates Robinson, Lam, Anderson, Angel, Barkley, B. Barnes, Carr, Cullison, Ebersole, Fennell, Fraser-Hidalgo, Frush, Gilchrist, Gutierrez, Healey, Hettleman, Hill, Holmes, Kaiser, Kelly, Korman, Lafferty, Lewis, Luedtke, McIntosh, Moon, Morales, Morhaim, Pena-Melnyk, Platt, Reznik, Sanchez, Tarlau, Turner, Valderrama, M. Washington, and K. Young.

Call your legislators’ offices:

1. Tell them your name and where you are from, ask them how they are.
2. Ask if they will vote for the Keep Antibiotics Working Effective Act (Senate Bill 422/ House Bill 602).
3. (optional, but encouraged) Tell them why you care about the issue
4. Thank them for their time.
5. Send me an email so I know who you called and how it went.

Tips:

• Be nice to staffers! They are busy but are eager to hear from constituents.
• Tell them the name of the bill and the number of the bill (422 in the Senate/602 in the House)
• Be yourself: If you or someone you know has experienced a resistant infection, let them know.
• Help spread the word to your friends and family.

Wnat to learn more about the bill? Check out our testimony in support and the website for the Maryland Campaign to Keep Antibiotics Working.