Your help is needed to help protect your rights, with ATV's and Off road riding and Helmets. Options

[Kev]

State Legislative Report - 28 February 2010



Status of Bills



Senate Bills:

SB2535 (Trotter) - Helmets for under 18

Passed out of committee 2/23/10 3rd reading 3/2/10



SB2536 (Trotter) - Helmets for all - Stuck in committee 2/23/10



SB2566 (Sullivan) - ATV agr exempt



SB2627 (Silverstein) - bicycle helmets for < 16 & < 40# or 40”

Still in Public Health Committee



House Bills: HB162 (Ramy) - CRST amendment

Vehicle & Safety Committee - hearing 10 AM on 3/3/10



HB4904 (Myers, Brauer - ATV agr exempt

Rules Committee Watson, Phelps, Reitz, Beiser)



HB5029 (Flowers) - ATV ban < 16 – no passengers

Mandates subcommittee of House Elementary & 2ndry Committee

Hearing 3/3/10 at 8:05 AM



HB5031 (Flowers) - Helmets for all

Vehicles & Safety hearing 3/3/10 at 10 AM (Room 115)



HB6114 (Hamos) - bicycle helmets < 18 & < 40# or 40”

Vehicles & Safety hearing 3/3/10 at 10 AM (Room 115)



Action Required:

House Vehicle & Safety Committee hearing on Wednesday

March 3rd at 10 AM in Room 115 of the Capitol for:

· HB162 (Ramy) - CRST amendment

· HB5031 (Flowers) - Helmets for all

· HB6114 (Hamos) - bicycle helmets < 18 & < 40# or 40”



House Mandates subcommittee of House Elementary & Secondary Education will hear Rep. Mary Flowers’s ATV / dirt bike ban for under 16 and no passengers at 8:05 AM on Tuesday, March 2nd in Room 114 of the Capitol.



What Needs to be Done



SB2535: A quick look at the status of the bills listed above might cause one to think attending the hearings on March 2nd & 3rd would be our top priority. Those hearings are important, but the big concern is with SB2535, Senator Trotter’s bill that would require helmets on all minors under the age of 18 on motorcycles either as operators or as passengers. This bill has made it out of committee and is a true threat to motorcycling.



Senator Trotter is busy lining up votes from his fellow senators. This means we need to be just as busy lining up senators who will vote against this bill. We must contact our senators ourselves and must urge other members to do the same. Chapter presidents and legislative officers should ask their members to report back to them with what their senator told them. This does two things: (1) It keeps us informed about potential opponents and (2) It encourages our members to make that phone call because they know they will be held accountable for making the call.



When you talk to your senator, use some of the facts contained in the attached summary from IDOT’s website (See URLs of the documents on the attachment.)

· One of the weaknesses of SB2535 is that it is not clear who requires the protection the bill offers. The only statistics on children injuries and deaths are not separable from what was experienced by 18 and 19 year-olds. Is the purpose of the bill to protect young passengers or older operators?

· For example, no child under the age of 15 was reported killed in the most recent IDOT statistics. Apparently, parents do a good job of protecting their children.

· The youngest anyone was killed is in the 15-19 range. SB2535 is for those under 18. It is likely those killed are young adults who would not be affected by this bill.

· SB2535 applies exclusively to vehicles on highways (See 625 ILCS 5/11‑201.). IDOT statistics includes off-road casualties and ATV use as well as motorcycle use. Why would the State enact a law placing restrictions on highway users when the only people who are at risk may be off-highway users? Be careful here: we do not want to suggest that restrictions should be placed on off-highway users. Our point is that there is no clear, demonstrable need for the restrictions of SB2535.

· Emphasize that government should not intrude into the lives of its citizens unless there is a compelling need for it to do so. Government is to protect our liberties – not to take them away. Here, it appears there is no compelling need. Therefore, SB2535 is a bad bill, and your senator should vote against it.



The most important senator for you to contact would be Your senator. When you do, please ask for a clear statement of how your senator will vote. This is not the time to settle for an “I’ll take your views in consideration when it is time to vote.” Please ask your fellow members to do the same. Ask family members and friends to help us champion this cause by contacting their senators and getting a firm statement of the senator’s vote on SB2535. When you get a commitment from a senator, please report it to me and to Todd TVandermyd@aol.com .

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HB162, HB 5031, & HB6114: These bills are scheduled for hearing in House Vehicles and Safety Committee on Wednesday, March 3rd, in Room 115 of the Capitol. Please come to these hearings if you can and register as proponent of HB162 and as opponent of HB5031 and HB6114. Encourage as many others to come with you as you can. Contact members of that committee and urge them to support HB162 and to vote against HB5031 and HB6114.



Here are the members of House Vehicles and Safety Committee:

House Vehicles & Safety Committee Members 96th General Assembly



Position Name/Party/Dist. Dist. Phone Spfld Phone E-mail

Chairperson : John D’Amico (D-15) (773) 736-0218 (217) 782-8198 johnd@ilga.gov

Vice-Chair: Kevin Joyce (D-35) (708) 448-3518 (217) 782-8200 joycekc@ilga.gov

Rep. Spokes: Jill Tracy (R-93) (217) 223-0833 (217) 782-8096 jiltracy@jiltracy.com

Member: Daniel Beiser (D-111) (618) 465-5900 (217) 782-5996 dvbeiser@sbcglobal.net

Member: Kay Hatcher (R-50) (630) 553-3223 (217) 782-1486 info@kayhatcher.us

Member: Dennis Reboletti (R-46) (630) 530-2730 (217) 782-4014 dennisreboletti@aol.com



Today is the time to dig in and to make a difference.

Do not rely on someone else doing this for you.

Do not put this off until the end of the week.

We may all be volunteers, but so were the patriots that founded this country.

They were willing to suffer inconvenience to fight for freedom.

We should do no less!


George Tinkham
A.B.A.T.E. State Legislative Coordinator
"Helping Democracy Work"