48 Bills we are watching. Some are already working their way through the General Assemble. Left side is the list of bills and the right side is any alerts I will be getting on them... Some are on the list for various reasons, including the possibility of helmet laws for motorcycles and past additions of motorcycle wording. Some effect all vehicals.

ABATE of Indiana Legislative Introduction
January 20, 2011
 
We are now two weeks into the general (long) session of the 117th Indiana General Assembly and want to update you on what we're doing.
 
There had been a lot of talk about bipartisan cooperation leading into this session. It looked like that might all go away about five minutes into opening day in the House of Representatives. There was some bickering across the aisle that seems to have settled down for now but has the ability to present again later. We've got friends in both parties in both houses and we certainly hope they are able to resolve whatever differences may exist and continue to do their best to perform the state's business.
 
Governor Mitch Daniels delivered his seventh State of the State Address on January 11, 2011. Governor Daniels focused much attention on education as he set the tone for the next four months which will determine the biennial budget, redistricting (state and congressional districts) and a litany of other issues.
 
The deadline for filing legislation has now passed (House 01/11/11 - Senate 01/13/11), but the possibility of amendments exists all the way through the Conference Committee. We have been working with the State Budget Agency to secure adequate funding for the rider education program and will be closely following HB1001, the budget bill, through the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. You may remember that the "conferees" added the spinal cord and brain injury language into the budget bill in the final hours of the 2007 general session.
 
Our biggest issues this session include right-of-way legislation (HB1087 - Pelath) that provides for penalties if the actions of someone result in the death or serious injury of another, improving motorcycle licensing (SB528 - Merritt) and the future of the rider education program (SB127 - Holdman). We are in support of each of these three bills. We are currently monitoring 89 pieces of legislation of the approximately 1109 that have been introduced. These include:
Antique motor vehicles - SB120      
Bicycle helmets - SB353, HB1141      
Brain injury - SB24, SB93, HB1021, HB1152      
Charity/Gaming - SB132, SB340, HB1092, HB1285, HB1390, HB1462, HB1545      
Driver education - SB101, SB127, HB1110 January 26, 2011 --- SB127 (Holdman, Merritt, Wyss, Arnold, Tomes) which moves all driver education, and motorcycle rider education, to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) has been scheduled to go back to second reading on Thursday January 27th. Contact your State Senator and let them know that we are in favor of SB127. The future of the Indiana Motorcycle Operator Safety Education Program needs your support.

 SB127 will move rider education to the BMV and passed third reading in the senate 44-5 on January 31st. The BMV, DOE and ABATE of Indiana support this legislation which is now headed to the House with sponsors Hinkle and Gutwein.
Golf carts - HB1353      
Ignition interlock - HB1556      
Insurance - SB308, SB334, SB445      
Lead content - HB1166      
Licensing - SB528 SB528 by Senator Merritt, is a "clean up" bill that makes a number of technical corrections. Included in that is the removal of a provision for the temporary motorcycle learners permit and motorcycle only license. These were recommendations of the motorcycle safety assessment and make the licensing process more clear and efficient. We are hoping to include the lifting of the 30 day wait (between issuing a permit and ability to skill test) before the bill becomes law. This passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Transportation and Veteran's Affairs Committee unanimously on February 9th.
Mini trucks - SB372      
Motorcycle sales - SB108      
Motorized bicycles - HB1125, HB1334, HB1426, HB1495 HB1334 changes language in statute referencing "motorized-bicycles" to "mopeds" and does away with the term "scooter" in code. Additionally it calls for registration of these units. Representative (Milo) Smith has been trying to get this bill heard for three sessions. He and co-authors, Representatives Riecken, Neese and Fry, were successful in getting this passed out of the House Roads and Transportation Committee on February 9th and now have it headed to the House Floor. There may be a few tweaks as it goes through the legislature, but it is a really good start. We are pleased to have worked with Rep. Smith on this and congratulate him on getting over the first hurdle.
OHV (off-road) - SB154, HB1082, HB1090      
Restraint systems - SB424, HB1044, HB1168      
Right of way - HB1087      
Texting - SB18, SB92, SB141, SB404, HB1050, HB1129, HB1158      
Toxicology - SB431, HB1458      
Traffic signals - SB337, HB1199      
The session is to end on or before April 29th. If you recall the last "budget cycle" a "special session" was required for the legislators to agree on passing a state budget, which is the only task they are statutorily (by law) required to do. I certainly do not expect the General Assembly to go beyond the end of April, but I'd be a little surprised if they finished early. We need your participation as a grassroots lobbyist at "ABATE Day at the Statehouse" on Thursday March 10. That is a little late in the session and many things will already be decided by that time. For that reason, we need you to be in contact with your legislators throughout the session, starting right now. Call them, write them letters, send e-mail or better yet... visit them at local third house meetings or at the Statehouse. Let them know that you are a constituent and a motorcyclist and these issues are important to you. Be sure to check the website frequently for updates or sign up for the ABATE Alerts.

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