Legislative Update

Report 6/26/09

2009-06-27T23:01:00.001-05:00

The Texas Owners Group met on 6/7 at 12:00 at Lost Prairie Cycles.

After a wonderful hamburger lunch with all the trimmings served by Tom the meeting started at 1:00pm.
The May minutes and financial report were read and approved. $653.00 was given to Sputnik from memberships and donations to take back to Austin.
In old business certificates of appreciation were given out to the sponsors of the Texas Independence Day Rally by Tom.
In new business Tom told us that the website was updated for The 4th Ann HOT Howl-O-Ween Biker Bash. Upcoming benefit/rallys for TMRA 2 on Father's Day weekend by East Texas Chopper Guys and The 4th of July Rally in Abilene for TMRA2’s birthday celebration. And asked that everyone try attending one of those rallies.
As our special guest Sputnik explained all that had happened in Austin as the last week of this legislative session came to an end and that a special session would be called in the next month to finish up business that had not been handled in this session.
We expressed our thanks to Sputnik for all he does for biker's rights.
Meeting was adjourned at 2:15. The next scheduled meeting is July 12th due to The American Independence Day celebration on the 4th.

Sandra Lynch-Secretary
Texas Owners Group
District 5

Thanks to the first Brazoria Chapter for their $500 donation to the State Office.

Thanks to G&N Skooter Shack for becoming a Supporter member

Governor Perry has called for a special session to begin on July 1st in order for the Legislature to address three issues.

The first issue is the consideration of legislation allowing the Texas Department of Transportation to issue general obligation bonds, which have already been approved by voters, for highway improvement projects.

The second issue is the consideration of legislation extending the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation and regional mobility authorities to use comprehensive development agreements to design, finance, build and maintain transportation infrastructure.

The third issue will be the passage of the "Sunset Safety-Net" bill needed to keep the Texas Transportation Department, the Texas Department of Insurance, the State Affordable Housing Corporation, the Racing Commission and the Office of Public Insurance Counsel functional beyond September 2010

In other words he has called a Special Session to begin with a National Holiday with the main purpose of selling our highway system to the highest bidder. And we all know who that is don't we?
My State Rep was quoted in the Galveston County Daily News saying that if everyone will agree to Suspend The Rules we can be finished by the 4th of July. Of course he is the Chairman of the House Republican Caucus and he supports selling our roads to be tolled by foreign companies.
We’ll be in the capitol Wednesday to see what happens.

Sputnik
State Chair

REPORT 6/26/09

2009-06-26T07:26:00.000-05:00

Governor Perry has called for a special session to begin on July 1st in order for the Legislature to address three issues.
The first issue is the consideration of legislation allowing the Texas Department of Transportation to issue general obligation bonds, which have already been approved by voters, for highway improvement projects.

The second issue is the consideration of legislation extending the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation and regional mobility authorities to use comprehensive development agreements to design, finance, build and maintain transportation infrastructure.

The third issue will be the passage of the "Sunset Safety-Net" bill needed to keep the Texas Transportation Department, the Texas Department of Insurance, the State Affordable Housing Corporation,the Racing Commission and the Office of Public Insurance Counsel functional beyond September 2010.

In other words he has called a Special Session to begin with a National Holiday with the main purpose of selling our bhighway system to the highest bidder. And we all know who that is don't we?

Sputnik

UPDATE 6/23/09

2009-06-23T22:51:00.001-05:00

We have just been informed that the governor actually did sign SB 1967. We regret the error in reporting.

Sputnik

Report 6/22/09

2009-06-23T22:49:00.001-05:00

We attended a Biker Benefit for some close friends at Lost Prairie Cycle Ranch on Saturday and the Heart of Texas Chapter Meeting at Jim’s Cycle Shop in Axtell the next Day. It was good to see a few riders participating during the meeting. It was at least an improvement over a few months ago so things are looking up. Jim cranked up the air and moved the meeting inside due to the heat.

We had a good meeting and laid out what was necessary to get back on track and become the powerhouse from the past. We left there with a good feeling that things would continue to get better in that neck of the woods. Went back to the house to keep my next appointment for this month, the second of three scheduled. Put that behind us and headed out for ETME Acres for the ETCG Fathers Day Run.

If we had a group of real Bikers as dedicated as those in the Piney Woods in each District there would be no stopping this army. These same hard core riders turn out twice each year to keep the doors open and as they call it ”do their little part to help”. Their little part consists of everyone having a great time. Pickin’ n Grinnin’ kickin’ tires and telling tales on Friday. Followed by a Poker Run Saturday morning and (ride ‘em like you stole ‘em) field events with no wimps allowed for the afternoon.
They raffle off every thing but the kitchen sink then settle down for some kick ass music that night. Sunday morning they send you back to the office with $3-4000 and start getting ready for next time.

Back in the office again after a long, hot, wonderful weekend spent with the East Texas Chopper Guys at ETME Acres. Waited for the time to wind down and SB 1967 did not get Vetoed so regardless what happens now it will become law on September 1st 2009. Da’Lady, Rep Chavez, has requested a public signing ceremony. We will see if anything comes of that.

Da’Lady also was the one who filed the Amendments to rededicate our rider training Fund and get our Budget raised for the coming biennium. Once everything settles down we will owe her and her entire Staff a Party for all the work they did for riders this session. They put in far more effort on our behalf than most riders did.

The 17th Birthday Party is coming up July 3-5, at V-Twin Valley at CR 351 in Merkel, Texas. That’s just outside Abilene. Get your Butt out there and make this one a big success. A lot of work has gone into making this be the place to celebrate the Independence of our Nation. Plenty of Events.
Bring your bathing suit. Silver has announced the SWIMMING POOL IS BUILT and the pump is filling it with water as I write.

Another SPECIAL for this Event: U.S. SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON has sent us an AMERICAN FLAG with a certificate verifying it was flown over the U,S. Capitol. It will go to the highest bidder during the Saturday Auction.
I have one more Dr. Appointment to keep and then I will see you all in the VALLEY, in the pool.

Ride Free – Ride Sober
Sputnik/State Chair

Update

2009-06-03T23:18:00.002-05:00

Texas Motorcycle Rights Association
512-971- 6777 - 275 Old Lexington Rd. Elgin, Texas 78621
www.tmra2.org

The parking lot at Lost Prairie Cycles was packed with bikers from as far away as Houston, Hewitt, Huntsville, Groesbeck, Eddy, Crockett, Mexia, Waco, Jewett, Tx. And parts unknown, with The NEWS motorcycle club, The CMA and a new Mom & Pop riding group called The Los Pirados rounding out the mix of bikers. Lunch was served shortly after 12 noon, with Fajitas, Pico de Gallo, Uncle Tom's Jalapeno Beans, Tortillas, Guacamole, Chips, Salsa, Susan's salad & Smoked Link Sausage! Kevin & Robert Rose came in early to set up the tables, chairs and help prepare the store for a massive display of food & drink.

The Texas Owners Group meeting started at 1pm with a prayer from Thomas Barber of The CMA. All stood for The Pledge of Allegiance. Topics discussed were the alcohol check point, holding our senators & congressmen/women accountable to the constitution or they will be gone in 2010, The 2009 Howl-O-Ween Rally on Oct 30th - Nov. 1st , Volunteers for the rallies are doing a great job, all were recognized and much appreciated with a big round of applause! Skunk Dots Biker News was also mentioned, they wrote a great article about The Texas Independence Day Rally, see the May 2009 edition of Skunk Dots before they are all gone!
Dennis & Skunk also were mentioned and made a whopping $600.00 bid to win the Texas Flag flown over the Texas Capitol building just for TMRA2

6 New members signed up at the May 3rd meeting, they are Stephanie & Mike Forbes of Eddy, Tx, Jason Harris of Waco, Tx., Norman & Audra Gilbert of Hewitt, Tx. & Cynthia Holmes of Jewett, Tx.. Los Pirados is also a 100% TMRA2 membership organization!

TMRA2 Benefit - East Texas Chopper Guys Rally - June 19th, 20th & 21 at E.T.M.E. Acres near Nacadoches, Tx. I will be going, this is a fun family orientated rally, with games for all and live music. Show your support for TMRA2, Make this benefit!
Thank you all for showing your support for Freedom & TMRA2,

Tom Maddux
TMRA2 Senate District 5 Advisor
&
TMRA2 Finance Officer
5544 Hwy 164 East
Groesbeck,Tx.76642
254-729-3104
http://www.LPCycles.com
http://www.TheHOTRally.com

MRF News
HR 1253 Passes United States House of Representatives

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports that the US House passed HR 1253, sponsored by Michael C. Burgess (R-TX) and cosponsored by Bart Stupak (D-MI), which would require that people signing up for a health plan receive in writing an explanation of treatment limits or non-covered conditions, along with other plan restrictions, "in a form that is easily understandable." The bill passed with overwhelming support with the final vote coming in at 422-3.

All group health plans would be covered by the bill, and health plans would be required to provide the information before customers sign up.

"We are going to stand up and shine a light on these exclusions so Americans will not be caught off-guard by exclusions buried deep within an insurance plan," said Burgess, a physician.

HR 1253 at this point does not have a Senate companion bill which is the next step before this legislation is signed into law.

"This legislative action keeps Congress on record that this issue needs their attention," said Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice President of Government Relations. "While this bill is a step in the right direction, the MRF remains committed to securing coverage of any injury that comes from legal use of an on-road motorcycle."

Elmer H. McKeegan
Chapter Coordinator

“There was no joy in Mudville, MIGHTY CASEY HAD STRUCK OUT.”
That was the feeling in the capitol as first the House and then the Senate Adjourned SINE DIE on June 1st. I had an appointment with my Renal Dr. for that day in Houston so I called Legislators off the Floor Sunday and said my thanks in case I didn’t make it back for the final day. I stayed in touch with the Task Force Members at the capitol as I made my way through the routine at the Hospital. After being told by the Dr. that my kidney function was down to 20% and I needed my heart work up done again on June 16th I headed back to Austin to see the final hours of Sine Die. Compared to past years it was a waste of time.
There just wasn’t anything to celebrate and they all knew it. Nothing of any real importance got done this session. There were a few good Bills passed but the major issues remained out of reach. The problem was not just Partisanship but House against the Senate. And then it was a combination of both. The House Democrats slowed things to a crawl in an attempt to kill the Voter ID Bill. They were successful but many good Bills died behind it for lack of time. When it was clear Democrats had won that battle and offered to move on the Republican Senators threatened to Filibuster each of the other issues in a battle of one up man ship. It was absolutely disgustingly politics at it’s worst.
Whether you blame the House, the Senate, Democrats or Republicans the problem was a total lack of leadership. Governor Perry demanded issues that weren’t popular with Texas Citizens be passed. Republicans did their best to make it happen but met stiff opposition. Toll Roads and Taxes were top priorities for Republicans and I’m not sure the Democrats had any issues the Republicans truly opposed. There will be a Special Session and it will revolve around Toll Roads, Taxes and Voter ID. Some things just never change until you have a change in Leadership. I shall go home today and rest a couple of days. I plan to make the H O T Chapter Meeting at Lost Prairie Cycles Sunday and then make plans from there. Those plans will include making each Chapter’s meeting and try to get things back on an even Keel. Watch for a notice of when I will be in your area and let’s get ready for what lies ahead.

Ride Free – Ride Sober

Sputnik
State Chair/TMRA 2

SB 1967 (Legislative Session So Far)

2009-05-30T01:20:00.001-05:00

What Happened, many have asked. I will try here to lay out some of the Bills we were involved with, what they were intended to do and what became of them.
SB 298 the Road Block Bill once again died in the House Committee after having passed in the Senate. Despite changing the name to Sobriety Check Point Texans saw it for what it was and said “NO THANKS MADD” This is the third time this Bill has been killed but MADD will never give up as long as they can find an Author. We have to be ready again next session.

SB 506 the Lane Splitting Bill Died in House Public Safety Committee after having passed in the Senate. This Bill came from a Man who moved here from California and asked for it. He said: “Give me a helmet law any time but let me split lanes like they do in California. We don’t agree with helmet laws so we wanted no part of the Bill. We were in committee when they laid it out and asked for our support. I told them I would not support the Bill but I would not oppose it. There were several of us in the hearing along with several written testimonies for our Highway Safety Bill. We finished our testimony and walked out. Our Bill passed but SB 506 died in committee.

SB 404 This Bill would have extended the life of TxDOT and continued on with selling our highway systems to Cintra Zachary for 50 years. It allows for TxDOT to continue to enter into agreements with private companies to create Toll Road Projects thru 2016 rather than being sunset out in August of next year. The contract is already written and awaits passage of this Bill to be signed SB 404 died in Calendars SB 17 Would basically allow for tolling highways already built. It lays out all kinds of ways to take over these highways in part or totally without requiring any form of cost except where the Federal government is involved. SB 17 died in Calendars.

SB 855 would allow local areas to add ten cents a gal to gasoline tax, charge for parking in downtown parking lots and garages and several other local taxes to build local highway infrastructure. This would allow TxDOT to spend the gasoline tax on other issues. It would also pave the way for more Toll Roads. This Bill also died in Calendars HB 11 & 13 are just the opposite of the two preceding Bills. HB 11 would Sunset TxDOT in August 2011 and eliminate any authority to sell out our highway system to Cintra-Zachary or anyone else by repealing the authority providing for establishment of the Trans Texas Corridor. HB 13 would remove any authority to toll highways that have already been built as free roads or freeways. Both of these Bills also died in committee.
Rep. Leibowitz the Author of these two Bills took both and added them as Amendments to HB 300 the actual TxDOT Sunset Bill. Senator Carona pledged to remove those two Anendments and add SB 404, SB 17 and SB 855 to get the Governors Bills back into play. HB 300 will come back to the House today and. The House will not concur and will call for a conference Committee.
They will instruct the Conferees prior to them being named. We can only hope the House will stand strong and refuse to allow the HB 300 out of Conference and let the whole thing die.
It is no surprise that Carona wants Rick Perry’s highway Bills back in play. The only surprise is the other names on his Bills. Senators you would never have expected to be willing to put the screws to the citizens of Texas who put them in office.
Some of us worked very hard to kill these two Bills on our own time. We felt they were far more important to the welfare of the state than the Bills we had introduced but unfortunately most riders didn’t share that view. Therefore those of us who felt that way were simply required to work that much harder. I am very proud of those riders who worked with other organizations to show that some Bikers do care what happens to this state.
We also worked very hard for the two House Bills as well as HB 300. We believe like all those we worked with that it is better to lose it all than to allow Rick Perry and Carona to win this time around. He will of course call a Special Session and I personally will have more time to work on these issues.

SB 362 was the Bill to require different forms of photo Identification to vote in Texas as well as having a Voter Registration Card. This Bill was placed on Major State Calendar as being very important. We expect the Governor to call a Special Session if this Bill doesn’t pass and of course it won’t. The Democrats called a slow down as the Bill was on Major State Calendar and would come up if they passed the Local and Consent Calendar too quickly. With 64 Democrats and 65 Republicans on the Floor they were afraid they couldn’t hold their members together and get one Republican to vote with them.
Of course Speaker Straus had abdicated his role as leader and allowed Rep Craddick to take charge and they may have been correct. Still I feel they should have fought it out. The one contentious vote to come up was 64 Ayes and 64 Nays and rather than vote Speaker Straus let the Bill die because it didn’t get one more vote to pass.
With all the school kids being recognized from the Floor, one of the Democrats (I won’t say who) had the nerve to ask (Do you think these students would be proud to see that we care about each Bill and ask questions about them) Their first question was “Mr. Chairman will you tell me when I have reached 9 minutes and 45 seconds please”. If they speak 10 minutes they kill the Bill and they didn’t plan to do anything but waste time. Those few who were involved in this fiasco should have been ashamed to have the kids see them acting like that.

As for our Bills:

This isn’t exactly a Bill but we asked Da’Lady, Rep Norma Chavez to get our Rider Training Fund back so DPS could not take over $250,000 off the top of our Budget to use for their own purposes. One Amendment was offered to rededicate our Training Fund and state that DPS could not take any part of it for their own use. A second Amendment to the Appropriation Committee was to return our full funding to $2,000,040 dollars for the next Biennium. This to me was a priority issue and it worked. Thanks Lady.

HB 1569 our Equal Access Bill passed unanimously in committee and was put on House Resolution and Consent Calendar. When it came to the Floor for a full vote it again passed by a vote of 100 Ayes to 36 Nays. It was then sent to the Senate. It was called up in Business and Commerce Committee.
We testified during the hearing but the Chairman never brought the Bill up for a vote. Therefore the Bill died in committee and I will have a conversation with the chair as soon as we go SINE DIEE in six days. I would have expected this of Senators Duncan or Harris but I was hoping Senator Fraser could be his own man once and let us see how each member voted. I personally believe every Bill deserves a vote if it is heard in committee.

SB 1967 the Highway Safety Bill. We worked this Bill out with what we believed was any group that had a stake in the outcome of the Bill. Each group gave something and this enabled us to come up with a comprehensive Safety Bill. The Bill passed in the Senate committee unanimously and was placed on Local and uncontested Calendar. It came to the Floor and again passed unanimously.

When we went to the House Committee we got a unanimous vote and the Bill was placed on Local and Consent Calendar. While sitting in the House Gallery waiting for the Bill to come to the Floor Terri came in and advised me we had a problem with the Bill. We headed for Da’Lady’s office ready for battle. At first we were shown a Bill Rep Brown wanted to attach to our Bill to Have the Spyder Bike registered as a motorcycle in Texas.
At first I refused the Bill as I didn’t feel comfortable with gambling with our Bill the way things were going down there this session.

Then came the blockbuster as the other shoe dropped. Houston and Dallas Police Dept. had a problem with the Failure to Yield section of the Bill.
Seems their paid Lobbyist had failed to notice this Bill until it was scheduled to come to the Floor for its second reading. They had a problem with the Class A and Class B Misdemeanor called for. They feared if they hit someone thru negligence and it injured anyone they could be found guilty of at least a Class A Misdemeanor and if it resulted in serious injury or death they could lose their license to be a police officer. They were OK with the fine but not the classification. Excuse me while I feel sorry for them…NOT. They were paying Lobbyist with taxpayer money and they come on the day we are scheduled for a vote and want to amend the Bill.

At first we said no then realized if we passed the Bill the way it read they could go to the governor and ask him to Veto the Bill. Finally we decided to go check with Senator Carona to see if he would concur with the Bill if we sent it back. He agreed so we asked about the Spyder Amendment and he accepted that one also. We passed the Bill as Amended and it has now returned to the Senate where it awaits concurrence.
Today we watched as SB 1967 received a vote in the Senate. Senator Carona, true to his word asked for concurrence and the vote to accept was unanimous. The Bill now goes to the governor for his signature. It has been a long hard battle but one well worth the effort. It has once again been my pleasure to represent your issues through another session.

Of course there are still committee hearings to attend throughout the next 18 months and campaigns to be worked for the upcoming year but those things are minor compared to what we have just gone through. Thanks to all who took part in the session. Special thanks to our TMRA 2 Legislative Task Force. They took up the slack and made things go much easier this session. And a very special thanks to Britney Parks the 13 year old protégé who served as the youngest member of that Task Force.
I have written a letter to the governor laying out the Bill’s history and asking that he sign SB 1967. Feel free to contact the Governor’s office asking for his signature if you are so inclined.

Sputnik
State Chair
Texas Motorcycle Rights Association

Good News

2009-05-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

HB 1967 PASSED OUT OF THE HOUSE TUESDAY NIGHT. ONE MORE VOTE IN THE SENATE AND
IT HEADS TO THE GOVERNOR.

Sputnik

Good Fight

2009-05-24T11:27:00.000-05:00

We fought the good fight but it appears it will all be for naught. The
House Democrats are willing to kill everything left to keep the Voter ID
Bill off the Floor. I can understand their thought process but it hurts. I
will be working today (Sunday) to see if there is any possible way to
salvage SB 1967.

We had our State Meeting yesterday in between my watching the House votes.
That also created a sad feeling in the pit of this old man's stomach. With
very few members present we had only five District Advisors elected to
serve for the next two years. Based on our voting record it appears most
of us have decided to give up and let everything gp down without a fight.

I'll have a complete update very soon.

Sputnik
Still State Chair

HB 1569 the Equal Access Bill

2009-05-20T17:19:00.000-05:00

HB 1569 the Equal Access Bill will be heard tomorrow morning at 9:00am in
the Betty King Meeting Room. That is on the East end of the Capitol on the
second Floor. That is not one of the meeting rooms in the extension.
I know it's quick and probably none of you can make it but that is how
things work around here. It just keeps you running.

Sputnik

Report and Call

2009-05-20T07:59:00.005-05:00

Just as I predicted SB 1967 came out of Committee today with a vote of 6
Ayes 0 Nayes and 3 absent. It was sent to Local and Consent as we
requested. It could come to the Floor for a full House vote as early as
Monday. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this a success.

Now I'm going to ask you just one more time for your support this session.
HB 1569 the Equal Access Bill has been sent to the Senate Business and
Commerce Committee. Here are the members of that committee:
Their Email addresses are firstname.lastname@senate.state.tx.us

Chair: troy.fraser@senate.state.tx.us

Vice Chair: Chris Harris

Members: Kip Averitt

Kevin Eltife

Craig Estes

Mike Jackson

Eddie Lucio, Jr.

Leticia Van de Putte

Kirk Watson
Send the Chairman an Email asking him to please bring the HB 1569 up for a
vote. Send each of the others a note asking them to please support HB 1569
If you live in Senate District 11 thank Senator Mike Jackson for
Sponsoring the Bill.
If we can get this one out of committee we will be batting 1000. Give it
the best you have and lets just see what happens. We are the last people
in Texas it is legal to discriminate against.
I shall of course be meeting with them or theior staff beginning tomorrow
morning.

Thanks,

Sputnik
State Chair
Texas Motorcycle Rights Association

Report 5/18

2009-05-19T00:19:00.000-05:00

SB 369 Carona’s Criminal Gang Data Base Bill came out of the House
Criminal Jurisprudence Committee today with the report printed and
distributed. I believe it will end up going to Calendars which will
possibly kill it. Either way I believe it would need some changes to it in
another session before it could affect us.

HB 169 the Sobriety Checkpoint Bill is dead. Time ran out on it before it
got a second reading in the House. SB 298, Carona’s Sobriety Checkpoint
Bill is still pending in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. It
has been amended and should it come out as amended, go to the Floor and
pass, it would still have to go back to the Senate to see if they would
concur with the amendment to the Bill. I do not believe it will go to the
Floor and if it does I don’t see any way there would be time for it to get
back to the Senate and pass. Hopefully we have dodged this ROAD BLOCK BILL
again despite the name change.

Today we asked my senator, Mike Jackson to Sponsor HB 1569 the Equal
Access Bill. He immediately said of course which is good as he is on the
committee it went to. Senator Hinojosa’s Chief of Staff called me shortly
there after to say he was going to speak to Chairman Frazier about
carrying the Bill so I asked him to have the Senator Co-sponsor it.

SB 1967 came up for a hearing today. Thanks to all the bikers(you know who
you are) that Emailed written testimony to our secretary Terri to print up
and turn in to the committee. We had a pretty good crowd in the room to
start off with but it took so long for the hearing to begin that most of
them had just signed cards and left by then. My Task Force members and the
Vice President of Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association stayed to the
bitter end.

Da’Lady laid out the Bill and then we said our piece. Then they read
through the impressive list of those who were in favor of the Bill and
Da’Lady closed. She asked that they pass it quickly and send it to Local &
Consent. If everything goes as expected it should be passed by mid week
next week if not sooner. Thanks to everyone who came out even though you
didn’t get to stay. It was very much appreciated.

Da”Lady, for those who may not know that is Rep. Norma Chavez handed us a
card showing that she had just graduated from the University of Texas.
Congratulations to her. Colonel Beckworth was present to give an annual
report on DPS. He came over and chatted with me for a while and I got to
congratulate him on his promotion as he is now the first black man to head
the Department of Public Safety.

I’ll send more when I know more.
Sputnik
State Chair/TMRA 2

Don’t forget the State Meeting is at the office this weekend. I want at
least one member of each chapter present.

SB 1967

2009-05-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

SB 1967 the Highway Safety Bill will be heard in the Public Safety Committee at 8:00 am on Monday May 18th in room E2.014.
I will make the rounds tomorrow of all the members of the committee to ask for their support so we can possibly get the Bill on Local and Consent as time is running out.

Sputnik

[Mrfnews] 09NR19 - MRF News Release - ANOTHER BUSY WEEK INWASHINGTON

2009-05-10T22:24:00.001-05:00

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

For Immediate Release

8 May 2009

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice President of Government Relations
Email: jeff@mrf.org

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK IN WASHINGTON

Bikers Inside the Beltway 2009

Do not be left out by missing this historic ride to the nation's capitol
next week, May 14, 2009. Join many of your fellow motorcyclists from
across the country as they converge on Washington for a day. The
Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has reserved parking along the national
mall, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. Come
join us as we educate members of Congress on the importance of motorcycle
safety. Contact the MRF's DC office if have any questions about attending
or local accommodations. You can find more event details at www.mrf.org.
Legislative News.

The MRF is pleased to report that the United States House of
Representatives has passed House Resolution 269. The bill "supports the
goals of May is Motorcycle Safety Month." Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and
Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX) who both also chair the U.S. House of
Representatives Motorcycle Safety Caucus, introduced the bill.
Congresswoman Giffords had this to say in the House chamber the day of the
vote, "H. Res. 269 also serves as a reminder to all riders and motorists
to always share the road respectfully. I have been riding and racing
motorcycles for over 20 years - so the issue of motorcycle safety is of
great importance to me. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the
Motorcycle Industry Council, the American Motorcyclist Association, and
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation for all that they do to support
motorcyclists."

The MRF would like to thank Mrs. Giffords and Dr. Burgess for the
commitment to motorcycle safety.

NHTSA Meeting.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gathers
together, on a quarterly basis, government safety officials and the
stakeholders in the motorcycle safety community to update the group on
private and public motorcycle safety initiatives that are ongoing or
recently completed. The MRF, AMA, MIC, MSF, ASMI, and Harley Davidson, to
name a few on the private side, attended the meeting on May 6. Also in
attendance were staff members from National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The newly appointed
NHTSA boss, Chuck Hurley, did not attend.

Nothing especially earth shattering was discussed at the NHTSA meeting,
with perhaps one exception - the much anticipated preliminary results of
the Crash Causation Study pilot study. Just a few tidbits of early data
were revealed, such as after launching the study with 53 crashes, they
were left with complete data for just 23 of those crashes due to refusals
to participate or no injury sustained, etc.

The methodology is a 1700-point data collection process with a double
control function. That means after collecting the 1700 different data
points on a qualifying crash, the investigators go out to the scene of the
crash one week later at the same time of day and ask motorcyclists riding
by to voluntarily pull over and answer some questions about why they think
they didn't crash. To simply collect the data from this process costs
$7,507. That is less than the $10,000 estimate that has been rumored, but
that number doesn't include the data crunching, reporting, and many other
administrative costs.

The full study is still laboring away with funding problems, but the feds
have promised that a study will be done. It may not be as large as
everyone had hoped, but they have vowed to do something.

FHWA MAC Meeting

The MRF also attended the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Motorcycle
Advisory Council's (MAC) semi-annual meeting on May 7. This was the first
meeting for the group's Designated Federal Official (DFO), Mike Griffith.
Griffith is a career government transportation official, spending much
time in the statistics and engineering fields, and he held up well for his
first meeting with the MAC.

The MAC is comprised of rider groups, private sector engineers and
government officials, and meets to analyze every aspect of the nation's
transportation infrastructure and critique areas that impact motorcycles.
The recommendations of the MAC are then delivered to the Secretary of
Transportation for consideration.

The MAC spent a lot of time hearing about the upcoming national traveler
opinion and perception survey. The MAC was tasked with developing
questions concerning motorcycles and motorcyclists to be included in the
random survey of 5000 Americans.

Also it was revealed that the Intelligent Transportation Office at the
Department of Transportation has adopted an "all weight vehicles" approach
to include motorcycles and the heaviest highway users.

Another noteworthy item was the announcement from the Transportation
Research Board regarding a study titled "Factors Related to Serious Injury
and Fatal Motorcycle Crashes with Traffic Barriers," due to be completed
in late 2011.

You can read more about the charter, minutes, mission statement and
members of the FHWA MAC on their website at
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/mac/.

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http://www.mrf.org/subscribe.php

Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php
or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.

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EQUAL ACCESS

2009-05-05T23:34:00.001-05:00

HB 1569 today passed the House by a recorded vote of 100 Ayes to 36 nayes.
The Bill now heads to thye Senate where the going won't be easy. But it is
doable if we all work on it.

Sputnik
State Chair

[Mrfnews] 09NR18 - MRF News Release - MRF Bikers Inside the Beltway 2009 Event Details

2009-05-05T23:33:00.003-05:00

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

For Immediate Release

5 May 2009

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice President of Government Relations
Email: jeff@mrf.org

MRF Bikers Inside the Beltway 2009 Event Details

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is holding its inaugural ride to
the Nation's Capitol for Motorcycle Awareness Month. Known as "Bikers
Inside the Beltway," the event will be dedicated to its creator, the
recently departed MRF Vice President and long-time motorcyclists' rights
legend Michael "Boz" Kerr.

The MRF is encouraging bikers nationwide to ride their motorcycles to
Washington DC for this historic event. We have reserved secure parking for
motorcycles adjacent to the U.S. Capitol; this location should make for an
impressive display of bikes.

We have invited all members of Congress to attend the event, but if you
are planning to be here you should let your U.S. Senators and
Representative know, and ask them to step outside for a photo op with you
and a backdrop of motorcycles. The MRF's DC staff will help coordinate
any details and answer any questions you may have about arranging meetings
with your members of Congress.

What: Motorcycle Riders Foundation "Bikers Inside the Beltway" National
Motorcycle Awareness Month Ride and Lobby Day

When: May 14, 2009, 9:00 am - 2:30 pm

Where: Reserved motorcycle parking is along the 0-100 block of 3rd Street
SW, only steps from the U.S. Capitol. A Washington DC map will be posted
on the MRF website, or you can use this link for the map and directions:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=10195118391075910986
0.000468b197cce57785d6b&ll=38.886707,-77.009418&spn=0.012193,0.01914&z=16

Due to the popularity of this event, the MRF obtained additional parking.
We will meet at the 3rd street parking location at 9:00 am and walk one
block to the staging area on the Capitol grounds where a smaller number of
bikes will be parked.

Please contact jeff@mrf.org or call 202-546-0983 if you are planning to
ride your motorcycle to this historic event, or if you have any questions
about the event itself or local accommodations.

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Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php
or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.

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[Mrfnews] 09NR17 - MRF News Release - Missouri Legislative News

2009-05-05T23:33:00.001-05:00

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

For Immediate Release

4 May 2009

Consistent with the established policy of the Motorcycle Riders
Foundation, this information is being forwarded at the request of Freedom
of Road Riders, Inc. Missouri Executive Officer.

=========================================

Contact:
Mark Chapman,
Chairman, Freedom of Road RidersR,Inc., chairman@forr.net

Legislative News and Call to Action

This is the bill we are trying to make into law. Currently it is on the
Governor of Missouri's desk awaiting his signature if he signs it that
would be fantastic but if he ignores it, it will still become law. If he
vetoes it we are done till next year.

SCS/SB 202 - This act provides that operating a motorcycle, in and of
itself, shall not be considered evidence of comparative negligence. The
act also provides that when investigating an accident or settling an
automobile insurance policy claim, no insurer, agent, producer, or claims
adjuster of an insurer shall assign a percentage of fault to a party based
upon the sole fact that the party was operating a motorcycle in an
otherwise legal manner. This provision is similar to SB 505 (2007).

This act also exempts persons 21 years of age or older from wearing
protective headgear except when operating or riding motorcycles or
motortricycles upon interstate highways. The motorcycle helmet exemption
expires on August 28, 2014 (Section 302.020).

The opposition to SB 202 has started, I received word today that the
opposition is asking for people to contact the Governor and ask for him to
veto SB202.

If you want our comparative fault and helmet mod bill to become law NOW is
the time to take action.

Here is what I would like for you to do:

Contact the Governor and Lieutenant Governor using the links below.

You, your friends and neighbors should to go to
www.governor.mo.gov/constituents/ for the Governor and
www.ltgov.mo.gov/question.htm for the Lieutenant Governor.

Fill out the form the subject would be legislation.

Then simply ask for SB202 to become law.

That is all there is to it, I did it and it took about 2 minutes.

As always thanks for your support,

Mark Chapman,
Central Committee Chairman: Freedom of Road Riders, Inc.

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Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php
or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.

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http://mrf.org/mailman/listinfo/mrfnews_mrf.org

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REPORT 5/1

2009-05-03T11:31:00.002-05:00

Things have kicked into high gear just as I predicted.

HB 1569, Equal Access, has been put on the Local & Consent Calendar to be heard on Monday May, 5th. I had come home to for a doctors appointment to get some meds renewed then get ready to leave for NCOM. But now will return to Austin for the vote monday, keep my appointment tuesday then fly out for NCOM Wednesday.

SB 298 Roadblock Bill is scheduled to be heard by Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Wednesday the 7th. Not much I can do with this one except file written testimony as that is the morning I fly out and the hearing is in the afternoon. Anyone interested can go to room E2.028 and speak against it.

Don't know if the Speaker paid any attention to our request or not but SB 1967 the Highway Safety Bill has been sent to Public Safety Committee as we requested. It may not matter but the odds are definitly in our favor now. We will be back from Reno before it comes to a hearing.

Ride Free - Ride Sober

Sputnik

Missouri

2009-04-30T22:10:00.000-05:00

After years of battle the Missouri legislature has finall passed and sent to the governor a helmet modification Bill. The Bill will allow those over the age of 21 to choose whether to wear a helmet.
Three Cheers For Freedom of The Road Riders.

Sputnik

Report

2009-04-28T07:45:00.002-05:00

With 22 days left to get your ballots turned into the state office we have votes for a District Advisor in District 20 and District 24. We have votes for one State Chairman thus far. Get around to placing your vote. It has never been easier.
When you finish reading this simply click on Reply, vote for a chairman and vote for a District Advisor. THEN HIT SEND. Now you got it.

HCR 50 came out of House State Affairs Committee by a vote of 10-2 with I present but not voting. 74 Representatives have signed onto HCR 50, only three of these are Democrats. The Bill is designed to force the federal government to recognize and live by the tenth amendment to the constitution. I plan to begin asking questions why Democrats don’t support states rights. You might want to do the same.
I realize this is what is known as a hard vote but it definitely doesn’t rank on a level with Immigration and Abortion. How can anyone in public office not respect the constitution? I want to know.
HB 4449 came out of committee as amended. It now says simply you can not give a kid under five years old a ride on your bike. No mention of foot pegs. I was told I could probably pull it back but I don’t have the time or desire to mess with it.

SB 1967 the Highway Safety Bill has been sent to Da’Lady, Rep. Chavez to Sponsor in the House. Rep Hopson and Rep. Fred Brown are going to Co-sponsor. I will talk to Rep. Pitts and Rep Hodge first thing in the morning to round out the five with three Dems and two Repubs.
Terri, Stephanie and Tamra spent all day today passing out the papers on the Bill and explaining it to all 150 Representatives. What a deal. It would have taken me three days to do that and I would then have to begin talking up HB 1569. Alittle help goes a long way.

HB 1569, the Equal Access has officially been recommended for the Local & Consent today. Since our Sponsor is Chair of that committee this Bill should hit the House Floor Soon. I went around talking to the Reps about it today to get them ready.

HB 506 the Lane Splitting Bill is still sitting and hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing as of this minute.

SB 298 and HB 169, identical Road Block Bills are both still sitting stagnant. Hopefully they will both die a merciless death. Just over three weeks to go in this session.

After finishing up my rounds I went down to the Elections Committee Room and signed up to speak on HB 4653 the Bill that would require that Texas revert to Paper Ballots in time for the Primary Election next year. This Bill is actually a work of art. It is crafted in such a way that the vote would be on paper ballot and then actually be counted and tallied right there at the Precinct. A camera would film the entire process and the public would be allowed to quietly watch the proceedings. No question would you get the correct totals. By the time the last box arrived at the courthouse the winners would be known for that county.

Then I ran (rather walked slowly) and signed on to speak on HB 1863. This was another great Bill that we just couldn’t pass up having our say on. It says plainly that any weapons, weapon parts or accessories and ammo manufactured in Texas, for sale in Texas, could not be regulated by the Federal Government. A short simple statement but one that speaks loud. It is of course a State’s Rights issue.
The constitution clearly states the federal government shall regulate interstate commerce but intrastate commerce will be regulated by the individual state.

They stayed on the Floor late and we finally got started in Elections about 6:45. Representative Bonnen came down into the audience and let me know the chairman was going to call up HB 4653 pretty quickly and let me go ahead and testify as I was running short on oxygen. (I know to take my charger cable from now on as it will only get later.) True to his word he pulled it up and got me out of there pretty rapidly. I still had to go back over to Public Safety and wait to speak on that one.
The entire committee treated me very nicely as Chairman Merritt introduced me as the only one with one name since Elvis left the room.
Both bills received very good response from the committees. I would say that of the two the paper ballot Bill will have the most trouble with full passage but I believe they will both pass committee.
That’s it for this round. A little over three weeks to go so it will explode down there beginning next week. Now click on Reply and cast your votes. It will really take very little effort I promise.

Ride Safe – Ride Sober
Sputnik

State Chair/TMRA 2

Quick Update

2009-04-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to say thank you to our El Paso Chapter for the $200 donation and Thanks to the 1st Brazoria Chapter for their $200 donation to state.

SB 1967 the Highway Safety Bill has passed the Senate and been sent to the House for consideration.

HB 1569 the Equal Access Bill has come out of committee and will be sent to Local & Consent Calendars today.
Of tghe three issues we have addressed this session all have received favorable consideration thus far. Keep your fingers crossed. Got to get back down to the capitol now. It's a never ending process.

Sputnik
State Chair/TMRA 2

Important

2009-04-21T21:13:00.002-05:00

Texas Motorcycle Rights Association
512-971-6777 - 275 Old Lexington Rd. Elgin, Texas 78621 www.tmra2.org

ONLY AS IMPORTANT AS YOU FEEL IT IS

I don’t know what it takes to get any interest or support out there in motorcycle land but I have a couple of thank you’s to send out to begin this note.

We had a hearing on our Equal Access Bill on Monday. We sent out a request for support and passed the word along to others. I say thank you to Terri Williams, Stephanie Parks and Britney Parks our TMRA 2 “Legislative Task Force” Members and Gypsy Mud Dauber. Stephanie, Mud Dauber and I testified in favor and the Sponsor, Rep. Thompson gave us one hell of a build up as upstanding citizens. I must say I was somewhat embarrassed by the lack of support we showed our sponsor.
Nonetheless it went well. It will come out of committee and be sent to Local & Consent of which our Sponsor is Chair. They asked today that you contact those Representatives not on the committee and ask for their yes vote on the Bill when it gets to the Floor. Now is the time to get that done.

Returned to the office and had this notice:
THANKS TO THE AMIGOS M/C FOR THEIR CONTINUING SUPPORTER MEMBERSHIP ANNUALLY. THANKS TWICE OVER FOR INCREASING THAT SUPPORT FROM A GOLD SUPPORTER MEMBER TO PLATINUM!!!When they can’t be there they help cover the expenses to have it done.

Next up is SB 1967 as amended, “we forgot to put in that $5 of our license fee goes into the Rider Education Fund”. I am happy to announce that the effort put out has brought results. We learned today that HB 1967 will be on the Floor for a vote of the Full Senate on Thursday 23rd. I will be sitting in the Gallery to watch the vote and it would be nice to have some company. How well I remember the other two times we had a vote like this. Especially the one that went right down to the wire at midnight. That crowd was the kind that memories are mad of and the celebration was unreal.

HB 4449 was heard today. That one says you can’t ride any child up to five years of age on a motorcycle and that any child must have their feet on the foot pegs. Several people testified in favor of that Bill and I alone testified against it. If you are interested in this Bill in any way let the Representatives hear from you on this one as well. Remember only talk on one issue (Bill) on each email, letter or phone call.

We ended up the day with HB 11 and HB 13 in a committee hearing. HB 11 repeals the authority for TxDOT to have any more dealings along the lines of the Trans Texas Corridor and HB 13 sets very strong guidelines under which a freeway can be turned into a toll road making it all but impossible to do. Both are fantastic Bills by Rep Leibowitz. About 30 people testified in favor of the Bill then Chairman Pickett said we have a pile of these not wishing to testify. Not one person opposed those Bills.
It was worth the long day.

To send an Email the address is:

Senate firstnamelastname@senate.state.tx.us

House firstnamelastname@state.tx.us

That’s it for this round.

Ride Free – Ride Sober
Sputnik
State Chair/tmra2

Report

2009-04-13T21:55:00.003-05:00

Texas Motorcycle Rights Association
512-971-6777 - 275 Old Lexington Rd. Elgin, Texas 78621 www.tmra2.org

PRIORITY - ACT ON THIS NOW
We met with Senator Carona to ask why SB 1967 wasn’t out of committee yet. He informed us he had planned to bring it out on the 8th but one Bill took more time than anticipated and they had to leave some Bills hanging. He assured us it would come out on the 15th. We have met with almost every senator concerning the Bill and it would be very helpful if you would contact your senator and ask for their support when the Bill comes to the Floor. The more phone calls they get the better our chance for passage..

US House passed HR 1253, sponsored by Michael C. Burgess (R-TX) and cosponsored by Bart Stupak(D-MI), which would require that people signing up for a health plan receive in writing an explanation of treatment limits or non-covered conditions, along with other plan restrictions, "in a form that is easily understandable." The bill passed with overwhelming support with the final vote coming in at 422-3.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the Senate.

President Barack Obama said nominated the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Charles Hurley as the next administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Hurley is the number one architect for the Crusade to establish Road Blocks by state legislatures.
Looks like rough riding for us if Hurley is approved. Actually nearly every person appointed by President Obama appears to mean rough roads ahead for all Americans.

Speaking of Road Block Bills SB 298 has still not received it’s first reading in the House and been sent to committee yet. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

And finally the push is on to replace the dollar as the common trade currency due to it’s devaluation. The currency of choice appears to be the little known SDR (Special Drawing Right) under the control of the IMF ((International Monetary Fund). This is a combination of several currencies which up until recently had only about $31 billion in reserves.
At the recent G-20 meeting it was voted to expand the reserves to $250 billion. President Obama voted Aye.
While this may seem like a slap in the face to many it could be a good thing for the country. My question is why wasn’t this reported on the news?

April 2009
TMRA2 Senate District 22 Advisor’s report
by Greg Bodovsky

The Heart of Texas Chapter has not had their meeting for April yet. I hope to see a good crowd though, and if the March meeting was any indication, I’m sure it will be well attended. It’s always on the 2nd Sunday at 1pm at Jim’s Cycle Shop in Axtell.

The Lake Granbury Liberty Riders Chapter had a meeting in March, which I was unable to attend, so I don’t have a report on it. The meetings are scheduled for the 4th Wednesday of the month at the VFW in Granbury. I am glad to see this Chapter coming back to life, and all area riders are urged to attend.

I continue to forward reports from the State Office to my email list. If you are not receiving anything, please send me an email, and I’ll update my list.

If anyone would like to help out, anywhere in the District, or has any questions, let me know.

My email is txhdryder@att.net and my phone is 254.582.9291, so contact me with any questions or comments that you might have.

Ride Safe & Ride Free (while U steelcan)!
Greg

BBQ with the Bikers
It was a beautiful day for the event. Although not many stayed outside, those that did seemed to enjoy it. There was enough food for everyone.
Just a couple of us had the vegetarian plate at the end, but all the invitees got fed. The event was very cordial, I saw smiling faces whenever the staff came by the desk.
I’m sure Texas ABATE put us all in a positive light; let’s hope it turns into positive movement for the bills we support.

Need your Letters
We have more bills out there now with action items. Please write you Senators and Representatives in support of our bills and against the bills we want stopped.

SB1967
We had a really good hearing on SB1967 Wednesday. Paul and I gave oral testimony while Terri attended and turned in cards in favor of. Woody also sent a letter of support from El Paso and Terri made the necessary copies and placed it into written testimony.

One lady asked for an amendment stating children couldn't ride unless they could reach the foot pegs. Chairman Carona told her he had given us his word that if we came up with something we could all agree on, it would go to the Floor unchanged and he was not going back on his word. He also thanked us for coming up with a good Bill.
Without question this Bill will come out of committee when they next vote on Bills.

Sputnik

Bills out there right Now….

Supported

HB 759 – Passed House committee, waiting to go to the floor
Subject: Relating to the creation of a hotline to report suspected incidents of impaired driving or dangerous driving

HB 1569 – Filed – Hopefully a public hearing soon.
Subject: Relating to equal access to places of public accommodation

SB 374 – Passed Senate now in house committee.
Subject: Relating to the power of a county to enforce compliance with speed limits by an automated traffic control system (Prevents cities or counties from putting up automatic speed traps)

SB 736 – in Senate committee.
Subject: Relating to the funds consolidation process and the use of state revenue dedicated by law for a particular purpose (rededicating all funds to their specific purpose instead of the general fund)

SB 737 – in Senate committee.
Subject: Relating to conducting a study to improve transparency in the state's budgeting process and electronic access to information about the state budget (add budget to website so everyone can see it)

SB 1967 – public hearing on 4/1, still in committee.
Subject: Relating to the safe operation of motorcycles and other vehicles in this state; providing penalties
Comment: This bill contains several elements failure to yield, cleanup of helmet law, and rider education program.

Against

HB 169 – Filed – in committee
Subject: Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Public Safety and certain local law enforcement agencies to establish a checkpoint on a highway or street to determine whether persons are driving while intoxicated

SB 298 – Passed Senate now in house.
Caption: Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Public Safety and certain local law enforcement
agencies to establish a checkpoint on a highway or street to determine whether persons are driving while intoxicated

SB 369 – public hearing 3/25 still in committee
Subject: Relating to information contained in an intelligence database used to investigate and prosecute offenses committed by criminal street gangs

Bills to keep an eye on

HB 714 - Filed – in committee
Subject: Relating to the penalty for the offense of reckless driving
Covers reckless driving penalties like we wanted for failure for yield

HB 823 – Filed – in committee
Subject: Relating to the authority of a peace officer to take a blood
specimen from a vehicle operator to test for alcohol concentration or
other intoxicating substances

SB 506 – Passed in Senate, now in house
Subject: Relating to the operation and movement of motorcycles during
periods of traffic congestion

SB 730 – Passed Senate now in house
Subject: Relating to an employee's transportation and storage of certain
firearms or ammunition while on certain property owned or controlled by
the employee's employer

SB 1389 – Passed in Senate now going to House
Subject: Relating to the penalty for the offense of reckless driving
Covers reckless driving penalties like we wanted for failure for yield

Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month (From Suds and Butterfly)
It's time to start on 2009 proclamations for Motorcycle Safety & Awareness month. Texas bikers have done outstanding work through the years. Go to the link below to add a city to the board...

http://ridesafeintexas.homestead.com/Proclamations2009.html

Since 2003 this campaign has been the combined knowledge & participation of many clubs, organizations & Independents across Texas. Some may not understand why we need to do this again each year...
It gives non-riding folks the chance to see riders in person and put a face to that little taillight they see on the highway. This helps a lot when we ask them to drive more aware and share the road.
Each year rider participation increases and each year the number of newspaper articles increases... which means the number of drivers receiving our message also increases.

For those new to the proclamations campaign...
Our goal is to set up dates to attend city council meetings where the riders will be presented with a proclamation for Motorcycle Safety & Awareness. The proclamation is read during the meeting. Some cities broadcast their meetings on pbs for folks in the community to watch. The local newspaper will usually run an article showing the Mayor's support for Motorcycle Safety & Awareness month if we make sure to contact them ahead of time with this request. This media coverage is our main goal because this is what reaches the drivers in each community.
If you're unable to add a city to the board then please check the board for cities near you and attend to support. That's a big part of what we need is more support for these meetings.
If you're unable to attend a meeting then maybe you have time to make the call to your local newspaper or radio station to see about getting some messages out there on motorcycle awareness. May is nationally recognized as Motorcycle Safety & Awareness month so during the next couple months most newspapers will be happy to take your call. If everyone does a little then no one has to do more than they can handle.
It's all about looking out for the safety of the brothers & sisters we love... if we can spend all day and our last dollar for a down brother or sister's benefit, then we oughta be able to make at least one meeting to help prevent more riders down.
On the next newsletter I'll be able to introduce the TCOC&I team of Safety & Awareness Coordinators for each region. They are an outstanding team who stand ready to assist with proclamations across Texas this year.
Respect & Ride Safe ~Bttrfly
State Safety & Awareness Liaison, TCOC&I
Safety & Awareness Coordinator, TCOC&I-DFW
http://ridesafeintexas.homestead.com

Elmer H. McKeegan
Chapter Coordinator

District 31
As scheduled, the Permian Basin Chapter meeting was held on the third Thursday at Warfield Truck Stop. Attendance has been down for several months now, with only 1-3 members showing up. This month, Jan and Bob Walker were the only ones to join me. We met informally for about half an hour, discussing the past and the future of the association. Their attendance at future meetings for the summer will be sporadic due to being out of town travelling.

I called the offices of my representative and senator but was not able to speak to either. I spoke with their aides, and expressed concern over the issues we are dealing with. I got favorable comments from both offices, but we will have to see what happens.
Until next month, ride free and keep safe.
Dean Maltsberger
District 31 Advisor

SB 1967

2009-04-03T07:47:00.001-05:00

We had a really good hearing on SB1967 Wednesday. Paul and I gave oral testimony while Terri attended and turned in cards in favor of. Woody also sent a letter of support from El Paso and Terri made the necessary copies and placed it into written testimony.

One lady asked for an amendment stating children couldn't ride unless they could reach the foot pegs. Chairman Carona told her he had given us his word that if we came up with something we could all agree on, it would go to the Floor unchanged and he was not going back on his word. He also thanked us for coming up with a good Bill.
Without question this Bill will come out of committee when they next vote on Bills.

Sputnik

SB 1967 Equal Access Bill

2009-03-27T19:21:00.001-05:00

I wanted to let all of you know that we are planning on hearing SB 1967 in Committee on Wed. April 1st. We appreciate your support of the bill and would like to ask if anyone is planning to provide oral testimony they limit the testimony to 3 minutes.

Sputnik

Current Status

[Mrfnews] 09NR08 - MRF News Release - Bikers Inside The Beltway Date Announcement Delayed

2009-03-18T18:54:00.001-05:00

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

For Immediate Release

18 March 2009

Contact: Michael "Boz" Kerr, Vice President, MRF
Email: boz@mrf.org

Bikers Inside The Beltway Date Announcement Delayed

The MRF is aware of, and gratified by, the interest in the event we are calling Bikers inside the Beltway. We are also mindful of the fact that we said we would announce the date in early March. Well, here we are and we still don't have a firm date.

We keep hoping that we can announce the date, but with the clock ticking it is time to offer an explanation.

Since the new Congress went into session, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation has been working with United States Representative Judy Biggert (R – Il) and her staff to secure a site on the Capitol grounds for our event.

Due to unannounced changes in the rules to hold such an event (made by the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi), which went into effect this year, we have had to negotiate with officials of the Capitol. Because of the huge workload that occurs when a new Congress begins, our request was delayed.
This is something that is entirely beyond our control.

Because of the rule changes, in all likelihood there will be some adjustments to be made on our part. We just can't say exactly what at the present time.

In the last several weeks - working with the Sergeant of Arms of the House of Representatives - a spot in the Capitol complex came into consideration. While smaller than we would like, we have made a request to obtain it. That request is currently under review. We are just waiting for confirmation from that office and we will announce the date. We have every reason to believe that we will receive official confirmation soon.

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(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists' rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early 1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.

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