Welcome to the website of
"Hairy" George Nitzsky
ABATE of Ohio,Inc., Legislative Director.
This site is provided for access to public information in an effort to better serve the members of ABATE of Ohio, Inc.,
Residents of Ohio, and the Motorcycling Community. |
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Posted July 11, 2008
GHSA Survey of States
Posted July 8, 2008
I will be sending out an email today asking everyone to take this survey. The survey will run until August 1st.
Thanks
"Hairy" George
Survey |
Posted February 21, 2008
Big Brother has been re-invented and he has his own "My Space" police force.
Take a read...............
peace
hg
MySpace, Medical Marijuana and Biker Gangs
Posted February 20, 2008
A little tidbit from the AIM/NCOM newsletter ya'll might find of interest. Take a look at the gun barrel our bretheren over in the EU are staring down and ask yourself, "How long before it gets HERE ??"!
Peace
"Hairy" George
VISION ZERO
An international conference has been convened to investigate methods of eliminating all risk on the roads, and the possibility of eliminating motorcycles as well. Government transport advisors from across the European Union gathered in Brussels for the three-day conference beginning February 12th, called: “Safe Highways of the Future… exploring technologies and changes required to enable zero deaths on Europe’s roads to become a reality.”
Presenters included Swedish transport advisor Claes Tingvall who devised the “Vision Zero” transportation policy. Vision Zero aims to eliminate all deaths on the roads through technology, and Tingvall famously said on TV: “There is no room for motorcycles in Vision Zero.”
Rune Elvik, a Norwegian transport advisor, recently said a debate was needed on whether motorcycles should be allowed on the roads in order for Vision Zero to progress.
Topics of the conference included “Safer Vehicles By Design”.
February 16, 2008
Brothers and Sisters
As you are all aware Mary Peters, head of NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), recently sent a letter to the Speaker of the US House and the President of the US Senate requesting that legislation to divert 2010 funds for the purpose of promoting helmet usage in the States be considered for introduction. Please note: NO LEGISLATION HAS BEEN INTRODUCED and NO LEGISLATION IS PENDING! I spoke at great length with Mr. Jeff Hennie, MRF VP of Government Relations, our voice in Washington, today on this matter. He advises that our membership should be made aware of this letter and what the letter proposes but that NO other action need be taken at this time. I agree and support that position. Be informed and be ready IF action is needed but understand that none is needed at this point in time.
Peace
Hairy George
Posted February 15, 2008
AMA concerned about new threat to motorcycle safety training funds
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money now used for motorcycle training and awareness to instead promote the use of motorcycle helmets, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.
Peters sent letters to House and Senate leaders this week asking for the change.
Ed Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations, expressed concern that diverting federal motorcycle safety funds to promote helmet use could harm rider training courses and motorcycle awareness programs that are already underfunded in many states.
"Helmet use is certainly one part of a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety," said Moreland. "But this step is a direct raid on funds that were appropriated by Congress to address the specific safety concerns of the motorcyclists' rights community. Furthermore, the use of motorcycle helmets is already advocated in existing motorcycle safety initiatives.
"Funding for rider-training courses is frequently under threat in cash-strapped states, and cutting the same-size pie into thinner slices is not the comprehensive, thoughtful, national motorcycle safety strategy we need."
Moreland also expressed concern that Peters' proposal could contradict sections of transportation bills passed in 1998 and 2005 that ban the use of federal motorcycle safety funds to lobby state legislatures in favor of mandatory helmet laws and could effectively reverse those bans.
The AMA strongly advocates the voluntary use of helmets by adults, along with other appropriate safety gear, and does not oppose laws requiring helmet use by minors. But the Association believes adults should be allowed to make their own decisions about when to wear a helmet.
© 2008, American Motorcyclist Association
.........................................................................................................
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
16 February 2008
MRF Strongly Opposes US DOT Attack on Training Funds
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has learned that United States
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters sent letters to Capitol Hill with
draft legislation outlining her intention to raid the 2010 motorcycle
training and awareness funds set aside by Congress in the last Highway
Bill (PL 109-59). Peters announced on Thursday, February 14 that she
would like to see the earmarked training and awareness funds made
available to promote the use of helmets in individual states.
"The MRF is extremely disappointed that Mrs. Peters would choose this
small, yet critical, grant program to raid. We understand her desire to
encourage helmet use, but couldn't the Secretary of Transportation find a
more suitable program to fund her personal helmet hunt?" said Jeff Hennie,
Vice President of Government Relations for the MRF.
The 2010 funds were a direct result of years of intense lobbying by state
motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMROs) and individual motorcyclists
from across this country, and were intended for two very specific aspects
of motorcycle safety - motorcycle rider education and motorist awareness
of motorcycles. These two aspects of motorcycle safety have been grossly
under-funded at the state level for years, often solely at the direct
expense of motorcyclists themselves through licensing and registration
fees.
The 2010 funding program, in its second year, is a way for the
motorcyclists of this country to get a little help from the feds to save
lives. The fact is that helmet use has always been a major plank in the
platform at the US Department of Transportation (DOT). So why now take
away funds desperately needed for other areas of motorcycle safety? The
training and awareness programs in statewide operation now are in jeopardy
of reduced or zero funding every year. This federal program was designed
to allow a trickle of cash to the states to at least keep current programs
running. Should Peters get her way, that trickle becomes nothing but a
drip. In addition, the current 2010 grant program is not funding failing
programs. In order to qualify for the grant, each state has to demonstrate
success in its programs by reducing fatalities.
Secretary Peters narrowly skates around an existing law that bans the
federal government from lobbying states to enact statewide legislation.
She does this by not asking that the money be used for helmet LAW
advocacy, but by asking the money be used for helmet USE advocacy.
What's actually happened and how concerned do we need to be? You may be
asking yourself that very question about now. Here is the real world
scenario: Mary Peters has sent two letters to Congress - one to Speaker
Pelosi and the other to Senate President Cheney. The letters include draft
legislation that would amend section 2010 to allow funds to be used for
the promotion of helmet use. At this point there is no actual legislation
- just an idea. If and when legislation results, the MRF will be issuing
a call to action strongly opposing Peters' proposal, and will work
tirelessly to convince every Senator and Member of Congress not to support
this raid on the 2010 funds. At this point, however, the funds
appropriated for your state are safe.
January 10, 2008
FYI brothers and sisters, looks like the battle to keep freedom of choice has begun in Kentucky. Nannycrats NEVER rest; we MUST NEVER REST! Get your members to the Seminar, let's get them trained to use the weapons needed to stop this if it comes to OUR door.
peace
"Hairy" George Nitzsky
Legislative Director
ABATE of Ohio, Inc.
Subject: Helmet legislation Submitted SB# 33
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:04:36 -0500
Stand up for freedom or sit down as a slave.
Danny "Greasy" Belcher, Executive Director
Task Force Omega of KY Inc.
Vietnam Infantry Sgt. 68-69
"D" Troop 7th Sqdn. 1st Air Cav
Hello Everyone....The Senate has a bill regarding a new Helmet law in Kentucky filed today and sent to the transportation Committee It is SB33... Please stay in touch for more info or check the sites below to find out more on your own.. Calls to your legislator expressing your feelings on the law proposed will be needed throughout the session... The fight is on... Show 'em what Bikers are all about..... Educate yourself and PLEASE attend the Freedom Fighter Forum in Owensboro On the 19th of January...A bike Show and concert are planned along with a swap meet and plenty of seminar time to learn how to protect our rights... Legislators will be in attendence to speak to us on Motorcycle related Issues and the latest on the current fight along with our gameplan will be discussed See WWW.KMAKBA.COM for more information on the seminar and the SB 33....
The Ball is in your court... What ya gonna do? We join forces as a team or we all loose our Freedom Of Choice this summer....
Colonel Bob
November 1, 2007
Proponent (Supporter) testimony on S-158, our Right of Way bill, took place yesterday (10-31-07). ABATE of Ohio had a good turnout with me, COB Jim Elgin and Mary Bond attending along with Maggie and Dale from the CMRO, Imre Szauter of the AMA and John Gideon of the Ohio Bicyclists, to name a few.
The Senator's were attentive and interested and asked some very good questions, which we were able to address. We (the ROW Working Group members) are working toward having the Opponent testimony or, even better the Proponent,Opponent, Interested Party testimony in as timely a matter as can be arranged.
I will be sending out a letter thanking committee Chair Sen. Grendell for his support and asking that he schedule these testimony ASAP. More news as it becomes available. Thanks to all that made a call or wrote a letter to the members of the committee in support of this bill.
Peace be the Journey
"Hairy" George
October 18, 2007
Good News, campers! Ohio Senate Bill 158 had Sponsor Testimony given on Wed. Oct 17th which means the ball has started to roll! Sen. Padgett offered the testimony and it was well recieved. Now, it's YOUR turn. I've enclosed a .doc file which contains the names and numbers of the Ohio Senate Judiciary - Criminal Committee. Please begin calling these fine legislators and telling them that you support passage of Senate Bill 158! (Nothing fancy there, just tell them you support passage. If you want to give a reason a "Talking Points" Link is available just below this Letter) REMEBER!! If one of the committee members is YOUR Senator, make sure and mention THAT! It will make your call even MORE important. Also, we are still seeking testimony (written or oral) on this bill. If you know anyone interested please have them contact me.
OK, that's it, let's get to work and get this bill passed! Call or email me if you have ANY questions.
"Hairy" George Nitzsky
State Legislative Director
Committe Members Talking Points Form Letter(s)
Giving Oral/Written Testimony
October 4, 2007
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
Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
U.S. House of Representatives Forms Motorcycle Safety Caucus
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has learned that the U.S. House of
Representatives recently formed the first official motorcycle safety
caucus. The group is open to all sitting U.S. Representatives and will
focus only on motorcycle safety, and more specifically what Congress can
do to support motorcycle safety.
The caucus does not have any funding from the government, nor does it have
office space, official staff or anything else designated for official
committees of Congress. In other words, this group was created simply
because the co-chairs thought it was time to address this important issue
and dedicate precious staff time toward the cause. The caucus is
co-chaired by Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Michael Burgess (R-TX). Mrs.
Giffords is a freshman member of Congress and an avid motorcyclist
herself. Mr. Burgess is a longtime supporter of motorcyclists, most
notably as one of the lead sponsors on the legislation to close the
discriminatory HIPAA loophole (HR 1076).
Congressman Burgess had this to say about his role with the group, "As
co-chair of this first of its kind caucus, I look forward to working with
motorcyclists across the country as we address important motorcycle
safety, education and awareness issues."
"We are pleased that Congress is searching for ways to assist the
organizations like the MRF and motorcyclists nationwide in continuing to
improve motorcycle safety and awareness," said Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice
President of Government Relations. "All of the motorcyclists of this
country owe the co-chairs of this important new caucus a debt of gratitude
for drawing attention to these important issues, and the MRF looks forward
to working with them."
This isn't the first time Congress has addressed motorcycle safety. The
most recent highway bill, SAFE-TEA-LU (PL 109-59), contained a generous
4-year / $25 million grant program, as well as funding for a comprehensive
motorcycle crash causation study. The grant program, initially authored by
the MRF and state motorcyclists' rights organizations across the country,
is the first of its kind in history. The crash study is a follow up to
the Hurt report, a 27-year-old study named for its author.
Congresswoman Giffords went on the record as a serious motorcyclist
saying, "I have enjoyed riding motorcycles for many years. One day, I
hope to fulfill my dream of going by motorcycle to Argentina. Those of us
who ride know that it is an incredibly enjoyable way to travel." She
continued, "We know from national studies that in almost two-thirds of
fatal car/motorcycle crashes, the fault was with the driver of the car.
We can do more to address this critical problem, and public education is a
key to bringing about awareness and a reduction in such accidents."
Please connect with your U.S. Representative and ask him/her to join the
motorcycle safety caucus today. They can officially join by contacting
either of the co-chairs' Washington DC offices.
October 3, 2007
The "Seizure" bills now have committee assignments.
SB 204 - Senate Judiciary - Civil Justice Committee
Sen. David Goodman, Chairman
HB 278 - Civil and Commercial Law Committee
Rep. Scott Oelslager, Chairman
If either of these gentlemen is YOUR Representative or Senator, call and let him know of your support of this legislation. I will be posting full committee member lists to my "Legislative" webpage by the weekend. Again, if you see YOUR legislator on either of these committees, call, write, email, snail mail just contact them. Further, I'd like the general membership to also contact ALL committee members to let them know of your support for these bills. If you have any questions, email me or call me at the numbers listed on the webpage and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.
My continued "Thank you's" for all your efforts and action on these legislative efforts.
"Hairy" George
State Legislative Director
ABATE of Ohio, Inc.
September 25, 2007
> 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
>
> Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
> jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
>
>
>
> NHTSA News and the First Timers
>
Late last week the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
held a motorcycle safety meeting as part of their ongoing quarterly
motorcycle safety networking series. The meetings have been regularly
taking place over the past the three years. The top safety agency
initiated the meetings as a way to bring together all of the stakeholders
in the motorcycle world including industry, rights organizations,
educational groups and other government entities.
This meeting was not a groundbreaking gathering but rather an update on
what is happening in the motorcycle community at large. Perhaps the most
noteworthy development pertains to the motorcycle crash study mandated by
Congress a few years back. The controversial study came to a bump in the
road when Oklahoma State University declared that lack of funding would
sideline the report. To their credit, the industry, via the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation (MSF) and Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), ponied up
the missing $3 million dollars need to fuel the study. Now with a full
tank of gas, the study can begin in earnest. The sample size is estimated
to be between 900 and 1200 individual crashes and will use the OECD
methodology, the same employed by the Motorcycle In Depth Study (MAIDS)
study conducted in Europe recently. This is an important aspect because
should the study have used another methodology it would have been
difficult at best to compare the two studies.
The comprehensive crash study is now awaiting approval from the federal
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A mere formality the feds insist on
to guarantee that the money is well spent. The timeline is difficult to
pin down - I think someone in the safety meeting said it best, "the study
should be approved in six months, give or take six months" in other words,
hurry up and wait.
The second round of 2010 safety grants has also been approved although no
list is available just yet. NHTSA administrator Nason is sitting on the
list of award letters which she insists on autographing herself. That list
should be available any day now and the MRF will bring it to your
attention when it's available.
Another study the feds conducted in the great state of Georgia concerning
alcohol use and peer to peer pressure to not drink and ride is completed
and is currently awaiting approval from DOT Secretary Peters. The findings
of that study are also under wraps until she gives it the thumbs up.
Secretary Peters has been awfully busy these days taping a motorcycle PSA
on personal protective equipment. A sneak peek was not available but one
can venture to guess that it will revolve around a low speed crash she had
with her husband a few years ago. Stay tuned to your TV set for air times.
The MSF had some interesting news about a press event they held earlier
this summer in California. In order to put media types directly in touch
with motorcycle safety they did what any logical safety organization would
do, have them actually crash a car into a motorcycle. You read that right;
they innovative folks at MSF actually staged a near collision with
reporters in a car and a trained stunt rider nearly running into the
passenger vehicle. The theory is that the near miss will give the
reporters a real world view of what can happen when car drivers don't pay
full attention to the road and particularly motorcycles. Not a bad idea
from your friends in Irvine, CA.
Another interesting fact brought to the table by the MSF was the fact that
the state of PA, an avid MSF advocate, actually had to cancel beginner
rider courses due to lack of interest. Also in CA there have been reduced
wait time in some markets from 90 days down to as little as one week.
Perhaps the training bubble has burst in some areas, is oversaturated or
just needs more promotion. Either way its a welcome dilemma as opposed to
courses filling up overnight and often exceeding capacity. It is this
rider's opinion that more training available to the general public, the
better.
Your friends at NHTSA closed the meeting by informing the group that they
will in fact be pursuing some national standards for rider education,
currently there are none. It's important to note they will not be
developing curriculum. They are very clear on that instead they will
develop a set of standards on what to expect a rider course graduate to be
able to do. Its unclear how this will sort out, but rest assured, the MRF
will be there every step along the way to usher in this new set of
standards and to make sure its a gold standard and nothing less.
If Washington DC felt a little crowded last week with motorcyclists it
wasn't because of the NTSB or NHTSA meetings. It was because ABATE of
Nebraska sent six of the best citizen lobbyists to town to work over their
congressional delegation. This marked the first trip to the Nation's
Capitol for the NE based group during my tenure. ABATE President Larry
Schutt and gang did a terrific job lobbying their Senators and
Representatives. Perhaps its coincidence but Senator Chuck Hagel chose
that very day to announce his retirement, what's the matter Senator? Too
scared to meet with the bikers? It came to ABATE of NE's attention that
they were the only state in their region that had not come to DC recently,
so they did the admirable thing; put a team together, raised a little
money and came to DC. So those of you whose state has not been to DC
lately, take a cue from the cornhuskers, stop sitting on your hands and
make the trek to Washington. You won't be disappointed.
Jeff Hennie
September 24, 2007
B 278, our "Motorcycle Seizure" bill that was introduced by Rep. Letson has been assigned to the Civil and Commercial Law Committee. The following is a list of committee members. If any member is YOUR Representative, contact them and ask them to support HB 278. If your Rep isn't on this list, contact them anyway and request that they support this bill.
CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL LAW COMMITTEE
Rep. Oelslager (R-51) Chairman
Rep. Coley (R-55) Vice-Chairman
Rep. Core (R-83)
Rep. Huffman (R-4)
Rep. Hughes (R-22)
Rep. Seitz (R-30)
Rep. Stebelton (R-5)
Rep. Barrett (D-58) Ranking Minority Member
Rep. Book (D-89)
Rep. DeGeeter (D-15)
Rep. Dodd (D-91)
Rep. Foley (D-14)
Rep. Harwood (D-65)
Let's get this bill moving.
thanks
Hairy George
September 19, 2007
Puerto Rico passes strict new law regulating motorcyclists
Where can you find the strictest government regulations on motorcyclists in the United States? Not in any of the 50 states, but in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
A measure recently signed into law by the governor of Puerto Rico will require riders to wear not only a helmet, but also gloves, boots, and long pants. After dark, riders must wear a reflective vest, and the law also tightens age restrictions on riders and imposes new testing requirements. In some ways, the law is even more restrictive than the requirements on many U.S. military bases.
Legislative sponsors said the law was a response to increasing numbers of motorcycle fatalities on the Caribbean island.
Between 2000 and 2005, the number of motorcycles and scooters registered in Puerto Rico more than doubled. Several factors encourage motorcycle use, including the year-round riding weather and the congestion of nearly 4 million residents on a 3,500-square-mile island. In general, gasoline is slightly more expensive than in the 50 states, while average household incomes are lower than in any of the states. In that environment, sales of inexpensive Chinese-built scooters have boomed in recent years as more residents in the crowded San Juan metropolitan area turned to them for affordable and fun transportation, in addition to steady sales of full-size motorcycles.
"This considerable increase in the purchase and use of motorcycles as an alternative means of transportation has brought with it an unprecedented increase in motorcycle accidents, and, at the same time, a dramatic increase in deaths from those accidents," the legislation states.
The new requirements include:
·Puerto Rico already required helmet use, but the new law also requires gloves, boots that cover the ankles, and long pants. Between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., riders and passengers must wear a reflective vest.
· Riders must be 18 years of age, and passengers must be at least 12.
· New riders must pass a test on the first try to obtain a motorcycle endorsement. If they do not pass, they have to take a government-approved training course.
· The law adds motorcyclists to the list of school bus drivers, truck drivers, and heavy equipment operators who are subject to a legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.02 percent, instead of the 0.08 percent limit applied to car drivers.
· The law specifically prohibits lane-sharing, an accepted practice in Puerto Rico that can easily cut in half the time of a rush-hour commute in the San Juan area.
· The law imposes an additional $10 charge for taking the motorcycle endorsement test and an additional $10 charge for renewing an annual motorcycle registration.
The law takes effect in October. It calls for the creation of eight training centers around the island to license new riders and budgets $250,000 to start the program. But it's not likely the centers will be running by the time the law takes effect.
Owners of currently registered motorcycles are allowed to continue riding, but will have to comply with the new licensing requirements when they renew their drivers licenses.
The law essentially moves Puerto Rico from having less stringent regulations than most states to having more restrictive requirements than any of the 50 states. Previously, motorcyclists in Puerto Rico were not required to pass a riding test and get a motorcycle endorsement unless they wanted to use the island's toll highways.
September 18, 2007
> 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
>
> Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
> jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
>
>
>
> NHTSA News and the First Timers
>
Late last week the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
held a motorcycle safety meeting as part of their ongoing quarterly
motorcycle safety networking series. The meetings have been regularly
taking place over the past the three years. The top safety agency
initiated the meetings as a way to bring together all of the stakeholders
in the motorcycle world including industry, rights organizations,
educational groups and other government entities.
This meeting was not a groundbreaking gathering but rather an update on
what is happening in the motorcycle community at large. Perhaps the most
noteworthy development pertains to the motorcycle crash study mandated by
Congress a few years back. The controversial study came to a bump in the
road when Oklahoma State University declared that lack of funding would
sideline the report. To their credit, the industry, via the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation (MSF) and Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), ponied up
the missing $3 million dollars need to fuel the study. Now with a full
tank of gas, the study can begin in earnest. The sample size is estimated
to be between 900 and 1200 individual crashes and will use the OECD
methodology, the same employed by the Motorcycle In Depth Study (MAIDS)
study conducted in Europe recently. This is an important aspect because
should the study have used another methodology it would have been
difficult at best to compare the two studies.
The comprehensive crash study is now awaiting approval from the federal
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A mere formality the feds insist on
to guarantee that the money is well spent. The timeline is difficult to
pin down - I think someone in the safety meeting said it best, "the study
should be approved in six months, give or take six months" in other words,
hurry up and wait.
The second round of 2010 safety grants has also been approved although no
list is available just yet. NHTSA administrator Nason is sitting on the
list of award letters which she insists on autographing herself. That list
should be available any day now and the MRF will bring it to your
attention when it's available.
Another study the feds conducted in the great state of Georgia concerning
alcohol use and peer to peer pressure to not drink and ride is completed
and is currently awaiting approval from DOT Secretary Peters. The findings
of that study are also under wraps until she gives it the thumbs up.
Secretary Peters has been awfully busy these days taping a motorcycle PSA
on personal protective equipment. A sneak peek was not available but one
can venture to guess that it will revolve around a low speed crash she had
with her husband a few years ago. Stay tuned to your TV set for air times.
The MSF had some interesting news about a press event they held earlier
this summer in California. In order to put media types directly in touch
with motorcycle safety they did what any logical safety organization would
do, have them actually crash a car into a motorcycle. You read that right;
they innovative folks at MSF actually staged a near collision with
reporters in a car and a trained stunt rider nearly running into the
passenger vehicle. The theory is that the near miss will give the
reporters a real world view of what can happen when car drivers don't pay
full attention to the road and particularly motorcycles. Not a bad idea
from your friends in Irvine, CA.
Another interesting fact brought to the table by the MSF was the fact that
the state of PA, an avid MSF advocate, actually had to cancel beginner
rider courses due to lack of interest. Also in CA there have been reduced
wait time in some markets from 90 days down to as little as one week.
Perhaps the training bubble has burst in some areas, is oversaturated or
just needs more promotion. Either way its a welcome dilemma as opposed to
courses filling up overnight and often exceeding capacity. It is this
rider's opinion that more training available to the general public, the
better.
Your friends at NHTSA closed the meeting by informing the group that they
will in fact be pursuing some national standards for rider education,
currently there are none. It's important to note they will not be
developing curriculum. They are very clear on that instead they will
develop a set of standards on what to expect a rider course graduate to be
able to do. Its unclear how this will sort out, but rest assured, the MRF
will be there every step along the way to usher in this new set of
standards and to make sure its a gold standard and nothing less.
If Washington DC felt a little crowded last week with motorcyclists it
wasn't because of the NTSB or NHTSA meetings. It was because ABATE of
Nebraska sent six of the best citizen lobbyists to town to work over their
congressional delegation. This marked the first trip to the Nation's
Capitol for the NE based group during my tenure. ABATE President Larry
Schutt and gang did a terrific job lobbying their Senators and
Representatives. Perhaps its coincidence but Senator Chuck Hagel chose
that very day to announce his retirement, what's the matter Senator? Too
scared to meet with the bikers? It came to ABATE of NE's attention that
they were the only state in their region that had not come to DC recently,
so they did the admirable thing; put a team together, raised a little
money and came to DC. So those of you whose state has not been to DC
lately, take a cue from the cornhuskers, stop sitting on your hands and
make the trek to Washington. You won't be disappointed.
Jeff Hennie
September 12, 2007
A07016
September 12, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMA Contact: Bill Kresnak
Telephone: (614) 856-1900, ext. 1247
E-mail: bkresnak@ama-cycle.org
AMA says new federal safety recommendations come up short
The National Transportation Safety Board this week approved recommendations for motorcycle safety focusing on passage of mandatory helmet-use laws in all states, reports the American Motorcyclist Association. But the panel did not deal with other significant issues related to the safety of riders on the road.
The recommendations, which do not carry the force of law, come a year after the NTSB held a public forum on motorcycle safety that gathered comments from motorcycle manufacturers, researchers, trauma physicians, law enforcement officials, insurance companies and motorcycle associations, including the AMA. Those groups expressed support for a wide range of motorcycle-safety initiatives, including campaigns against alcohol impairment, increased opportunities for rider education and stricter enforcement of licensing laws.
In the end, though, the panel's final report focused almost exclusively on the helmet-law issue.
"While we encourage all riders to voluntarily wear a DOT-certified helmet as a part of a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety," noted Ed Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations, "we're disappointed that the NTSB missed this opportunity to focus on meaningful issues related to the reduction of motorcycle crashes, rather than just reducing injuries once a crash occurs."
The AMA has worked for years to secure federal funding for the first comprehensive study of the causes of motorcycle crashes in more than 25 years. And thanks to major financial support from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, plus contributions from the AMA and individual riders, the matching funds for that federal grant are now in place and the study should begin this fall.
"The motorcycling community has demonstrated its commitment to vital issues of safety through support for this study, along with rider education, alcohol impairment and licensing programs," Moreland said. "We would have hoped that federal officials would have taken a more well-rounded approach of working with the community to create truly effective countermeasures to reduce crashes, rather than investing more resources in a very limited legislative agenda that has not had much success in recent years."
The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing.
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 280,000 members. The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com.
September 11, 2007
Some of you may remember that I stated that I expected a federal or national helmet law would be reccommended by the National Transportation Safety Board. Well, here it is. I gotta quit looking in that crystal ball.
H.G.
Panel Urges Mandatory Motorcycle Helmets
By KEN THOMAS
The Associated Press
Tuesday, September 11, 2007; 2:25 PM
WASHINGTON -- States should require motorcycle riders to wear proper helmets, government investigators urged Tuesday as part of several recommendations that seek to stem a steady rise in motorcycle deaths.
Members of the National Transportation Safety Board unanimously approved the motorcycle safety recommendations, wading into a contentious issue that has pitted motorcycle rights' groups against safety organizations in many states.
"The simple act of donning that helmet can begin the process of preventing that type of fatality and serious injury," said NTSB chairman Mark V. Rosenker.
As motorcycle riding has become more popular, motorcycle deaths have more than doubled since 1997. In 2006, motorcycle deaths increased for the ninth straight year, to 4,810 motorcycle deaths, compared with 4,576 in 2005.
NTSB officials noted that non-helmeted riders were three times more likely to suffer a brain injury in a crash than those wearing a helmet.
Motorcycle groups questioned the ability of helmets to provide complete protection and prevent internal injuries in a crash. They said more rider education programs are needed.
"If a truck pulls out in front of you and runs a stop sign, how is that helmet going to prevent an accident?" asked Steve Rector, state coordinator for ABATE Iowa, a motorcycle rights' group. He also noted that motorcycle registrations and the number of miles traveled by motorcyclists have increased in recent years.
Judith Lee Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said there was "no scientific evidence that motorcycle rider training reduces crash risk and is an adequate substitute for an all-rider helmet law."
Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia require riders to wear protective helmets, a significant change since the late 1970s, when nearly every state required helmet use. Twenty-seven states only cover some riders, typically those under 21.
Three states _ Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire _ have no helmet laws.
In six states that repealed their universal laws beginning in 1997 _ Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida and Pennsylvania _ helmet use plummeted following the repeal of the laws, NTSB officials said. Louisiana reinstated its mandatory requirement in 2004.
The agency also recommended that federal safety officials develop a plan for states and others to improve motorcycle safety and the government develop guidelines for states to gather accurate data on riders.
The NTSB only has the power to make recommendations, but its staff and board members personally lobby for changes the board considers most important.
On the Net:
National Transportation Safety Board: http://www.ntsb.gov
Brothers and Sisters
I'll trust that all of you have read my previous email which included the Washington Post story pretaining to the National Transportation Safety Board webcast meeting, the subject matter being "Motorcycle Safety", that occurred today. During the webcast the NTSB issued several recommendations including a call for all states, currently without a mandatory helmet law, to enact a mandatory, fulltime helmet law requiring the use of a FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) helmet. (See News Release above)
OK, first off, DON'T PANIC!! This does not mean that a federal helmet law has passed or is being put in place at this very moment. The NTSB can only RECOMMEND that a law be passed, they can NOT put a law into place. They have NO POWER to make laws. That being said I will not blow sunshine up your skirt, we should be preparing ourselves for an attempt, either at the Federal level or, more likely, here on the State level, for a mandatory helmet use bill to be introduced. Let me know, ASAP, if you find out that YOUR state Representative or Senator is talking about introducing a helmet law. I will be monitoring the Ohio House and Senate on a daily basis.
I have contacted the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and ABATE of Ohio will work closely with them as this situation develops. I have not yet spoken with the AMA on this issue.
If you are asked for a media interview remember, if at all possible, direct the interviewer to contact me. If this is not possible (and it probably won't be I KNOW the media! LOL) then remember this issue does NOT deal with us being able to ride "with the wind in our hair"! (a favorite media "buzz" line) This issue is about basic, Consitutional freedom. We, as adults, have the right to decide what safety measures we feel are appropriate in OUR state. Nothing more or less. Also remember that while Ohio, like in so many other states, has seen a dramatic rise in motorcycle ownership over the last several years the most recent statistics available show that motorcycle fatalities are DOWN ( in Ohio) by about 11% from last year! The NTSB, in their news release has said that "training" and "awareness" are not having a positive effect but I think that number shows that they are wrong.
So, remain calm but prepare yourselves for action. Don't get drawn into a "war of words" with the media. Let's just do what we do best; prove the federal nannycrats wrong! I'll have more for you as it becomes available. I have enclosed a copy of the NTSB release below.
Peace
Hairy George
September 7, 2007
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Report
"Recent Trends in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes"
It should have been called "Fabricating Trends in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes". Here's why.....
September 6, 2007
PRESS RELEASE from the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations
August 3, 2007
Full text of the working Ohio Seizure Bills
Ohio House Bill 278 Ohio Senate Bill 204
July 30, 2007
Senator Capri Cafaro (D-32) has introduced the Ohio Senate seizure bill, SB 204. This is the companion bill to State Representative Tom Letson's bill, HB 278. Along with Senator Cafaro other Senate sponsors are:
Teresa Fedor (D-11, Senate Minority Leader), D, Miller (D-23), L.Mason (D-25), E. Kearney (D-9), S. Smith (D-21), J. Boccieri (D-33) and J. Wilson (D-30).
Please contact these individuals and tell them "THANKS!" for standing up for Ohio bikers. If your Senator is not on this list, contact them ASAP and ask that they support this bill. The bill text for HB 278 and S B 204 will be available on the website very shortly. I also expect to have "Talking Points and a Form letter available by week's end. Thank for your support!
Hairy George
State Legislative Director
ABATE of Ohio, Inc.
July 5, 2007
American Motorcyclist Association News Release
A07012
July 3, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill Kresnak
Telephone: (614) 856-1900, ext. 1247
E-mail: bkresnak@ama-cycle.org
AMA praises motorcycle industry for funding new motorcycle crash study
The American Motorcyclist Association today praised the motorcycle industry for committing $2.8 million to make a new study into the causes of motorcycle crashes a reality.
The motorcycle industry announced that it will provide the money through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The funding will go to the Oklahoma Transportation Center, which is an independent and respected research center at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
That industry money will be used as matching funding for a federal grant previously approved by Congress. The terms of the federal grant required the motorcycling community to come up with 50 percent of the funding for the study. The AMA has also committed funding to the project, and the association has been collecting additional money from riders through its Fuel the Fund program.
Since 1973, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has set internationally recognized standards that promote the safety of motorcyclists with rider-education courses, operator licensing tests, and public-information programs. The MSF is a not-for-profit organization sponsored by BMW, BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha.
"This commitment by the motorcycle industry is a vital ingredient in getting the first comprehensive study of the causes of motorcycle crashes in more than 25 years," said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. "We recognize and appreciate the investment the motorcycle industry is making in its customers. Without this financial support on their part, we could not have taken advantage of the federal funding we worked so hard to secure."
The last major study into the causes of motorcycle crashes was completed in 1980. That study provided a wealth of data that has been used by organizations and individual motorcyclists to help keep riders safer on the road. But the traffic environment has changed enormously in the decades since, prompting the AMA to begin campaigning for a new study several years ago. That process continues with the Fuel the Fund program, designed to finalize the budget for the study, which is expected to begin this fall.
"With funding from the federal government and the industry in place, the motorcycling community is nearing completion of the long process leading to a new study of motorcycle crashes," Moreland said. "This is a tremendous example of the entire motorcycling community-businesses, organizations and individual riders-working together to secure this vital research designed to help prevent crashes and save lives on the highway."
Riders can still support this effort by going to the Fuel the Fund website.
The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing.
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 280,000 members. The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com.
June 27, 2007
HB 278 - A bill too modify the guidelines governing seizure of a motorcycle by a law enforcement officer when the identity of the motorcycle cannot be determined and to establish limited civil liability if the law enforcement officer or agency fails to comply with specified guidelines. Am. 4549.61, 4549.62, and 4549.63 was introduced to in the Ohio House by Rep. Tom Letson along with 8 other cosponsors (Domenick, Foley, Brady, Yuko, Seitz, Distel, Luckie, and Harwood) If any of these Representatives is YOURS, send a email, letter or make a call thanking them for their support. If not, well, you know what to do, contact your legislator and let them know you want them to support passage of HB -278. The bill language should be on my website within the next couple of days. A form letter should also be available.
Let's get busy!
View House Bill 278 on Ohio State Page
View House Bill 278 (Text format -w- Line Numbers)
thank you
peace
Hairy George
June 23, 2007
Ohio State Senator Capri Cafaro will begin circulating a letter asking for co-sponsors for the Seizure Bill on Monday. Please have your membership calling their State Senators, starting Monday, asking them to become a co-sponsor of Senator Cafaro's Seizure Bill.
Thanks
"Hairy" George Nitzsky
State Legislative Director
June 21, 2007
Regional Directors and members of the Board,
I attended a meeting yesterday, June 20 2007, of the Ohio House Infrastructure, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs Committee. This is the committee that HB-176 was assigned to.(HB 176 is the bill that would allow public entities, such as Vocational Schools and Community Colleges to charge a higher fee for providing Rider Education which current Ohio law does NOT allow them to do) I have already submitted testimony expressing our objections to this bill; our primary objection being, If enacted, Ohio motorcyclists seeking rider training would be forced to pay higher tuition fees to those public entities that "privatize" their program. In other words "Rider Education" would be priced out of the reach of the very people we are trying to get into the program, the novice rider and the returning rider! This is unacceptable. I am asking that every ABATE member contact the committee members listed on the attached .doc file, by phone, email or fax, and give them this plain and simple message:
"I strongly support affordable Riders Education and for that reason I oppose passage of Ohio House Bill 176. I respectfully request that Representative (fill in the name from the attached list) vote AGAINST House Bill 176"
The committee will be meeting again next week. Your phone calls, email and faxes MUST be on their desks by NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, June26th! I realize that this is "JUNE JAM" weekend, (and you will hear me talking about this from the stage on Friday night) but this MUST be done. If you have any questions or need further information please contact me at my office: 330-318-7480. When contacting the committee members remember:
1. Be POLITE, no rough, rude or abusive language!
2. If any of the committee members listed is YOUR Ohio House Representative, don't forget to mention that you are a constituent (you live in the district) of that Representative.
Our message is clear and to the point, "Keep Rider's Education affordable in Ohio"! Also, if you feel like sharing this effort with Riders who are not ABATE members, please feel free to do so but ask them to stay within the guidelines of this email.
Thank you, in advance, for your efforts.
"Hairy" George Nitzsky
State Legislative Director
House Committee on Infrastructure Members to Write to. (DOC. File)
Someone new is trying to take away our "voice" in Congress! Get on the horn
or drag out that pen and let you Federal Congressman know you do NOT support
passage of this bill!
Peace......
"Hairy" George
----- Original Message -----
From: mrfnews@mrf.org
To: mrfnews@mrf.org; mrfnews2@mrf.org
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 2:45 PM
Subject: [Mrfnews] 07NR06 - MRF News - MRF Opposition to HR 2093
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
Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
07NR06 - MRF Opposition to HR 2093
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports its opposition to HR 2093, a
grassroots lobbying reform bill introduced my Marty Meehan (D-MA). HR 2093
attempts to give more transparency to how grassroots lobby groups legally
conduct business. More transparency in our government is most certainly a
good thing. However HR 2093 tramples over many of the constitutional
freedoms that our country is founded on.
Like most things in Washington, the devil here is the definitions. HR 2093
specifically targets "lobby firms" however what or better yet who is
defined as a lobby firm. The Meehan legislation would re define "lobby
firm" to any person or entity who on behalf of "client" (which can be any
other person or entity), "receives income of, or spends or agrees to spend
a total of $100,000.00 in a quarterly period" to engage in paid
communications to influence the general public to lobby congress. Sound
like anyone you know of ?
So, a single paid individual who direst the spending of as little as
$100K, from any number of sources, on public-influencing activities would
become, by definition, a lobbying firm. Once established as a firm the
individual would be required to report to congress quarterly detailing the
public influence campaigns participated in over the past three months.
The price of not reporting would be hefty campaign finance fines of up to
$200,000.00 per occurrence.
H.R. 2093 would regulate private communications to and among the general
public, and would violate five First Amendment rights; speech, press,
association, petitioning and religion.
The bills sponsor initially stated that the legislation would close a
"Jack Abramoff type loophole". After reading the text of the legislation
it becomes apparent that neither Jack Abramoff nor the kick-backs to him
under the scandal would have been disclosed under H.R. 2093.
Meehan also claims that the bill is targeted at so-called 'Astroturf'
lobbying. But the fact remains that the legislation doesn't target, and
never even attempts to define, 'Astroturf.' Instead, it regulates genuine
citizen-supported policy communications.
Not only is H.R. 2093 unconstitutional, it will leave well heeled
lobbyists, lawyers and wealthy special interests laughing all the way to
the bank.
It also fosters the creation of sham or "straw-man" entities as fronts for
corporations and billionaires, yet manages to have many harmful
consequences for genuine citizen-supported grassroots causes.
The Senate passed similar reform legislation (S 1) earlier this year. S 1
had all of the grassroots reform language stripped out on the Senate
floor. 43 Senate democrats voted in favor of heavily regulating and
punishing grassroots lobby organizations. (110th Senate: roll call vote
17)
The MRF encourages you to contact your federal elected officials and voice
your opinion on this important issue.
==========================================================
(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.
_______________________________________________
mrfnews mailing list
mrfnews@mrf.org
http://mrf.org/mailman/listinfo/mrfnews_mrf.org
May 8, 2007 Legislative Update
That's right, we now have a number for the House version of the Right of Way (ROW) bill. HB 207. Get out that pen, pick up that phone and dial. Do what you must but contact your State Senator (SB-158) and your State Representative (HB-207) and ask them to support passage of these bills!
Bill text, talking points and a form letter for each will be available on this webpage, hopefully in time for this weekend's meeting.
Thank you all for your continued support of ABATE of Ohio's Legislative Agenda.
LET"S WIN THIS BATTLE!
Hairy George
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