Louisiana Helmet Law: FAIL

I'm as disappointed as Louisiana bikers surely must be at seeing their chances of repeal die in a senate committee.* But I'm also happy about a few things that happened along the way.

Nearly topping the list is the fact that Governor Bobby Jindal supports repeal of the universal helmet law. Not many states can claim that. Even in states like Michigan where the Governor has repeatedly vetoed repeal, at least bikers know where they stand on the issue. The worst case is not knowing at all, like Missouri ... hoping for the best while expecting the worst.

A House Record

The best news is that the repeal bill sailed through the Louisiana House. And not just for the obvious reason. It's hard to beat a legislative majority. But there's the added benefit of having a voting record for each and every representative.

Here's a map that shows how each house member voted. Green is for district members that voted for repeal. Red is for the legislators that voted to keep the universal helmet law. Yellow districts are for the "unknowns."

The best way to get this information is by counting the votes, of course. That's why it's important to get a repeal bill submitted, regardless of its chances for passage. Every session, and in both houses. Without a vote count, there's really no way to know. And as more time passes, more districts turn yellow.

Senate Scene

Louisiana's helmet bill stopped cold dead in the State Senate, specifically in the Health & Welfare Committee.

But it's not all bad news. Not by a long shot. The committee unanimously killed the bill. Not a single member voted to keep it alive, not even for discussion's sake. So the districts of every committee member is now "red."

In addition to the committee members, a few other State Senators showed their colors as well. One was kind enough to give an interview to the press, stating his opposition to freedom for bikers. We painted his district Red.

One reliable source told us that one state senator strongly supports repeal. Count his district as a Green. And yet another senator sponsored several repeal bills in the past. He accounts for another Green district. But all the other districts fall into the "unknown" category. Again, this points out the need to get a bill submitted each session. Without a vote count, biker activists are flying blind during the elections.

Time is on Our Side

The next elections for the Louisiana State Legislature will be in 2011. Lot's of time between now and than -- as the pelican flies. But that's not a lot of time to prepare.

In order to get a legislative majority, we need to help biker-friendly candidates win elections. The color-coded maps show where the legislators stand. And once the primaries roll around, we'll know which of these races are worth our time.

But we can't do it without campaign volunteers. If you want to beat the helmet law, help us build a majority. Subscribe to our Legislative Alerts and be ready to help when the call goes out. We don't need a lot of bikers, but the more the merrier ... and the faster we'll be able to ride free in the Pelican State.

Questions are welcome, here on the forum or by emailing Bikers4BillSponsors@gmail.com.

* UDATE: Biker activists are encouraged to contact Health & Welfare committee members to resurrect the bill (HB639).