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).

Virginia Election Results

It's been 30 years since there's been a competitive race for the House of Delegates in one particular Virginia district. That's because the retiring incumbent, as well as his predecessor, never faced any challengers. Not even in their primaries did they need to break a sweat.

So it was both exciting and surprising to see several candidates compete for the nomination. And given that only one party has the capacity to field an electable candidate in that remote corner of Virginia, the nominee almost certainly becomes the delegate-elect.

We got involved in this race the usual way -- by talking to each of the candidates. In most cases, the candidates showed us the usual arrogant antagonism. No surprise there. But one candidate actually took the time to listen to us, and clearly demonstrated an open mind on the issues.

That's when the trouble started.

I posted a blog that stretched his response into outright support (which he never actually offered). Then a political blogger appeared seemingly out of nowhere, took advantage of my mistake, and hastily mounted a smear campaign against our candidate. As it turned out, the sneaky snake was supporting a different candidate -- one that dismissed bikers as a burden to society. (Ever heard that one before?)

So in order to avoid any possible injury to the one friendly candidate in the pack, I deleted every blog entry pertaining to his race. I went one step further and deleted all Virginia blog entries, just to be on the safe side.

But the smear attacks continued, even to the point of publishing my name and address on the web. Eventually the sneaky snake moved on to exploit other opportunities for mischief. But I felt really bad about exposing our candidate to such needless distractions. So we stuck to campaign work for the next several weeks. Just anonymous hard work.

That explains the scarcity of blog entries over the past month. Same goes for the lack of naming names. But the rest of the story is that bikers rose to the occasion. We planted over 400 campaign signs along major roadways. We also delivered flyers to over 2,000 doorways, right before the election.

As it turned out, our candidate won by double-digit percentages. And when it comes to acting on legislation, I hope he remembers how hard we worked to help him. And how one particular sneaky snake deserves nothing but contempt.

One Hour = Biker Power

Imagine what takes up about an hour of your time. Something you actually do. Say ... check out a bike show, have a couple of beers, or watch a TV show.

Priorities

Why do you spend time doing these things? Because they're important enough for you to want to do them. Or it's just simply because you feel like it.

Whatever the reason, that one hour somehow makes it to the top of your list of things to do. Even if it's only for the moment.

Despite the many things that demand your time, one hour is a small investment. Especially if it's only one hour a month. But let's talk about one hour per year.

Campaign Work WORKS

Repealing the universal helmet law takes effort. No surprise there. But did you know that you can get it repealed with only about an hour of work? I know this sounds ridiculous, but give me just one more minute of your time and I'll prove it.

State legislators are the only politicians that give us helmet laws. And they are also the only ones that can repeal them. Whichever way they vote, the majority wins. That's the key -- building a majority of support for repeal.

Political candidates need campaign volunteers to win elections. And the campaign season is the only time anyone can help them win. It's also the only time they seem to listen to voters. Bikers can easily find out where they stand on issues by simply asking them.

Whichever candidate runs the best campaign usually wins the election. And the life-blood of any campaign is volunteers:
- Walking door-to-door to drop off pamphlets.
- Working phone banks to get out the vote.
- Planting campaign signs along the streets.

They can't win without campaign volunteers!

Many of these legislators win office by a narrow margin of victory, and quite often by less than a few hundred votes. The closer the race, the more campaign volunteers make a difference.

Make it Count

One hour on Saturday morning won't kill you. In fact, it won't even hurt (unless you have a hangover). And it's not like it's every Saturday. Just once a year.

Now imagine a dozen bikers in one voting district. About the same manpower you'd see at your average ABATE meeting. Only instead of talking about issues, they're helping a biker-friendly candidate get elected. And that means getting one vote closer to repeal.

There's a little more to it, of course. Somebody's got to find out which candidate is worth your time. But your SMRO probably knows who the good candidates are. Ask them. Better yet, join them.

And RIDE2REPEAL.COM can let you know who they are ... as long as you click on the red "Subscribe" button (above) and give us your email and zip.

That only takes a second.

When Will Those Who Ride Decide?

This sounds like a trick question, but it really isn't. We always say "Let those who ride decide," hoping that someday someone will give us that right.

But there isn't any "let" about it, because the decision is already in our hands. The real question is whether bikers will decide, or continue to leave that decision to others.

Just to clear things up, I'm not talking about violating the helmet law. That's a whole other story. And I'm not talking about court challenges, where a judge decides the law.

I'm simply talking about the easiest way to take charge of the helmet law -- and all bikers rights issues -- with one simple act. Whether we do it or not, it is still our decision.

Letting Others Decide

Most of the time we let others decide for us. When we write to a newspaper, we hope the editor will decide to print our letter. And in our letter we ask the public to see things our way, hoping they will decide to respect our rights.

But neither the editors nor the public has the ability to change the law. Whatever they decide doesn't matter outside the court of public opinion.

Biker's rights advocates usually go straight to the state legislature. They know that's where state laws come from, and state laws affect motorcyclists the most.

During lobby day -- and throughout the legislative session -- bikers ask state legislators to decide in our favor when they consider bills affecting motorcyclists. And these decisions are important, because legislators are the lawmakers.

When to Decide

There is one time period, however, when bikers can decide for themselves. That time is the campaign season -- when legislative candidates need our help. And that means more than just voting for them. It means delivering votes -- through campaign work.

That's the only time we can help them, too. Whichever candidate has the best volunteers wins the election, and there are no better volunteers than bikers. But if bikers ignore candidates during the campaign season, legislators will surely ignore bikers during the legislative session.

There's a difference between what you say and what you do. When it comes to freedom, a pair of flags on a bike can't top a pair of campaign signs in the ground. While "the pen is mightier than the sword," it's also obvious that "actions speak louder than words."

Every little bit helps. And one hour is all it takes -- the same manpower it takes for one bike wash, one afternoon putt, or one chapter meeting.

When bikers work as campaign volunteers, they decide who the state legislators will be. And when they help candidates win, they get the helmet law handed to them on a silver platter -- along with virtually every other bikers rights issue there is.

It's Really Up to You

Every biker that can draw breath can spare one single hour. If they say they can't, they're really just choosing to let someone else decide for them. But that "someone else" includes YOU!

What can you do right now? For starters, join an SMRO. If you're already a member, ask your SMRO which campaigns need help. Talk about campaign work at your next meeting, or write about it in your newsletter.

Best of all, you can lead by example. If you make it a priority, you'll find the time. Or you can choose to let others decide for you.

Either way, it's totally up to you.

New York Election Results

UDATE: NY ELECTION RESULTS

Two Bronx Democrats Win Special Elections to Assembly
New York Times - ‎Jun 2, 2009‎
By AP Two New York Assembly staff members have succeeded their Democratic bosses in special elections in the Bronx held on Tuesday, easily beating their ...

NY Bikers Had No Effect on Outcome

Sadly, no bikers in or around New York responded to the May 7 Legislative Alert (shown below). The two new NY Assemblymen will have no reason to show bikers any more consideration than everyone else that's standing in line to lobby them.

Sound familiar? It doesn't have to be that way next time.

But there will always be more elections, which means there will always be more opportunities. But until NY bikers rise to the occasion, lobbying the Assembly will be little more than begging from strangers.

(Original May 7 Legislative Alert)

Media-Newswire.com says "Governor David A. Paterson announced today that a Proclamation has been issued calling for two Special Elections in the Bronx to be held Tuesday, June 2, 2009. The elections will fill the vacancies in the 77th and 85th New York State Assembly Districts."

Special elections are special opportunities, of course. Very few people vote in special elections and primaries, so which ever candidate gets the most volunteers will probably win. This means a small number of bikers can make a big difference. All it takes are a few.

I passed along the news about these special elections to the State Legislative Officer for ABATE of NY. We'd be happy to help them mobilize their members for what could be some easy victories ... and some pro-biker allies in the NY State Assembly. What with the discriminatory police roadblocks, we sure could use some friends in Albany.

< MO > Legislative Alert

Here is a special call to action that we're passing along. It's from Mark Chapman, Chairman of the Freedom of Road Riders.

Mark's call to action (below) requests your support for the helmet bill that just recently passed through the Missouri state legislature. Scroll down to find the links to the Governor's contact form.

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.

MI Status

MI Senate District 19

Michigan's governor announced a special election to fill a vacancy in Senate District 19. This district encompasses all of Calhoun County and most of Jackson County, as well as the cities of Battle Creek and Jackson.

The special election is scheduled for November 3, with primary elections on August 4. The filing deadline for candidates is May 12. To ready why special elections are so important to bikers, click here.

As with other states in the past, we'll contact the MRO in Michigan. If they endorse a candidate we'll do our best to help them. The catch is that Campaign Volunteers are in short supply, with the nearest ones living hundreds of miles away.

We will try to form a partnership with the MRO. With them passing the word at meetings and in the newsletter, we can get more bikers to subscribe to our Email Alerts. Then we can help the candidate they endorse.

We'll post updates as they happen.