Legislative / Helmet Updates & Calls to Action
for those who want to watch the Senators in action you can watch them
online from this link
http://www.netnebraska.org/basic-page/television/live-demand-state-government
LB900
5/17/16
From our Lobbyist
Nebraska
Legislative UpdateMay 17, 2016
|
|
Primary Results Good for Governor/GOP
For Incumbents, Not So Much
|
|
| |
A Message from Ron Jensen:
Included with this update are the May 10th Nebraska Primary Election results for members of the Legislature. Increasingly, Im treated as the Great Historian around the Legislature, and I was asked by one of the boys at breakfast the day after the primary if I could remember a time when a half-dozen incumbent senators ran second
and in one case, third
in the primaries. I answered that I could not specifically remember a primary contest where even two incumbents trailed in their races, though I am certain it has happened. But six? Never.
Whats going on here? Honestly, Im not certain, but one thing is obvious: It was a big night for Governor Pete Ricketts, who openly campaigned against certain of the incumbents who had not supported him on the death penalty and/or the gasoline tax increase, and also for the Republicans who from here look certain to pick up at least a couple more seats in the 105th Nebraska Legislature.
Its been said by me, actually that politicians and sports writers never fail to over-read any given result, and thats something worth keeping in mind when one reviews the primarys results in any given district. While there are two or three districts where the incumbent senator has been whipped so soundly that it appears they almost certainly wont be back (and obviously Senator Nicole Fox who ran third in her race), some of the other results were quite close. Senator Sue Crawford being a case in point.
As obvious as it was in Nebraskas primary, and those across the country, that there are some pretty fed up voters out there, primary results in Nebraska legislative contests can and do get turned around in the general. Two examples from the retiring class of the 104th Legislature are Senators Colby Coash and Speaker Galen Hadley. Coash lost his primary by almost two-to-one, and Hadley ran second in his, although not by such a wide margin. Each of them decided that they were in the race to win, rolled up their sleeves and significantly out-worked their opponents, knocking on literally thousands of doors, and it worked. Ironically, they would wind up running against each other for the position of Speaker in the 104th Legislature.
Staying with Senator Crawford as an example, like the other incumbents, she was not turned loose from the 2016 Legislative until two-and-a-half weeks before the primary, restricting her own door-to-door activity to what could be accomplished on weekends. I would expect Crawford an effective senator and one who knows how to work to go all-out for the general in an effort to make up for her somewhat low level primary campaign. Now Im not silly enough to predict the final result in any of these races, though I do feel today that I know how some of them will turn out. But the message here is that choosing the membership of the 105th Legislature wont be over until its over. And that wont be until around mid-night November 8, 2016. In the meantime, everyone who is not looking at knocking on some thousands of doors between now and them, keep your powder dry and have a great summer.
~ Ron
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5/11/16
| |
I will be going through the
Election results but I wanted everyone to be aware that we did
pretty good getting our people through the primaries ... there
was 26.52% voter turnout and in all races we were trying to pull
a candidate through we did ... of note ... Fox in legislative
district 7 whom opposed us last year ... did not make it through
the primary ... it was a narrow margin and I would expect a vote
recount call from her (10 votes) ... also Johnson whom opposed
us last year and had promised us a cloture vote but failed to
follow through ... he got a wake up call taking second in the
primary ... (I'm afraid his opponent also is against us but aint
Karma great)
I do want to thank everyone for
the help in getting the word out via FB etc ... I believe it is
helping.
we have lots of work to do ...
be thinking of ways to get candidates names out there ... this
summer ... runs, parades whatever you come up with ... it all
helps
I will be asking for you to
officially endorse candidates here shortly, we will do this via
email as we need to be prepared ... I want to make
congratulatory calls to all those we believe are with us and
encourage you to do the same ...
Todd
|
3/17/16
Here is how they voted:
voting FOR cloture:
(30)
Baker, Bloomfield,
Brasch, Chambers, Coash, Davis, Ebke, Fox, Friesen, Garrett, Groene, Harr Burke,
Hughes, Kintner, Kolterman, Krist, Kuehn, Larson, Lindstrom, McCoy, Mello,
Morfeld, Murante, Scheer, Schilz, Schnoor, Schumacher, Smith, Stinner and
Sullivan
no real
surprises here except Baker, Fox and Smith were not for the bill but voted for
cloture. They should be thanked... all of them.
voting NO for
cloture (17)
Bolz, Cook,
Craighead, Crawford, Gloor, Haar, Hadley, Hansen, Hildemann, Howard, Johnson,
Kolowski, McCollister, Riepe, Seiler, Watermeier and Williams.
... of
note here is McCollister promised to support the bill all the way...
Craighead and Johnson promised cloture votes.... these 3 would have given
us the 33 votes we needed
not present (2)
Pansing-Brooks,
Campbell
take note of
these as we move forward to the campaigns
3/17/16
Well,
I'm sure you are all
aware we were killed in cloture...again. The vote as 30 for and yet we
were 3 short ... 3 votes we were promised short...ie we thought we had it.
As usual some did not come through when the final vote was taken...I urge you
now to email and thank all the senators that did vote for cloture and thank
them. As soon as the official vote is published I will forward that on...
A special thanks go to Senator Bloomfield and his aid Jessica...without their
tireless efforts we would not have come this far...
I thank all of you
that worked hard to get this done...and your members...be proud that we again
brought a bill to the floor..we will be back.. we will have the website updated
on how they voted as well... again as soon as the official record is
posted Connie will get to work on it..
Think of how your
senator voted....remember some are leaving...lets get the right people elected!
Todd C. Miller
3/15/16
| |
Membership
We are asking for one last push
of support, both in state and out of state, to contact Nebraska
senators in support of LB 900 ... they need to hear from you
that you either support the bill or avoid this state because of
the current helmet mandate ... any references to dollars you
normally spend in a couple days lodging ... you and or your
group would help ... We are very close to the needed 33 votes
but as always the Medical Lobby and AAA are working against us
and could easily sway a few votes ... your call, email etc may
make the difference.
Senators contact list ... you
can click the name and go to each page or use the first initial
/ last name / @leg.ne.gov for email ie Roy Baker - rbaker@leg.ne.gov
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_list.php
"keep the shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State coordinator ABATE of Ne
Inc.
|
3/9/16
LB 900 is out of committee and is waiting to be
placed on the agenda (hopefully soon)! Now is when we need your help more than
ever. While this may not be your ideal bill, this is the bill that has an
excellent chance of getting to the Governor.
We have been working very hard to make sure we keep the votes we had last year
and add enough to get us to the 33 mark. The senators need to hear from YOU.
They need to hear that YOU SUPPORT LB900 as amended by the committee.
They need to hear that YOU SUPPORT ALL ASPECTS of the bill you
know FREEDOM is NOT FREE and you are willing to pay for your freedom.
Senator Bloomfield and Jessica are doing all they can to lock in the votes
needed but now IT IS UP TO ALL OF YOU and how bad you want the right to
choose if you wear a helmet or not. Contact your senator thank them for past
support and affirm that you hope their support will continue this year; Ask them
for their support we are giving them a brain trust and funding it. Remember
support for a cloture vote so we can get an up or down vote on the bill is
better than a straight up no.
When you contact your senator email is a great way! Make sure you keep your
comments positive, include your name, where you are from and contact
information. If you have friends that are business owners have them send an
email! SENATORS NEED TO HEAR THEIR CONSTITUENTS SUPPORT LB900!
You can find out how to contact your senator and others on this page
http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_list.php
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne Inc.
2/20/16
from Sen Dave Bloomfield
LB900 is out of the Transportation Committee and will be debated on the floor
of
the Legislature. It is now time for all of us to get to work! I will follow with
more details as time permits. For now, thank God, Jessica Shelburn, Sen. Lydia
Brasch, Sen. Al Davis, Sen. Curt Friesen, Sen Tommy Garrett, Sen. Beau McCoy and
Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Smith. It is time to let freedom ring! PLEASE SHARE
lets get the word out!
2/12/16
Just a friendly Friday update on the bill
... as of now it is back to committee as we discussed the bill needed a
technical amendment to clean up some verbiage for the DMV nothing changes just
technical cleanup ... that being said Jessica and Senator Bloomfield were able
to get that done and it is back to committee ... I would expect an exec session
at any time. today and Monday being recess days for the session the earliest it
is likely to happen, would be is Tuesday ...
I again want to reinforce our job now is to
sell this bill to our members and all that we know ... as is ... The bill is our
best shot at passing something this year and we do not want some club or
organization hacking away at one part or another ... amendments may get proposed
from outside but we need to be sure they are not coming from within the riding
community and only from our opposition ... anything less will just confuse the
issues and our fence sitting senators ...
Keep a close eye on the Media ... they have
been uncharacteristically quiet ... watch for any polls etc and report back to
me or any state officer immediately so we can get the word out ...
Keep the shiny side up
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne Inc
++++++++++++++++++++
2/5
All,
I want to report there has been very
positive feed back from the committee hearing as well as lobby day. I thank
all of you that attended. We do expect them to exec on this bill next week due
to the snow storm and the shut downs ... otherwise it may have happened already.
I will keep you informed as we move forward on what needs to be done next ...
I would like to say we had some
opposition that were from different clubs and organizations which do not usually
appear (other riders)... mostly due to the added cost ... I encourage you to
continue working to sell this bill as is ... to those groups ... As we talked
about this at the Board Meeting this bill is already a compromise ... it is not
perfect but it has the greatest chance of success with the current standing
Senators. We need to keep our other groups from aiding the enemy.
Together we can succeed ... Divided you
will surely fail
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne. Inc
402.440.8756
update 3/24/2015
First and foremost
please take the time now
to thank those senators
that did support us ...
those that stood up for
us, this small grass
roots organization
wanting to be heard ...
every senator that stood
and spoke on our behalf
deserves your thanks,
Including our Lobbyist
and Senator Bloomfields
Aide, Jessica
Several have asked who
and how they voted ...
here is the official
breakdown ...
Do know this some
flipped on us that had
promised cloture votes
and some did not vote at
all ... ie we had the
votes or thought we did
... as we regroup I want
to reiterate one thing
... I have gotten calls
/ emails etc over the
last week from a great
many people ... most of
which in the discussion
it was discovered were
not ABATE members ...
yet all very concerned
about the bill and
wanting to know what
"we" (ABATE) were doing
... I have to say I'm
extremely pissed off
by this ... all of these
other individuals
relying on ABATE to get
this done ... all very
concerned and all
knowing whom to contact
to find the answers ...
but where were they when
we had a chance in the
campaigns to keep the
Hinkelmann's, Pansing's
etc out of the equation
... why were they silent
when they had a real
voice and a choice on
whom would represent
them ? I hope it upsets
you as much as me ...
every ABATE member can
stand proud knowing you
were at least in the
fight ... everyone else
can ________ (fill in
the blank)
How they voted
Voting yes to end the
filibuster (24):
Bloomfield, Chambers,
Coash, Davis, Ebke,
Friesen, Groene, Hadley,
B. Harr, Hughes, Kintner,
Kolterman, Krist,
Larson, Lindstrom,
McCollister, McCoy,
Mello, Scheer, Schilz,
Schnoor, Schumacher,
Stinner, Sullivan.
Voting no (18): Bolz,
Campbell, Craighead,
Crawford, Garrett, Gloor,
K. Haar, Hansen,
Hilkemann, Johnson,
Kolowski, Kuehn, Pansing
Brooks, Riepe, Seiler,
Smith, Watermeier,
Williams.
Present not voting (4):
Baker, Brasch, Howard,
Nordquist.
Excused (3): Cook,
Morfeld, Murante.
|
|
|
|
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here it is yesterday's
roundup
Day 3
Bloomfield opened brief
summary of the bill
Senator Smith gave a
brief description of the
committee amendment
(21 and over with eye
protection)
Senator Hilkemann talked
about Louisiana
and
how after the law was
repealed use dropped to
50% and similar trends
with greater number of
crashes
(doubled
before pre law) and
significant reductions
after the law was
reenacted
he said
safest way to ride a
motorcycle is with a
helmet
Senator Larson the
opportunity for economic
development in rural
nebraska
listed
several communities
would benefit
said to
turn it down would be
disappointing. He said
we have individuals do
circumvent our state and
spend money in all the
surrounding states. He
talked about also the
state tax that would be
collected
and how much
was spent for all
motorcycles (atvs and
off road as well) being
less than what would be
taken in by the state.
Tourism dollars are
turned away
the
current law sends people
away.
Senator Haar he compared
air bags to helmets
let those that drive
decide
and why we
dont require helmets in
a car
and it makes
sense
cars have a
shell
he mentioned on
your own property you
can drive anyway you
want
on the road it is
a privilege
we do take
away freedoms for all
drivers on the road
seatbelts, headlights
etc were his comparison.
Individual freedom gets
limited by society in
order to live together
Senator Hadley talked
about wearing a helmet
and the amendment
the
age restriction .. 21
and over
asked
Schumacher if it was
problematic to enforce
by law enforcement.
Senator Gloor apologized
to Bloomfield for a name
mistake
and read an
email sent to him from a
m/c safety instructor
whom said the operation
of a motor vehicle on
the highway is the most
regulated out there
without these laws it
would be more chaotic
advancements have been
made in all other
vehicles
but not
motorcycles
he asked
we not give into the
small group that wants
to not follow the rules
chief motorcycle
safety instructor
for
Nebraska
Senator Crawford is in
opposition
she said on
one heard about liberty
on the other side the
states interest
financial and saving
lives
she said most
issues are about
tradeoffs
but the
debate boils down to one
or 2 core values
she
said the real question
is how we balance the
issues
she says the
gravity of the problem
is TBIs and death
the
use of helmets solves
the problem
using
estimates from NHTSA
(called that evidence)
and the degree of
interference of liberty
religious or
expressive liberty
etc
she said no
she said
this infringes on the
rest of us when you
crash
Senator Hilkemann said
he has had the freedom
to learn to fly
he
said he has to report in
to the FAA that I am up
there
and the FAA has
the right to control
flight
he has the
freedom to ride a
bicycle
but the rules
say I can ride any road
if I stay on the 3 feet
he says you are crazy
to ride a bicycle to
without a helmet
he
said he had motorcycles
and it is your
responsibility to wear a
helmet
every freedom
has responsibilities
we are not hear to take
them off the road
(motorcycles) he said if
any motorcyclist knew
that they would have a
crash
they would wear
one
he said you wear
it just in case
and we
have the responsibility
to protect the citizens
(avoiding medicare and
Medicaid)
Senator Bolz
talked
about the insurance
perspective
her
concern that the TBIs
would increase her bill
she said in Michigan
that severity inc.
etc
because of these high
cost increases so then
insurance went up and
medical costs went up
she said some with low
liability ins. May have
to face bankruptcy from
hitting one of us
. She
said this is protecting
the citizens from the
insurance perspective
and she does not want to
see more bankruptcy
claims
Senator Pansing Brooks
in opposition
she
brought up the rallies
across the country that
require helmets
she
said the helmet law is
not causing a disruption
because our
registrations keep
increasing
she said we
want all people in the
state but do not want to
assume your risk for
coming into our state
she again reiterated the
AAA information and that
people trailer
and
thus will not be a loss
to the state
she said
mapquest bypasses
Nebraska
so less than
10,000 would be brought
to us
not an economic
issue
she mentioned
the gas tax and harleys
having 50 mpg
no gain
very little tax revenue
Senator Schilz he said
to truly compare you
look at your neighbors
he said to be
competitive we should be
looking around us
and
everyone save one does
not have a restrictive
helmet law
he said if
we could attract some of
the surrounding states
riders
it adds up to a
great deal of money
he
says we do not have
horse-riding helmet laws
bicycle helmet laws
people want to run their
affairs as they see fit
personal
responsibility is the
key here
lb 31 is the
right direction
Recess till 1:30 pm
Roll call
Senator Bloomfield made
a plea to the body
saying he has been
chasing a moving goal
others putting different
amendment then
amendments disappear
such as the brain trust
by bolz
or education
just to have the
amendments pulled since
we were willing to
negotiate. Saying we
cannot get to talk
because he has been
double crossed
said he
has reached every goal
they have set and the
goal still moves
said
unfortunately 2 that are
not here signed onto the
bill and that he asked
if they could postpone
the vote
and was
denied by the speaker
Senator Gloor said we
cannot relate our state
to other states around
us and that these
numbers that bloomfield
handed out mean nothing
just the ones coming
from the CDC and NHTSA
he says he has no idea
about other states
(although that is the
data he was given)
again reiterated that
NHTSA recommends helmet
laws
he says facts are
clear
(ignoring those
from senator bloomfield)
Senator Campbell talked
about the emails this
weekend and chose to
read another one from a
registered nurse at
Madonna
she said this
guy whom was from
another state without a
helmet law and was
transferred to our state
and now is a burden to
Nebraska
she said we
need to listen to the
medical community
they
are our voice and we
should listen. She says
your costs may get paid
for a period of time
but many go to a nursing
care facility
and then
your resources are
depleted and you become
a burden to the state.
Senator Crawford also
against commented about
Bloomfields numbers
said how open he is to
listen and respected his
work
she took his
numbers and looked at
the studies
she said
that when looking at
studies of fatalities
and injuries
and she
said that alcohol has
some bearing as well as
speed and vehicle miles
driven
and that we
have higher speed limits
etc
and that is why we
are higher not because
or not because of the
helmet but speed and
miles traveled
(discounting all the
numbers showing that
there is no difference
in the statistics from
Nebraska to Iowa) she
said in looking at iowa
2014 76% of fatalities
were not wearing a
helmet
etc
etc
(which has no
correlation to whether
or not they may have
died with or without
)
Senator Groene in favor
he said how far are we
going to take the nanny
state mentality
he
talked about how
beautiful it is to ride
out west
he said if
some Omaha and Lincoln
counties want to force
helmet use on their
citizens
go for it
but out west we want to
change this law
our
tourism group and our
citizens want to choose
he said life is
dangerous and full of
risk
said lets have
some common sense
and
not madate your
neighbors.
Senator Haar debate
points out that there is
a lot on both sides Im
opposed .. it is a great
freedom to ride etc
told some stories about
riding
then diverged
into how we set rules
and that setting rules
does not make us a nanny
state
every medical
division says not to
change the law
Senator Hilkemann said
show me one instance
where helmets doesnt
save some lives
said
nobody has shown him
that
he pulled out a
consumer reports article
saying again Michigan
showed rises in health
care costs
helmets off
injuries / deaths
increase
he said
weakening helmet laws
create more serious
injuries
quoted NHTSA
saying helmets can cut
fatalities by 37%
quoted a neurologist
saying it is insanity to
repeal the law
Senator Bloomfield he
passed around a Medicaid
information packet
1
mill is what was spent
last year
on cyclists
and he said if we
doubled that (twice as
many accidents) would
not break the state
but denying the personal
rights has
and if you
do not think we can make
that back in tourism you
are not being realistic
showed the 43 mill to
1 ration
from cars to
bikes
and yet we are
not infringing on cars
he said look at the
numbers where we live
and those of our
neighboring states
the
numbers are here showing
even if we double our
current expenses to 2
million dollars not the
estimated amount others
have given
he
countered Hilkemann
about the helmet stats
showing again that
Nebraska was higher than
our surrounding states
in fatality rates
he
begged for the
colleagues to look at
the actual numbers from
here .. refutting the
estimates
Senator Hilkemann he
used the data from
Bloomfield saying this
was wearing helmets
that these less costs
than estimated were due
to the helmets
ie
helmet use caused less
fatality
went on to
say comparing cars that
are more on the road to
the cost of motorcycles
was apples to oranges
even though the cost
form cars is 43 times
higher
he went into
how we as taxpayers
would cover uninsured
riders from other states
talked about the vmt
and the stats
supporting nhtsa
and
the per miles traveled.
He went on again to
talk about the NHTSA
recommendations.
Senator Kolowski stood
in opposition
he said
as he walked his
campaigns and met with
several that had
motorcycles
and found
it to be a good talking
point
and the
individual would talk
about the helmet law
he said 98% of the time
you are ok
its the 2%
I worry about
went on
to talk about a first
responder view (his
brother) and horrifying
it was
need a shovel,
rake and a mop
to
clean up the accident
he talked about telling
the families and how you
dont want that job
Senator Bolz
talked
about the university
brain center
talked
about kids and
development of the brain
and it has 25% of the
blood in the system
she went on to define
sections of the brain
etc
and said it is the
most important part
she brought up her
bringing up her brain
trust bill and decided
to pull it
gave no
reason other than she
thought it should be
brought up on its own
Senator Crawford
again
in opposition to the
committee amendment
saying that it was not
enforceable
the 21 and
over view
(though it
is no different than
deciding if someone is
driving under a learners
permit or a license)
and that it was an extra
burden
profiling etc
Senator Ebke rising in
support
life is full
of risks
adults should
assess those risks and
decide whether to take
them
said we can
certainly argue that
bicyclists should have
to wear a helmet if we
are going to not repeal
this law
skydiving as
well
she said it is
not just Sturgis
it is
also about those here in
Nebraska staying in
Nebraska
people run
out of her district to
Kansas to ride
Senator Bloomfield said
we have heard this deal
how would we know 21 ??
same difference when we
look at a 16 yr old
we
are grasping at straws
Senator Hansen
talked
about rights and
responsibilities said
you can now drive / ride
on private land
can do
what you want
but on
public ground we can
regulate
including the
safety mechanisms
talked about the
accidents in home and
discounted those
arguments in the privacy
of your home
went on
to talk about the
numbers from bloomfield
comparing Medicaid
expenses being 43 times
higher in cars
he said
we have 15 times more
driver licenses in this
state and a car may have
more passengers
and
that is the difference
he says we can decide
on what level of safety
to require
Senator Pansing brooks
in opposition asked
senator bloomfield why
did he pass out the
sheet for motorcycle
victims
saying the
cost though there are
more costs per car rider
she asked if this was
to prove that cars are
safer
she said the
cost to motorcycle
victims was double that
of the cars
but his
response is the point
to refute the estimated
costs of Medicaid
she
went on to talk about
the cdcs recommendation
for universal helmet
laws
Senator Haar
said he
could think of many
things that would bring
more money into the
state other than getting
rid of helmets
he said
lets look at any drug
you want
and called
out a drug that was used
for morning sickness ,
cancer etc
and there
was much pressure about
the drug
not fda
approved
sold in
Germany
then infants
were born without limbs
etc
(really did not
get the correlation to
helmet use
)
Senator Garrett went on
to quote
you guessed
it _____(thank God he is
not an Abate member)
directly from
one of his late night
emails
but again
proves what we said
its easy to move a maybe
senator to an avid
spokesman for the
opposition
Senator Bloomfield
closed for cloture vote
and you know the
outcome
the bill for
now is resting
we are
making plans as I write
this
but the dust
needs to settle
stay
tuned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
from our lobbyist....Well guys we fell short again.
2 of our supporters were gone today which didn't help. It should
be known that Senators Larson and Coash helped us quite a bit the past few days
by working some trades. In the end we had 24 votes today to move forward.
We can run down the vote count another day when the dust settles
but there were 4 votes for cloture that didn't come through like they had
promised. As always, it's just us working against about 10 lobbied
organizations. It won't matter how many numbers we throw at them, theirs are
more scary and just often insurmountable.
I'm just as frustrated as you are and I wish I could have gotten
it done for you this session.
KR
update 3/21/2015
ok as promised here
is fridays's day 2
of debate rundown
...
keep the faith and
get busy this
weekend ....
Second
day debate lb 31:
Senator Bloomfield
opens
short
summary of his bill
Senator Smith
outlines the
amendment of over 21
with eye protection
Senator Baker add
870 amendment
talked about his
sister who worked in
trauma unit at
Madonna
said he
promised his
constituents if he
thought the bill did
not have enough
votes he would add
this amendment which
in essence allows
the riders to
operate in parade
circumstances only
this was an attempt
to help us in his
own way
Senator Krist
got
up said he had
changed his mind and
would support the
over 21 amendment
and support the
bill in general
Senator Gloor stood
in opposition
thanked senator
doctor Hilkemann
for his leadership
against and him
having a
professional point
of view
he
attempted to
discredit the
economic impact of
Sturgis and the use
of trailers that
come through our
state
despite the
helmet law. He said
how excited the
hospital staff would
be to have this
added charity care
if we repeal the
helmet law. He
reviewed the past
votes and the
motions to invoke
cloture before
where he stated that
this basically is a
effort in futility
that the votes are
not there
he said
the bracket motion
made that clear.
Senator Haar
said he had till he
was 50
and loved
it but had an
accident
and
because of that
accident he will not
support
(some
woman went through a
yield sign and
broadsided him) he
believes the helmet
saved his life
will not support the
bill
and its his
job to protect
people
he related
forcing carbon
monoxide detectors
in new homes
to
protecting via a
helmet law
He
admitted he did not
study the bill
he
discounted the money
issue that we will
help those in need
and will not change
his mind.
Senator Hilkemann
went off on people
not pronouncing his
name correctly
he
said Hill caw mun
he seemed pretty
miffed
and wanted
to enlighten the
senators
continued
on many names
and
pronunciation
people actually
elected him
did
not talk about the
bill or the
amendment at all
till his last minute
and said lets get
serious
and used
the John Hopkins
University and their
study (for his last
minute) he said
evidence suggests
that helmet laws
save lives
notice
that term
directly
from the study
said his
conversation will be
fact based
Senator Groene
he
said he will call
Hilkeman the senator
from district 4 so
he does not
pronounce it right
LOL
he went to
repeat and summarize
points about govt.
is not to protect
citizens from
themselves
he said
what is driving up
insurance costs is
Obamacare
and
those going to
medicaide is gone
since lifetime
limits are gone on
insurance
that
argument is gone
said instead of
Nebraska the nice
Nebraska the nanny
state
freedom is
freedom
his
tourism bureau asked
him to support and
he will continue to
support. In my
occupation I travel
I see what the
helmet law does to
us
he sees bikes
everywhere across
the state line
Senator Sullivan
talked about the
history of helmet
laws and the federal
mandates
if we
were to adopt the
amendment we would
be part of 28 states
and thinks she can
support
said she
is listening and in
support of the
amendments
Senator McCoy ..
rose in support
yielding his time to
murante
Senator Murante
he
says that as you
know we are in a
filibuster
talked
about the need for
compromise
and
coming together to
move forward
and
has been patient
talked about his
bill stuck in
committee
opened
the Omaha world
herald
to find out
that some things
have been ignored
and all his work and
those of others on
the floor
World
herald announcement
against his efforts
was a slap in the
face
Senator Gloor
asked baker to yield
for a question
he
asked him to read
his amendment
ie
use up the time
asked if anyone
could have a parade
ie any event be a
parade without a
helmet
said no it
would need to be
approved by the
local area
he was
asked a few more
questions
gloor
said he did not
think he could
support the
amendment.
Senator Bolz asked
some more questions
to Senator Baker
asked why 30 mph
said that the speed
is safer
but said
that the protection
of the brain is not
dictated by the
speed
and why this
amendment states the
21 age
he said the
whole purpose was to
give his
constituents
something
if the
helmet bill would
fail
she stated
she thought this was
a loophole
and
brain development
extends to 25 and
was of the mind that
this is a more
relevant age to
protect the brain
she proposed if we
are going to use an
age it should be 25
as a taxpayer she
says that brain
development for
children is
important
impying
I guess we are
children to 25?
Senator Hilkemann ..
questioned Baker
again about his
parade amendment
he said it is hard
for him to
understand how they
will be in the
parade without the
helmet
how will
they get to the
parade helmets are
rather large
where
will they put it
he also stated just
because it is not
going fast it can
still fall
afraid
it will cause
confusion
Baker
said it is all a
matter of relativity
Hilkemann
countered you never
need those
protective devices
and that there would
be no argument from
any motorcyclist
knew they were going
to have an accident
they would wear a
helmet that day
Senator Bloomfield
he said this
extended debate is
not of my making
opposition states we
do not need to keep
talking lets take a
vote
he is tired
of chasing a moving
goal post
. Ive
reached out and
worked to get this
resolved
and as he
made compromises
others have renigged
on the amendments
called out bolz
who put an amendment
to fund the brain
trust
then senator
bolz removed the
amendment when we
said we would accept
that
he said the
opposition is not
willing to negotiate
at all
asked what
will it take
we
simply ask to let
this segment of
people not have the
long arm of the
govt. tell them how
to live
we have
not outlawed
cigarettes
and
wont
he said there
is no limit to the
hunger of govt. to
control its people
and it is not right.
Senator Campbell
said she appreciates
the different views
surrounding this
bill
and admitted
she will talk
several more times
she says we all get
personal stories
and the reason we
bring those to the
floor is to give
them a voice
she
thanked senator
hill caw men
.
She pointed out a
packet of coalition
members opposing lb
31 and all the
medical facilities
and associations
that want to keep
the helmet law in
place
she says
they have seen what
happened
and
should be heard
they care for us.
The last page says
other states have
proven that helmet
laws do not bring in
tourism
subtitled
other major bike
rallies in the us
pointed out some
were within helmet
law states
Senator Schumacher
he ran a search on
the statutes
for
parades
and read
that a parade across
the state is
entirely possible
with no outline
ie
the state would have
to overcome some
burden he said if he
voted for it
he
would vote for it
with the intent a
parade could happen
across the state
he said most head
injuries come from
falls
and should
look at helmets from
falls
said its
ridiculous and we
wont pass it
because it affects
us all
. Said the
minority is the
biker
and we are
picking on them
because they are
he said he believes
there is an
experimental way to
see this issue a
helmet holiday
suspend the current
law for 5 years and
see
then let that
future legislature
make that decision
based on those facts
documented
not
an initial fluke
he filed that
amendment.
Senator Gloor
he
passed out some
motorcycle
information and
hopes that you look
at it
he said all
the old data from
nhtsa that they
publish on their
site
showed
hospital costs went
down after Nebraska
instituted the law
ie saying we have
history that the
helmet law works
said all states have
increased fatality
rates that have
repealed the law
and touted some poll
(which we have never
heard of
) showing
Nebraskans do not
want to change the
law
that we are
singled out for good
reason
Senator Johnson said
he did not plan to
talk on it but the
parade struck him
spoke from
experience
about
current parade
permits
he thinks
all the time if he
can get on board
with helmet repeal
he said he thinks
the amendments do
help
he related an
experience of risk
and just not sure
trying to be in
support but is from
the standpoint of
safety and cost just
not sure
but
wavering toward not
support.
Senator haar
wore
helmet and leathers
reiterated his
past accident
going slow and not
in favor of the
amendments
said
drivers do not see
motorcycles and you
have to be defensive
and he believes
that means wearing a
helmet
said
governors highway
safety association
wants to encourage
helmet use
and
every state have
them
said 19
states still have
them
and read the
states
said
Mississippi
there
is a nanny state for
ya
etc
he said
they are exhibiting
appropriate
leadership
Senator Krist
called question to
cease debate
it
passed so debate on
the parade bill
ceased
Senator Baker
closed on his
amendment and said
this is something is
better than nothing
please support the
amendment.
Vote
21 voted
against on 6 in
favor
amendment
died
debate
returns to the bill
and the amendment
Senator Hilkemann
talked about the
moratorium and said
we already have the
history we do not
need to go back
talked about a study
in one Florida
county
. Showing
the effects of the
repeal
was a 5 yr.
study
Said 1
people used helmets
less
(with a
choice) and they
showed higher
fatality and head
injuries
conclusions from
johns hopkins
Senator Campbell
shared a story
similar doom and
gloom we have heard
from a nurse
again touted the
studies from nhtsa
Senator Bolz talked
about the idea that
we have tried this
before in the 80s
and said history
proves out
. Of
course she left off
the idea that the
number of registered
bikes / riders
dropped after the
helmet law was
instated
talked
then about the
crashes from 2012
and the costs to the
state
. These were
all helmeted riders
. She continued to
talk about the cost
in dollars to the
hospitals
Senator Hilkemann
asked to add another
amendment
939
striking section 1
he said it would
change the original
bill
but seemed
lost on how
said
to read it
Senator Kintner said
he ran his campaign
on the fact he would
not support any
bills that would
take away individual
freedom
talked
about all this talk
about doctors and
taking their advice
that why would you
go to a doctor for
this advice
says
lets just repeal
this law
Senator Gloor talked
again about a packet
from hilkemann
countering our
arguments on lb 31
of course this again
is the known flawed
data from NHTSA
which does not
address the number
of registerd
motorcycles
3x
more likely to die
etc
but then goes
on to say that the
current increase to
fatalities with the
law is because of
the increase in
registered
motorcycles
??
double standard
Senator Hilkemann he
said when you buy a
motorcycle in
Nebraska you know
you have to buy a
helmet and the folks
are willing to do
that even though we
know we have to wear
a helmet
he went
on to say he did
some studies on that
and said one
survey from the
Sturgis rally said
that 70% trailer
their bikes
he
says there are no
good roads to
Sturgis ? anyone
remember traveling
highway 2 to Sturgis
turning north
through custer ?
.
Senator Riepe
had
an email in front of
him from a
constituent that
wanted him to be on
board with lb 31
he said he made an
unscientific survey
during his campaign
that most wanted the
choice but would
wear a helmet
his
concern was
identifying a 21 yr
old going down the
interstate
he said
he made rounds with
a surgeon on
patients going to
long term care
he
said summer riding
season was organ
donor season to the
hospital community
he says he is
concerned about the
growing expense of
Medicaid
he said
this is a
responsibility issue
to the taxpayer
yielded to gloor
Senator Gloor
thanked senator
riepe for joining
him in the elite
class of health care
professionals on the
floor and hopes
people will listen
to him
Senator Ebke she
said she has been
pondering the issue
her question was
do we 49 senators
have the right to
decide for the rest
of the state
have
our constituents
elected us to run
their lives ? I do
believe someone
should wear a helmet
I think people
should not smoke too
and drinking to
excess is bad too
along with driving a
car is dangerous
etc
talked about
all the risky
activites all people
do
let our
citizens know the
risk
and let
adults make their
own decisions
yielded to senator
bloomfield
Senator Bloomfield
he had the dmv data
from Nebraska
he
showed from that
data
showed that
iowa with no helmet
law has .2 fewer
injuries than
Nebraska with a
helmet
talked
about the helmet I
brought him to the
office for them to
try on
and said
the accident that
had happened was
because he could not
see
urged them to
try it on
Senator Haar
again
mentioned his
accident
and said
in terms of how
Nebraskans feel
970 Nebraskans were
polled and 71 % said
they should keep the
law
(this is why
we fight these
polls) this one done
by some group was
most likely their
group
. Similar the
the AAA study done
on AAA members
again stated he will
oppose
had a
recent report form
2014 Nebraska
health and human
services the
department of motor
vehicles
said when
you are on a highway
or roadway you
affect other people
period
he talked
about how many
deaths with a helmet
law were due to a
head injury
again
these were wearing
helmets
Senator Hansen he
said there is one
issue he needs to
address
said the
supporters are
standing up for the
rights of a minority
and the rights of
a minority can be
easily infringed
he agrees with that
idea
talked about
a few other bills
addressing
minorities
he said
motorcycle helmets
however is a
different issue
driving is a
privilege
we
impose tests and
requirements
the
state has the
ability to regulate
who and how you
drive
he touted a
supreme court case
in Nebraska that was
rejected
to remove
the helmet law
that it did not
infringe on
individual freedom
Senator Campbell
yielded time to
pansing
Senator Pansing
brooks
excited
about the freedom of
choice issue but
touted some 1991
studies showing
helmet usage
and
how it fell off for
states that had
choice
talked
about lower fatality
rates
again not
comparing them to
motorcycle
registrations
said
there is mounting
data nationally
read off cdc data
etc
and talked
about the
estimated cost to
society
and
estimated savings
to Nebraska. The
cost to our state
budget
she quoted
a doctor that said
the right to choose
ends at my wallet
Senator Gloor
he
said we are the
representative of
govt. it is our job
to make decisions
for our constituents
and far too many
dont vote
and we
dont always know
better than they do
but we represent
them
he said we
have far more
information than our
constituents do
to
make a better
decision. He said
we should not defer
to nebraskans every
time we make a
decision
Senator Chambers
he kintner inspired
him to speak
questioned him on
his statements
he
proceeded to
question kintner on
the state should not
protect citizens
from themselves and
would like to
repeal all
he
called him out when
they are both on the
same side
Senator Hilkemann
talked about flying
and pilot error
he said more times
than not the
motorcycle in
contrast is in the
right
but dead
right
he said he
almost hit a
motorcyclist he did
not see
it would
not have been his
fault
and that is
why we do have to
protect each other
this is one way we
can let people
enjoy riding a
motorcycle
but
make them safer from
other people
there
are 2 kinds of
riders those that
have fallen and
those that will fall
Senator Pansing
Brooks
stood again
in opposition of lb
31
she heard from
a friend in a
hospital who said
give a motorcycle to
a teenager for his /
her last birthday
(impying they will
die )
yielded to
chambers
Senator Chambers
talked about
teaching the body
specifically Senator
Kintner
and that
we all need to learn
from each other
about listening to
his colleagues
he
said it is his job
to make everyone
here think
and
think before they
speak
Senator Bloomfield
said it is near the
end of the day
he
said the economic
impact of a few more
bikes on the small
towns
they just
may stay open
yeah
we talk about the
big events but
just the few could
be beneficial
and
that we could have
our own event in
Nebraska
asked if
there could be a
rally at lake
mcconnahay to
senator Schilz
that might bring in
a good deal of
income he said there
is an atv deal for a
weekend that has
grown significantly
in the past few
years and he would
agree this would add
tourism to our state
he said he hears
it all the time
people would ride
through if we did
not have a helmet
law
said the
perception is that
motorcyclists feel
they are not welcome
here. Senator
Bloomfield proceeded
to talk about the
little towns again
and the economic
benefit that is lost
Senator Chambers
open to bracket the
bill to june 5th
and asked to pull
that amendment
this was to speak
again
he said her
personally to ride
without a helmet
makes someone a fool
but
constitutionally
there is nothing we
can do to stop them
he will vote for
the bill but told
the senators he
would not speak on
it
now he says he
needs to speak
to
call out senators
for their actions
as always he pulled
no punches
he has
a wealth of
knowledge it is good
to have him on our
side.
Senator Bolz she
said her points have
been made and
deferred her time to
Senator Chambers
Senator Chambers
stated again he will
support this bill
and voted against
the bracket motion
and said Kintner was
the one that
inspired him to
speak
he said he
does believe in some
circumstances a
helmet can make a
difference between
life and death
and
he says he knows
there are many risky
behaviors that are
legal
and they do
not need to compare
them
he says if
someone is legally
riding we should not
interfere with their
use of the highways
he said he does
not wear a seat belt
and would not
blame anyone for his
choice
said we as
a body should vote
in favor of
repealing this law
Senator smith move
to adjourn
motion passes
And get ready for
round 3
hope you
are all calling your
senators and
specifically those
we have sent you in
the outline.
"keep the shiny
side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State
Coordinator
ABATE of Ne,
Inc.
402.440.8756
|
|
|
|
|
|
update 3/20/2015
Board members,
officers etc ...
We have
come a long way thus
far and there is no
time to stop ...
what you have been
tasked with is the
list of senators
keep the phone calls
and emails coming
.... business owners
members and joe and
the coffee shop ...
remember this will
all happen monday so
do not put this off
... it has to happen
this weekend !!!
List of unsure
senators :
Senator
District
Capitol
Phone Room
City
ABATE dist
Baker,
Roy E.
30
(402) 471-2620
1522
Lincoln
2
Brasch,
Lydia
16
(402) 471-2728
1016
Bancroft
5
Garrett,
Tommy L.
3
(402) 471-2627
1208
Bellevue
6
Kuehn,
John L.
38
(402) 471-2732
1117
Heartwell
3
Lindstrom,
Brett
18
(402) 471-2618
1202
Omaha
6
Nordquist,
Jeremy
7
(402) 471-2721
2004
Omaha
6
Riepe,
Merv
12
(402) 471-2623
1528
Ralston
6
Stinner,
John P.
48
(402) 471-2802
1406
Gering
10
Williams,
Matt
36
(402) 471-2642
2015
Gothenburg
3
Craighead,
Joni
6
(402) 471-2714
1529
Omaha
6
Watermeier,
Dan 1
(402) 471-2733
2000
Syracuse
Johnson,
Jerry 23
(402) 471-2719
1022
Wahoo
McCollister,
John S.
20
(402) 471-2622
1017
Omaha
Smith,
Jim
14
(402) 471-2730
1110
Papillion
Remember, please
keep all emails
positive
thank senators like
Garrett, Brasch,
Craighead and
McCollister for not
voting to bracket
the bill.
You can email the senators by using first initial last name @leg.ne.gov ... (ex rbaker@leg.ne.gov)
A complete list of all senators is on the abateofne.com website ... I welcome you to make your voice heard to your senator even if it is not listed here .... I guarantee the opposition is contacting them as well ....
if anyone offers up a cloture vote or vote on the bill ... let me know immediately!
Use this weekend wisely ... i know it is planned to be fantastic riding weather ... get out talk to people now ... take a laptop with you if you must but do not let someone tell you they will do it later .... do it now! ... all emails and phone calls must be in the office before start of session monday ...
"keep the shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne, Inc.
402.440.8756
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
updates from 3/20/2015
Watch for polls especially ... they are
likely to crop up ... opposition is desperate and we may have some delays ahead
... will keep everyone posted as i know more ...
+++++
Stay tuned for more information / calls to
action coming soon ... we expected delays etc ...
the bill is still alive and well
Watch the media and stay focused ... keep up the work getting the word out to
your district ... emails / calls are still needed ...
Will have a rundown of todays events by
tomorrow am ...
++++++
Ok ... sorry to keep after this one ... we
need lydia on board ... even if she will not support we need the cloture vote so
hammering away (no pun intended mike) at her is critical right now ... I
encourage everyone to get on this ...
Senator Brasch ... lbrasch@leg.ne.gov ...
402.471.2728
updates from 3/19/2015
| |
| |
ok here is the synopsis of today .... post read and
spread ...
First day of debate
Senator bloomfield
opened on lb31
he talked about all the states
around us have one except Missouri and no state that
has repealed the law has reinstated the law. He
spoke of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
He spoke that by law tells us that as senators if
you vote no to the 97000 motorcyclists in the state
you are saying you know better than they do
. He
urged the body to restore our rights. He spoke that
many have served our country in the military and
that they earned the right to choose.
He ended with this
quote
government exists to
protect us from each other, where government has
gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us
from ourselves
Ronald Reagan
Senator Smith opened
on the amendment
to add 21 and over and the eye
protection provisions.
Senator Krist spoke
of personal freedoms
he stated he had friends
that leave the state to ride
sent home the idea
freedom of choice
a freedom to choose and what I
fought for my entire time in the military
does not
like the amendment because the age of majority is 19
in Nebraska
where did 21 come from.
Senator schnoor
rode all his life
was in the military
helmets
save a few lives but he looks at it as a personal
choice
that at interstate speeds no helmet will
save ya
he does like the amendment
Senator Campbell
talked how she is opposed and has been opposed
she
was on the transportation committee
and spoke of
how concerned she was since those days
she used
the editorial from the Omaha world herald showing
the newspapers stance
and talked about the health
care costs for life long brain injuries
the
typical garbage we heard at the committee hearing
and said how rare it was covered by insurance
saying because of this it is a societal issue
not
about choice but the health of Nebraskans and the
tremendous cost
.
Senator Gloor said
he has worked in health care all his life
and a
medic in the military
said this is a societal
responsibility
always an issue of cost to the
state
he says this is a health care cost issue
he does not think it is a huge infringement because
helmet laws are proven to be effective
this has
never been successfully repealed
he says it has
failed with only 25 in favor
(that is a majority
of the house)
but not enough for cloture
he
urged they not spend too much time on it and move on
because it historically has failed.
Senator Bloomfield
he said he wrote 2 amendments one for 19 and one for
21
the committee picked 21
he is ok with it
(rebuttal to krist not in support) he talked about a
bill that would allow a person to be governor at 18
make decisions etc
but that we are saying these
people cannot decide until 21?
asked them to think
about that
he then proceeded to hold up the stack
of some 300 plus out of state emails that stated
they would not ride in the state with the current
law. (thank you out of state support)
He talked about 47%
of tbis is from unintentional falls
should we
make people wear helmets in the home? Are we going
to fail to give freedom back because we are afraid
what might happen? It is an infringement on
individual rights
thanked the committee for the
amendment and said he did support.
Senator Bolz
my
opposition is dollar and cents
she claimed the
journal of medicine said 41% of motorcycle accident
victims did not have insurance
to her it is all
about the fiscal note
she stated we should not
pass policy to promote extra insurance costs. She
had instances she listed off none of which had
anything to do with motorcycle accidents
but how
they were seeking benefits from the state
she said
tbis have a significant cost to the state
and
motorcycles are risky and will cause all of our
insurance to go up
she stated the time it was
repealed years ago that costs in the hospital went
up 38%
again all her doom and gloom was
estimated
and she said it will cost us so much in
quality of life and money
Senator Larson he
is for the bill .. he stated how he believes in the
concept of persona freedom .. government is there
eto protect citizen from each other
he state that
the ones not wearing the helmet are more likely not
to survive and cost money
but the ones wearing
helmets were likely to cost the state cash
he
asked for Campbell to respond to that
Campbell
could not directly respond and used florida as a
response
he also asked if there was a lifetime
limit as well as the yearly limits
lol
she state
they were removed
ie insurance limits etc do not
exist now
including rehabilitative etc. he stated
that the policy would cover Campbell tried to say
but
at some point it would not cover
though she
stammered a ton
go Tyson Larson!
Senator Hilkemann
he is opposed
he had 2 bikes ... and a pilot ..
his wife was happy when he sold them he rides
bicycles now
and would never think to ride without
a helmet period
or flying without preflight check
.. (but he did not wear a helmet
LOL)
he says
there is a price to pay for the sports we involve
ourselves in
compared seatbelts to helmets
again
he is a health care practitioner
talked about
head injuries etc
he is a podiatrist
he says
helmets are not perfect but they certainly save
lives
he said falls are the most injuries
and
they are the elderly and people do dumb things
a
rebuttal to bloomfield to living in the home to a
high risk sport
.
Senator Garrett he
said he voted it out of committee but cannot support
it
as far as freedom of choice he said give me a
break
lets get rid of the seat belt law and throw
our kids in the back seat
he was in air force
casualty officer
to notify family members
he
said it was the worst job and he guarantees that the
number of fatalities will increase
and more will
die
guaranteed
and more tbis talked about guys
dying from falling over on a bike
he stated that
motorcycles are too dangerous and he rides
asked
the body if they want to go with the sherriff to
notify familes
vote for repeal and you have blood
on your hands
people will die
claimed every
fatality someone was not wearing a seatbelt
. He
said fine let them ride around our state ..
Senator Campbell
against us
returns to the media article from the
herald
quoted a nhtsa study on states that adopted
the under 21
that age specific rules dont work
helmet use for the under 21 group fell
used texas,
florida and Oklahoma
so she is using people that
broke the law to enforce the law
. ??? again using
numbers of total deaths
she quoted stats
no
correlation to the increased number of bikers in
these states. She rebutted senator Larson
saying
that sooner or later the resources run out
and you
are on medicaide
that the health ins would cover
you
Senator Gloor
opposed
talked about the argument that take away
the helmet let them die basically
he said that
most accidents and deaths happen in town
at low
speeds
told a story about a m/c accident
on a
military base
a german without a helmet
was not
bruised or scraped
but unconscious
with soft
ground
with a rabbit bounding around
he
explained that the bunny was the pet of the rider
and was uninjured
he said the rider died of head
injuries
but did not injure the rabbit
??? so
rabbit survived and human died
not sure what that
story has to do with keeping the helmet law
.
Senator Schnoor
talked about how the cars had so many more accidents
from cars not bikes 15000 were Medicaid eligible
bikes were 33 Medicaid eligible
and though it was
a lot of money
the comparison is low
said this
is not significant
and that if we have an accident
out of state
guess what the biker comes home and
paid from within the state.
Senator Pansing
Brooks opposed
said that the Midwest surgical
assoc. had a study on Michigan
and said we will
all have blood on our hands
article said after
repeal
highly negative ramifications
non
helmeted riders spent more time in icu and much
higher costs
talked about hospitals
and the cost
to them
how it all increased with the repeal
she
said our state does not have the funds to allow this
bill
Senator Larson who
is for the bill
said again this is an issue of
personal choice
and how he disagrees with the
seatbelt law
he said elderly will end up in homes
and on Medicaid and whether you agree with aca or
not the removal of lifetime limits
will prevent
them from coming on Medicaid
and how inflated the
stats are because they include atvs etc
. And 33
from the last year were eligible for Medicaid and
the total spending was just over 1 million dollars
he said he would choose to wear a helmet but does
not agree to the law
he said under this logic we
should look at horse accidents etc
and enforce
helmets
Senator Schumacher
talked about tbis said 48 billion was spent on but
he said motorcycles were a small percent and falls
leading the way
he said we maybe should wear
helmets everywhere... he said we are picking on
motorcycle riders
asked why we dont have a law to
make people ride bicycles wear helmets and cars
because it infringes on liberties of the masses
not the minority
he said the acceptance of risk is
important
and our economic viability is at stake
Senator Kintner
for the bill
he said we dont have a majority of
people that respects the rights of the individual
we have a mentality that we cannot allow any risks
he says he is the guy trying to stop bad legislation
he said the stuff that gets mixed in with freedom
muddies the waters
to confuse things
he stands
square to protect your rights
he says we created
the welfare state and now we have to take liberties
to protect it
Senator Larson
again supportive
talked about Michigan study
and
pansing brooks he refuted her study saying most were
wearing a helmet but riding illegally
says we need
to see the whole story not just the one sided stat
Senator Bolz
opposing
she asked senator bloomfield if she
should drive a truck down highway 2 without a cdl
not sure what her point was
. She claimed people
have certain skill sets
??? she says the placards
saying you have hazardous materials is similar to
wearing helmets ??? wow
she then asked senator
Larson about hunting
she says her family hunts
Larson says he does not
she brought up the statute
to wear hunter orange while hunting
so using a
firearm is akin to riding a motorcycle ??? so
warning others about a hazard like she says
hunter
orange or hazard materials is the same as wearing a
helmet
. What am I warning people about by wearing
a helmet?
Senator Riepe in
opposition
says he is big fan of freedom
but
cannot support
.
Senator Gloor ..
opposition
talked about the star herald in
Nebraska .. seemed a push to get stinner to come on
board
said extreme sports strap on helmets etc
and disregarded the tourism issue
pushed the idea
an insurance amendment .. said responsible
lawmakers should do this and that all organized
sports have helmet laws
and this should be settled
ie not brought up again
Senator pansing
brooks opposed
she tried to refute the 33
motorcycle riders and the long term care
but again
did not say
but assume
refuted senator shumacher
and the acceptance of risk
she says we cannot tell
our citizens they can do whatever they want and
assume the risk
and it is our responsibility as
senators
she said difference between bicycles and
motorcyles is apples and oranges
she said we need
to allow children to be children ie no helmet law
for bicycles
but
. I guess adults are not allowed
to make sound decisions in her eyes
claims to be
in favor of freedom but the money needs to be
prioritized
encouraged senators to visit Madonna
rehab
to see horrific effects of brain injury
Senator Campbell
opposed
she talked about a packet of info
stats
she said 1% of licensed motorcycle rider in
Nebraska are under 21
. She is disappointed that
this amendment does not allow for kids are allowed
to ride
she wants to disallow kids from riding and
mentioned a 4 yr old on the back of the bike and was
disturbing
Senator Larson
he
talked about economics and countered the scotts
bluff herald article
and the past senators that
supported
talked about the number of people that
circumvent the state
and he did simple math about
40 dollars spent coming and going and that it
equaled 4 million to the state
outside dollars
he said they were true dollars
that were very
important to the state
he said we are missing
millions but it will come back to us
he said we
are missing the positive fiscal note
Senator Bloomfield
he said we spend 100 per day min .. at 100000
through the state
we could get some serious
economic improvement
by this law we say go around
us
we are too good for you
spend it in iowa
he
then read some emails
from out of state
( thanks
again )
Senator Hilkeman
moved to bracket the bill .. which would delay the
bill till june 5
end of session
claimed he spent
a lifetime with brain injuries
. Talked about his
son wanting to get a bike at 25 but recommended a
helmet
basically said if you do not have a family
you can get a bike
and be irresponsible
but
once you have kids and a family you need to get rid
of the bike
said there is no data that a helmet
does not save lives
says riding is a sport
not a
means of transportation
Senator murante
support and against bracket
said go to Madonna ..
told story of police pursuit of accident where his
family member was no longer able to help them selves
yet he believes in lb 31 he said it is dangerous
logic to regulate behavior that may result in state
benefits
any activity could do this
we need to
do the best good for the most
protecting people
from themselves is beyond our scope
urged to vote
against bracket
Senator krist
for
the bill
opposing the bracket
wants everyone to
vote .. heard no new issues .. you may be for or
against but lets just vote
do not filibuster just
vote
talked about communication devices that
distracted driving causes lost lives
comparing
seat belts to helmets I s a fallacy .. seatbelts are
there to make air bags work
Senator Hilkemann
opposed
time to bracket the bill
he stated we
need this law and do not change it .. why bother ..
3 x more effective he says .. he said 50% less usage
if repealed
and to him that was more deaths
does
not see why not vote and stop discussion
Senator groene
is
for the law
talked about choice
he made some
great argument s where do we stop
how do we
legislate
excellent arguments
he said freedom
has a price
but we cannot stop it
elderly people
fall at what age do we tell them to wear a helmet
Senator schilz
he
said we do not understand how important this bill is
and how it affects the western side of the state
he believes people should choose for themselves
says its a bigger impact than you can imagine
Senator pansing
brooks
opposed
tried to say historically
fatalities go up for states that remove the law
no
mention of increased riders .. all assumptions
her
point was the state takes care of brain injuries ..
and this will add to it
Senator Larson .. for
the bill
said the state needs to respond if there
is an issue
the state responds when schools are
failing
so parents cannot choose
he said we
spent less than the expected revenue
from last
year
said tell the whole story
say the true
economics
Senator bloomfield in
opposition of the bracket motion
called out the
senators
as long as there are 97 000 bikers out
there this will never be a settled issue
a
committee member said we could not handle the influx
of people
wow
he said the influx far outweighs
the potential cost
Said bracket is
incomprehensible
let the whole body discuss
how
many were in the body last term
Senator kintner
speaking on government telling you how to live your
life
and disagrees
Senator gloor
shall
debate cease
.. debate does cease ...
Hilkemann closes ..
for the bracket
We won thebracket ..
with only 19 voting to bracket the bill we win to
keep debate on the amendment tomorrow
.
Respectfully
Todd c miller
State coordinator
abate of ne inc
|
|
+++++
Ok I need to add
senator Mcollister
to our list ....
McCollister, John S.
20 (402) 471-2622
1017 Omaha
dont let up now
people ... that was
just round one of a
long battle ...
these senators need
to keep hearing from
you
Senator Brasch does
not seem to want to
come around ... need
more in her district
to get on her ...
make her understand
she is there to
represent you ...
Lindstrom the same
way
we need to keep up
the pressure from
within the districts
... if you cannot
call email ...
"keep the shiny
side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State
Coordinator
ABATE of Ne,
Inc.
402.440.8756
|
|
|
|
|
|
++++++
| |
Well seems we are making a splash ...
and the powers that be have rearranged the schedule again!
We will be first up for the
debate again tomorrow am ... so keep the emails calls coming ...
I will update on particulars as i find them out ... there will
be news yet tonight.
Of note ... on Senator Stinner
it was recommended that you email the senator directly ... phone
calls may be fielded by his aide ... whom is not in favor of
repeal.
Stay tuned!
Todd
|
++++
Ok several have been asking me questions on
what a bracket motion is ... it is a motion to delay a bill ... sometimes
indefinately ... and often means the killing of a bill
Our opponents tried to bracket it till the end
of the session ... to cease debate and postpone it till later june 5 which is
the last day of the session this year ... they failed ... so first round goes to
us ...
The battle will wage on ...
This was provided earlier but sending it again
... and can be found on the legislative website as well ...
Todd
++++++++
Even the straight up no's need to hear from
us ... if all they ever hear from is the coalition against us
Hospital association and the first responders
etc ... then they will never be open to amendments that may turn the tide ...
It is extremely important nobody goes the
course of no contact because they are historically against ... you may not
convince them but an amendment may sound reasonable if their constituents are
pushing them to change their minds ... (some middle ground)
Todd
+++++++++
these Senators are needing encouragment!
List of unsure senators :
Senator District
Capitol Phone Room City ABATE
dist
Baker, Roy E. 30
(402) 471-2620 1522 Lincoln 2
Brasch, Lydia 16
(402) 471-2728 1016 Bancroft
5
Garrett, Tommy L. 3
(402) 471-2627 1208 Bellevue 6
Kuehn, John L. 38
(402) 471-2732 1117 Heartwell 3
Lindstrom, Brett 18
(402) 471-2618 1202 Omaha 6
Nordquist, Jeremy 7
(402) 471-2721 2004 Omaha 6
Pansing Brooks, Patty 28
(402) 471-2633 1523 Lincoln 2
Riepe, Merv 12
(402) 471-2623 1528 Ralston 6
Stinner, John P. 48
(402) 471-2802 1406 Gering
10
Williams, Matt 36
(402) 471-2642 2015 Gothenburg 3
Craighead, Joni 6
(402) 471-2714 1529 Omaha 6
Some of these will not support but they still
need to hear from you ... they are your representatives:
Hansen, Matt 26
(402) 471-2610 1404 Lincoln
2
Bolz, Kate 29
(402) 471-2734 1120 Lincoln
2
Hilkemann, Robert 4
(402) 471-2621 1115 Omaha 6
You can email the senators by using first initial
last name @leg.ne.gov ... (ex rbaker@leg.ne.gov)
A complete list of all senators is on the
abateofne.com website ... I welcome you to make your voice heard to your senator
even if it is not listed here ... I guarantee the opposition is contacting them
as well ...
+++++++
I was just down at the capital dropping off almost 300 emails we received
from
the out of state riders that avoid Nebraska... great job to all of those who got
the word out!
In talking with Jessica - she thought that a couple more Senators could use some
encouragement from their constituents:
Senator Joni Craighead - Legislative District 6 - 402-471-2714
Senator Matt Hansen - Legislative District 28 (Lincoln) - 402-471-2610
Please pass the word around in your district to have them call these senators.
Thank You,
Sheri Miller
++++++++
| |
I just wanted to make sure
everyone is watching ... NETV will do live coverage as well as
the web ... our bill is the first thing on the floor this am and
our lobbyist, senator Bloomfield and Jessica his aid, are ready
... please stay abreast as their may be news and updates
throughout the day ... I urge out of state support in that as
the debate begins we do not expect a vote today ... or tomorrow
... actually it will most likely be debated half day today ...
then Friday they will have select file bills to go through ...
therefore we have till Monday for debate to resume ...
That being said if a senator
brings up an issue that you have data, studies or an idea to
help ... send it to me I will get it to the senator ... we
believe we have all the bases covered but I do not want to leave
anything to chance ...
Thanks for all your support ...
Ps this banner was created by
our treasurer Eric bedke and signed at the lincoln bike show in
February ... it is now on display at the capital for all to see
...
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne
Inc
|
update 3/18/2015 - lots of updates here today!
#3
Sounds like Sen. Lindstrom needs some encouragement as well.
Abate District 6 omaha ...
Todd
++++++++++++++++++
#2
| |
Sounds like Sen. Hilkemann is planning to drop in
a bracket motion on LB31 - I think maybe it is time that his
constituents let him know how much they support the bill.
He is legislative district 4
... abate district 6 ...
Todd
|
++++++++++++
#1
| |
This is hugely important Our
opposition is starting to mobilize and do what we have been
doing since the bill came out of committee ... that being said
this is not the time to let up ... of particular importance is
the senators our opposition has deemed (unknown) see below ...
make sure they hear from our membership!!!!
We cannot let this slide if you
have called in the past call again ...
This is what our opponents
are issuing as a call to action ...
We need your help!
The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) opposes LB31 and is
issuing this Advocacy Alert following advancement of the
proposal from the Transportation and Telecommunications
Committee. LB31 is scheduled for debate on todays agenda and
discussion may begin as early as tomorrow!
Opponents of LB31, a bill to repeal Nebraskas motorcycle and
moped protective helmet requirement, have worked tirelessly to
educate our senators on the consequences of removing the
requirement. As debate will begin shortly, we need to reinforce
the decisions of those who oppose LB31 and persuade those who
are unsure about how they should vote.
ACT NOW!
As has been done in years past, senators opposing LB31 will
begin a filibuster once debate begins. Thirty-three votes are
needed to end a filibuster and move LB31 to a full vote on
advancement of the bill. If 33 or more votes are achieved to end
the filibuster, only 25 votes are then needed to advance the
bill.
The NHA and its member hospitals need your help in preventing
advancement of LB31!
Below you will find a list of senators who have expressed
uncertainty on their position. A full list of senators and their
positions as surveyed over the last week is
available
here.
Regardless of your senators position, we ask that you contact
him or her to express your concerns as one of Nebraskas
hospitals, which treat those individuals who experience trauma
as a result of motorcycle accidents.
Why should your senator oppose LB 31?
- In 2013, more
than $11 million was spent on hospitalizations of
motorcycle riders injured in accidents. Of these charges, 9
percent was paid through the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
- 30 percent
of primary injuries for hospitalized riders are head
injuries.
- Motorcyclists are
26 times more likely to die in a traffic accident
than occupants of a car.
*Statistics obtained from
the
Department
of Health & Human Services Injury Prevention Programand
Fact Sheet
Senators undecided or unsure about position & member hospitals
in their district:
- Sen. Al Davis (District
43)
Hyannis
- Box Butte General
Hospital, Alliance
- Brown County
Hospital, Ainsworth
- Chadron Community
Hospital & Health Services, Chadron
- Cherry County
Hospital, Valentine
- Gordon Memorial
Hospital, Gordon
- Sen. Lydia
Brasch (District
16)
Bancroft
- Memorial Community
Hospital & Health System, Blair
- Oakland Mercy
Hospital, Oakland
- St. Francis
Memorial Hospital, West Point
- Sen. John Kuehn
(District
38)
Holdrege
- Brodstone Memorial
Hospital, Superior
- Franklin County
Memorial Hospital, Franklin
- Kearney County
Health Services, Minden
- Phelps Memorial
Health Center, Holdrege
- Webster County
Community Hospital, Red Cloud
- Senator Brett
Lindstrom (District
18)
Omaha
- Members serving
Omahas citizens
- Sen. John
McCollister (District
20)
Omaha
- CHI Health Bergan
Mercy, Omaha
- Nebraska
Orthopaedic Hospital, Omaha
- Select Specialty
Hospital, Omaha
- Sen. Joni
Craighead (District
6)
Omaha
- Childrens
Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha
- Nebraska Methodist
Hospital, Omaha
- Sen. Jon
Stinner (District
48)
Scottsbluff
- Regional West
Medical Center, Scottsbluff
For a full list of
senators and NHA members in their district,
click here.
To locate your state senator by zip code, click
here.
To send an email to your senator, the address format is:
first
initial last name@leg.ne.gov(i.e.
adavis@leg.ne.gov).
If you have questions about LB31, please contact me ASAP at
brieker@NebraskaHospitals.orgor
(402) 742-8146 or Elisabeth Hurst at
ehurst@NebraskaHospitals.orgor
(402) 742-8153.
Regards,
Bruce Rieker, J.D., vice president, advocacy
Nebraska Hospital Association
|
Todd
update 3/17/2015
Well you heard it first here ... LB 31 is on
the move Bloomfield's office (jessica) has informed us that the bill will be on
the agenda as of tomorrow ...
It is extremely important everyone is on their
toes right now ... get the calls / emails going to the senators from your
districts we may be turning up the heat very soon ...
Stay tuned
Todd
updated 3/5/2015
Ok we are out the gate ... officially
Voting to advance the bill were Sens. Jim Smith of Papillion,
Tommy Garrett of Bellevue, Beau McCoy of Omaha, John Murante of Gretna, Al Davis
of Hyannis and Curt Friesen of Henderson. Voting no were Sens. Les Seiler of
Hastings and Lydia Brasch of Bancroft.
Keep a watchful eye on the media ...
Todd C. Miller
updated 2/11/2015
I wanted to thank those that came out in
support of the bill yesterday, we did well at having a presence there. We had 2
other bills in front of us so it was a long day for us with testimony not
finishing up till after 5pm ... We had 3 representing ABATE of Ne. for
testimony, Bob Ailor, Gary Neeman and Myself, as suggested by Senator Bloomfield
we kept it short and sweet with little redundancy. We had good engagement from
the committee, Our opponents however did just the opposite ... their testimony
trailed on for what seemed an eternity. They quoted numbers and statistics that
contradicted each other from the same sources .... and the attention span of
the Committee appeared to be lost after the first few ... I will note that the
opposition in my opinion seemed scared ... they brought in an unusually large
entourage even some medical students to testify. AAA of course and the NTSB ...
My only question of concern from the committee was Senator Brasch asking our
opposition (an accident survivor) what if anything could make this bill better?
Eluding to the idea of adding an amendment to the bill before coming out of
committee ... no definitive answer was given.
Senator Bloomfield was able to close, finishing
up with some unanswered questions and unfortunately Chairman Smith also asked
about adding some amendment to the bill. Senator Bloomfield stated that he
would prefer that this bill come out of committee clean (as is) and that he
would be willing to talk about the bill and revisit if necessary ... but he
would prefer any amendments to be added on the floor for the full legislative
body to debate. He also stated that he intended to make this bill a priority
once it comes out of committee, further stressing the importance of the bill.
I cannot foresee the outcome of the hearing nor
do I know how soon they will vote on the issue. I do believe it went well and
as we expected. At this time we are in a holding pattern with no requests from
the membership other than to continue to watch the media. I can guarantee it
will be slanted against us ... even at the hearing several of the opposition
were interviewed and I saw nobody from our side asked ...
Alert me ASAP of any polls or news.
"keep the shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of Ne Inc
402.440.8756
Feb 6, 2015
LB31 will be on the schedule for the Transportation and Telecommunications
Committee Monday, February 9th at 1:30..
Todd, Bob and Gary will testify on behalf of ABATE but not until Senator
Bloomfield presents the bill to the committee..
We need to pack the house but here are some things I wanted to pass along to you
to get out to your districts;
The Committee will meet in Room 1113 at 1:30 sharp.
Get there and be seated at least by 1:00 to 1:15 if possible.
Scatter the room with members..
This is not a wedding so there is no bride and groom side
Try not to leave long rows of empty seats so the opposition has a base.
Pepper the room with supporters and sit amongst the opposition.
No cheering or jeering.
Head nods in support are good when showing support of a comment. A simple shake
of the head and look down is perfect for disagreeing.
Senators notice these things.
This is not a rally so come as you are.
Leathers work but come in your work attire whatever that may be.
Show them that we are all walks of life.
Freedom Seekers.
There may be a hearing before us or after us so please be patient.
Senator Chambers has a bill
LB474 that deals with Mountain Lion protection plates that is on the agenda that
could be heard while waiting for our bill.
DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY REACTION THAT MAY LEAD HIM TO THINK WE ARE NOT IN
FAVOR.
Just witness.
Turn off your cell phones and be respectful of the hearing before and after.
If you feel the need to congregate, get to a common area and not in front of
another senators door.
Get to a common area near the center of the hall way.
Please pass this along to members that will attend and encourage them to help
assist others attending that may not be aware of these requests.
We can do this folks
Scott
Update 1/29/2015 - hearing date scheduled!
| |
To all,
We have a hearing date
scheduled
Monday February 9, 2015
Transportation and Telecommunications
Room 1113 - 1:30 PM
|
LB474
|
Chambers
|
Provide for Mountain
Lion Protection Plates and create a fund |
|
LB597
|
Davis
|
Adopt the Contract Carrier Safety
Act |
|
LB31
|
Bloomfield
|
Eliminate motorcycle and moped
helmet requirements |
|
Todd
update 1/27/2015
Here is the complete list (so far) of
Senators that have also signed on to the bill
Ebke, Groene, Kintner, Schoor, Davis, Krist,
McCoy, Morfeld and Schumacher
Again great job everyone.
Todd
update 1/26/2015
I was very impressed
with the turnout.
We had 88 souls in
attendance ... I
heard great things
from everyone, your
interviews were
wonderful ... please
spread the word to
your members that
were there they did
fantastic!
we have 4 new
senators signed on
to the bill as of
today ...
The following
Senators signed on
to LB 31 today:
Kintner
Ebke
Groene
Schnoor
"keep the shiny
side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State
Coordinator
ABATE of Ne,
Inc.
402.440.8756
|
|
|
|
|
|
update 1/9/2015
Just an FYI ... and warning
heads up to watch the media .... our bill has a name now (yep can make the t
shirts! LOL) LB31 and it is making the news ... expect polls to pop up ... I
will be monitoring my emails closely at home and forwarding any and all calls to
action ... watch for editorials ... but either be very careful in your responses
or forward to me and we will get rebuttals out as necessary. The bill is an
outright repeal of the helmet law.
Todd Miller - State Coordinator
| |
Just an FYI but our bill has a name now. Its LB31 and
in the conversation.
|
Scott Lucey, ABATE Legislative Officer
update 1/8/2015The
preliminary committee assignments came out and it looks favorable for us ... as
with all things nothing is a guarantee but this is the best makeup I have seen
in many years ... I see Smith, Brasch, McCoy, Davis, Murante with us ... and a
possible Friesen (new senator) ... Garrett and Seiler opposed ... but Garrett
did vote for cloture, so may be persuaded if need be to move it to the floor ...
remember we only need 5 ...
Committee members:
Jim Smith - chair
Lydia Brasch
Beau McCoy
Al Davis
John Murante
Curt Friesen
Tommy Garrett
Les Seiler
All that being said ... Senator Bloomfield has
decided to again drop a clean bill
I will keep everyone posted as we move forward
...
As I said there will be a lot of communication
coming as we move into the session ... so stay tuned ...
"keep the shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne Inc.
update 1/6/2015
First day of session is
tomorrow ... As we have been advising things could move extremely fast as we
move into session. Our next move at the capital depends on whom takes up
positions on the Transportation committee ... Hopefully we will have a majority
in committee and a clean bill can be dropped. The committee selection should be
done this week and we will have more information by Monday so expect and update
then ... We will evaluate the committee make up this weekend and give our best
recommendation. We may need to get some push going on a senator to get this out
of committee. We will also tailor our testimony for the committee hearing. I
need everyone to be checking their email or calling me monday for the updates.
If we have an overwhelming majority and the committee hearing is a mere
formality, we can begin to evaluate the information you have been gathering on
the senators that are unknown ... even if that information is that they will not
return your calls ... These will be handed directly over to our lobbyist and
Senator Bloomfield ... They will be able to get to them.
We are still needing everyone to keep an eye on
the media ... those polls can be very detrimental. Notify me asap and we will
post the information to the web and send out a call to action.
We would still like to see everyone contacting
business owners ... I have not yet heard of a lobbying group willing to jump on
board with us ... nor have we yet been asked to present to a board. it will
take effort from their membership to get this done ... Scott Hoffman made a
pretty good start but the lobbyists themselves cannot determine what direction
they take until the board that pays their salary gives them the nod ... those
are the people we need to contact ... I know Terry out west is working in that
direction as well ...
In short stay tuned in ... Scott or I will be
sending updates at a minimum weekly for you to pass along to your membership.
"keep the shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State coordinator ABATE of Ne Inc
402.440.8756
LB393
click on LB393 to take a look at our bill!
2014 VOTE FLYER - updated!
This from
our lobbyist ... I thought it was a nice roundup of the year and a reminder of
what we have yet to do ... and how we will have to work hard in the campaigns in
order to win our freedom to choose in the next legislative session. We win or
lose in the elections.
Keep the shiny side up
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne Inc.
402.440.8756
|
ABATE of Nebraska
Nebraska Legislative Update
|
|
April 23,
2014
End of Session Report
|
|
| |
MUCH
ACCOMPLISHED IN 2014 LEGISLATURE, DESPITE ITSELF
The looming
question in the weeks prior to the convention of the 103rd
Nebraska Legislature, Second Session, was how will the
issues and the infighting influence and squash the efforts
of the Unicameral to get done what was needed. It was
dubbed as the possible do-nothing or do-little
legislature. Speaker Greg Adams was so concerned that he
even scheduled floor debate during the first full week,
which is usually reserved for Senators and Committees to get
much needed work done on legislation before it reaches the
debate floor. And so it began, they took up carryover bills
from 2013, immediately dragging them into personal attacks
and needless drudging along of bills that the public might
deem a waste of time. Amber Lights on neighborhood watch
vehicles, banning the sale of novelty lighters to children,
controlling spillage of manure in South Omaha, and so forth.
More than Ive seen in my time here, the days ticked by
with almost no legislation moving, and the bantering and
bickering was heavy right from the start.
The slate
was set on major issues: Medicaid expansion was sure to
come back, and the Governor had vowed to veto and Senators
had promised to filibuster; prison overcrowding was reaching
dangerous levels
almost to the point where a federal judge
could demand some be let out or a prison be planned for
construction; Nikko Jenkins was let out on good-time and
allegedly killed 4 people
.something must be done about
good-time and mental health treatment in Nebraskas
correctional facilities; Ernie had claimed for months that
he was going to repeal the Mountain Lion hunting law; tax
reform had almost become a punch line
everyone wants lower
taxes, but no one wants to cut funding of major line items;
and more
There were
17 Senators that were leaving at the conclusion of this
legislature due to term-limits. The elected class of 2006
was the largest in the history of the Unicameral. 22
Senators were sworn in on January 3rd, 2007 (I
was one of those that day), and the 16 of them that were
still there, plus 1 who was appointed, all had things they
were dead set on accomplishing before cleaning off their
desk when the dust cleared. The Governor was term limited
as well
.after serving 10 years, he had vowed to lower taxes
further and keep spending to a minimum to put the state in a
financially stable position for the future. Add to it that
a full 10 percent of the Unicam were running for state
office
.some for Governor, some for State Auditor, some for
Attorney General, one for Congress
.the campaign speeches
from the debate floor were haunting all our dreams.
As the
session progressed, I think everyone in and around the
capitol could agree that all points of contention came
together and locked horns, never to loosen until the end. A
record number of bills were filibustered requiring 33 of 49
votes to advance
.some made it, some died on the spot. The
last 3 weeks were filled with late, late, late nights of
sharp debate. Even the last two days of the session, which
are usually reserved for procedure, final passage of bills,
veto override attempts, and saying goodbye were met with
hate and discontent. Senators were using the rules and
abusing the rules, and sometimes throwing out the rules to
get bills passed. Literally dozens of bills were attached
to other more favorable legislation in a Washington-style
attempt to get the peoples work accomplished.
When the
dust settled, the number of bills passed in the 2014 session
was much greater than I would have anticipated possible, if
youd have asked me in late February
.some for good,
some
well
.I guess everythings important to someone. The
official count is 181 bills were sent to the Governors desk
and 1 constitutional amendment was sent to the Secretary of
State. Im still counting, but I think nearly 40 other
bills were attached as amendments to passing legislation and
became law. The Governor vetoed 6 bills during session, and
the Unicameral overrode all but one of them. The Governor
also vetoed $68 million of the budget and cash-reserve
transfers, and the Unicameral overrode $64 million of that.
In a procedural move, the Governor pocket vetoed LB 916
the week after the legislature adjourned. By vetoing a bill
after adjournment, the legislature has no way of overriding
it.
The
Governor was successful in lobbying against the states
ability to issues bonds for road building purposes. LB
1092, from Senator Dubas, failed on final reading to obtain
the necessary 30 votes. She was, however, successful to
repeal sales taxes on farm implement parts and services
a
plight that had been attempted for some 19 years. Senators
Carlson and Lathrop were successful in the passage of a
water sustainability package thats been in the works for 8
years. Senator Ashford was able to set the path for prison
reform, avoid the construction of a new prison, make
sensible changes to truancy laws and set a path for helping
the states troubled youth stay out of prison. Senator
Coash created a mandate for insurance companies to cover
autism treatment under some plans for children. Senator
Lautenbaugh was finally successful in getting a vote to the
people on a plan to save the horseracing industry in
Nebraska.
The list
goes on, but in the end, almost every one of the 17
departing Senators got something they wanted accomplished as
they walked off the debate floor for probably the last time.
They gave their farewell speeches and got some laughs and
some tears, but most importantly a nod of respect from their
colleagues and from the public. The Unicameral was forever
changed when the people of Nebraska voted for term limits 10
years ago. Many will argue on whether that vote will hurt
or help the state moving forward. The Unicameral will
survive and continue to adjust accordingly. The 22 who came
in back in 2007 had huge shoes to fill and a massive
undertaking to grab hold quickly and lead the state through
a recession and prepare for the future. How will the
veterans with more than 4 years under their belts handle the
pressure? What will the class of 2015 look like? Who will
fill the positions of Speaker and 8 of the 14 standing
committee chairs? Time will tell. God speed to the 17 and
God Bless the great State of Nebraska.
|
HELMET LAW
REPEAL FALLS SHORT ONCE AGAIN
LB 393 came as
close to passing as it ever has this session. With 25 votes
to pass, Senator Bloomfield was still a few short of the 33
required votes to stop a filibuster lead by Senators Lathrop
and Avery. The opposition is strong, regardless of their
methods. We know they distribute bad information, and we
know that their tactic will always be to scare Senators into
thinking that a repeal of the law will cost the state
millions in health care and that the public will be in
danger if the law is repealed. ABATEs tactics will
continue to be education and helping to elect candidates
that are favorable to the cause. Senator Bloomfield and
others have committed to me to keep at it as long as they
are in the legislature. The legislature next year will look
quite different with at least 17 new faces. Hopefully over
the summer, we can visit with many of these candidates and
get them on board.
|
|
Primary elections are May 13, 2014. Targeted primary races
include the following legislative districts - 2, 4, 5, 12, 18, 20, 26, 28, 40,
42, 44, and 46. More information coming soon on which candidates ABATE
needs to support and help get elected!
MRF reports legislation to prohibit funding for motorcycle only checkpoints!
more info
Signature Letter
for supporting businesses - as discussed at the previous BOD, this letter is for
the supporting businesses to sign - needs to be done and turned into the state
ASAP
find the letter
here
updated Feb 11, 2014 - LB 393 dead - not enough votes for closure
| |
here is how they voted ... and
whom did not vote... we will be talking about this soon but for
now for those of you that have been on the front lines... I
thank you for all your efforts. Go home kick the dog (sorry
peta people) or whatever you need to do to blow off some steam
and step back for a second. Me it will be a large glass of
Bourbon a deep breath and back to work ... we are taping the
floor for the bike show tomorrow and my phone is already ringing
off the hook with members questions and concerns.
take a break ... regroup at the
next BOD !
Remember there are 49 senators
... and 25 were with us for cloture.
The cloture vote was as follows:
Aye: 25
Adams
Bloomfield
Brasch
Carlson
Christensen
Coash
Conrad
Davis
Garrett
Hansen
Janssen
Karpisek
Kintner
Krist
Larson
Lautenbaugh
McCoy
Mello
Murante
Nelson
Pirsch
Scheer
Schilz
Schumacher
Smith
Nay: 22
Ashford
Avery
Bolz
Campbell
Chambers
Cook
Crawford
Dubas
Gloor
Haar, K.
Hadley
Harms
Harr, B.
Howard
Johnson
Kolowski
Lathrop
McGill
Nordquist
Seiler
Watermeier
Wightman
Present Not Voting: 2
Sullivan
Wallman
Keep the shiny side up!
Rogue
todd c. miller
state coordinator ABATE of Ne.
Inc.
|
update Feb 10, 2014
| |
Ok,
Here is where we are ... We made it through the
vote today as I said and debate will continue on the bill.
What I want to make perfectly clear is
we have a majority of
senators on our side willing to pass the bill ...
A Majority of Senators feel we are not "wasting their time"
that we are not going away etc. I want everyone to
understand that ... If you are asked by media or just the
guy down at the corner whom vehemently opposes us ... and
spouts every sort of doom and gloom statistic.... We have a
majority of the votes. We proved that today.
There is at least one full day left of debate
on the issue and there is still work to do ... continue to
contact and email senators. If you like what they are
saying let them know it ... I've received reports today of
individuals emailing their senators during debate ... to
feed them information or counter statistics, or just say
thanks ... Great Job! I have to say that I feel very
optimistic about our chances due to the rally of support I
see from the Senate floor. We could not ask for a better
team than we have right now in Senator Bloomfield, Jessica
and our Lobbyist, Kent Rogert. I believe they will do
everything and anything that can be done to secure those
last votes. Your work in the elections has made a difference
...
Remember "to those that concede, no injustice
is done" ...
keep up the fight we are in the home stretch and
just a few votes away from having the necessary 33 votes we
need to win a cloture vote and secure the bill.
"keep the
shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C.
Miller
State
Coordinator ABATE of Ne, Inc.
402.440.8756
|
| |
update Feb 7, 2014
First of all we are
still alive!
A bracket
motion was placed as I mentioned before. This was done to try
and kill the bill If the opposition can get 25 Senators to agree
to basically set the bill aside indefinitely we are done. The
vote for the bracket motion was not taken today. The vote for
bracketing the bill will happen Monday, that gives us the
weekend to muster votes and solidify some senators or question
others.
We do not want the
bill to be bracketed ... again a vote to bracket the bill will
kill the bill ...
Over the weekend, we
should contact these senators ... we need their support for lb
393 a simple ...
Please support
393. If you cant support it, then would you please consider
giving us a cloture vote so we can have a real vote on the
bill.
Brand Ashford
402-471-2622
bashford@leg.ne.gov
Tanya Cook
402-471-2727
tcook@leg.ne.gov
Tommy Garrett
402-471-2627 tgarrett@leg.ne.gov
Burke Harr
402-471-2722 bharr@leg.ne.gov
Sara Howard
402-471-2723 showard@leg.ne.gov
Jerry Johnson
402-471-2719
jjohnson@leg.ne.gov
John Nelson
402-471-2714 jnelson@leg.ne.gov
Pete Pirsch
402-471-2621
ppirsch@leg.ne.gov
This does not mean you cannot
contact others in support ... If you have watched or recorded
the debate ... thank those that have stood in our favor ....
stay involved feel free to call me or Scott with any questions
you may have.
Do not sit idle!
"keep the shiny side up!"
Rogue
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne
Inc
4024408756
|
update Feb 7 - after floor
debate
New development. Gloor threw up a bracket motion which would in
essence kill the bill...but it gives us a vote ahead of closure. The
burden is now on the opposition to come up with 25 votes to bracket the bill
(postpone to a date certain). We'll probably get to a vote on this today.
I'll keep you posted as I know.... some phone calls or emails may be needed.
Todd
update Feb 7 - polls!!! act
now!!!
Well day one of debate went pretty well if you ask me ... our opponents used
some ridiculouse arguments to keep the law but we did affirm some support and we
know who the staunch opponents are. We do expect the debate to consume the full
8 hrs of debate. In other words a filibuster, we expect a cloture vote to
happen sometime tuesday of next week. I will have more updates as we go along
but for now I wanted to give as much notice as possible if we can get some
people in the balcony on Tuesday it certainly would help.
stay informed dvr the debate if you can or
watch live on your computer ...
the media:
Ok, here are some more reports of news
articles ... thanks everyone for staying on top of these so far. Keep an eye
on the comments most of these have areas to comment after the articles ... be
careful how you respond. If you respond, Be to the point with facts for
rebuttal if neccessary or point out the issues with their argument but do not
stoop to name calling or any derogatory comments to the person or persons
involved let them do that.
http://www.jrn.com/kmtv/news/Motorcycle-Helmet-Bill-revs-up-Debate-in-Nebraska-244023421.html
http://journalstar.com/legislature/article_50386a7f-fa90-5815-8b46-d248995cfd11.html
http://www.ketv.com/politics/motorcycle-helmet-bill-revs-up-debate-in-nebraska/24331464?utm_campaign=ketv+newswatch+7&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=hootsuite#comment-1233815754
Ok,
It has started we need to weigh in on
these polls asap! Lincoln Journal Star has a facebook page and poll running.
Get on it spread the word do not give our opposition ammunition in the floor
debate!
Keep your eyes and ears open let me know of any
polls or articles.
"keep the shiny side up!"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator ABATE of ne.
4024408756
yet another poll
there is a poll on the left side of page half way down
http://www.ketv.com/
update Feb 5, 2014
Ok,
If you
haven't followed
through with what I
sent out yesterday
or stayed on top of
the emails ... It is
going to blow up on
the media tonight!
... We need to be
ready to combat any
and all polls. The
bill will be heard
first thing tomorrow
we expect a full day
of debate. If you
have a chance tune
into the legislature
via your TV or
internet. Call your
senators whatever
else you didn't do
... it's too late
... I will send out
a national call to
action to help shut
down any polls that
do arise otherwise
we want Nebraskans
to be calling their
senators. Again ask
them to vote for
cloture. Get our
bill out there for
an up down vote.
Remember this is
LB393, It is your
bill, It is your
rights that are
being taken away ...
make sure your voice
is heard.
We need 33 votes to
stop a filibuster
ask your senators to
at least let the
process work. Let
our bill come to a
vote!
"keep the shiny
side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State
Coordinator
ABATE of Ne,
Inc.
402.440.8756
|
|
|
|
|
|
update Feb 4, 2014
Ok, from our Lobbyist, the bill is on the agenda. Our bill is moving and
could be heard any day now. It is time to contact senators and affirm their
support for at minimum cloture to stop a filibuster on the floor, we need 33
votes. We need to as always keep an eye on the media. We cannot afford a
random poll to throw a shadow of doubt in the eyes of those whom are on the
fence or with us. Contact me, Connie (webmaster) or any other officer / board
member, we will get the word out and shut down these polls as quickly as
possible. We also need to be aware of any articles or editorials for quick
rebuttals. Again the object here is to stop the chatter and misdirection our
opposition so often uses. We need to avoid any blatantly negative statements to
our opposition. State the facts, show them where they are wrong but keep
emotion out of it ... let our opposition be the tyrannical idiots.
To summarize:
1. Contact your senators ask them to support
cloture.
2. Keep an eye on the media, notify the
state of any polls / articles. have specifics of what paper, website or radio /
TV station.
Stay informed, Involved and encourage others to
follow.
Rogue
State Coordinator ABATE of Ne Inc
402.440.8756
update Feb 3, 2014
Our bill has
been given priority by Senator Bloomfield today... message from the
lobbyist:
LB 393 was
read into the record this morning as Senator Bloomfield's priority. I will
be talking with he and/or Speaker to see what the plan is for getting it
scheduled. There were just short of a dozen bills prioritized this morning
that will all be angling for debate time as we move through the next few weeks.
Kent Rogert
This is likely
to start some media hoopla. Keep your eyes and ears open for any polls,
etc.
Todd C. Miller
update Jan 20, 2014
Ok folks I will keep you updated as i get the information. Legislative session
is in swing. There are some new bills of note one covering decorative lights on
motorcycles (bill to make it legal). I will update you if there is any action
or hearings on those asap.
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
state coordinator
ABATE of Ne Inc.
|
Nebraska Legislative Update
ABATE of Nebraska
|
|
| |
| 5 FULL DAYS OF DEBATE
The Speaker of the Legislature declared during the opening day of the session that full day floor debate would begin on day 4 on bills remaining on General File from 2013. This is atypical, as the second week is normally a week for office work for all involved. But considering the short session and the heavy lifting that appears to be coming our way, they got an early start. Not a ton was accomplished, but nonetheless some legislation was moved forward.
The Governor gave his State of the State address on Wednesday where he made promises of tax relief of massive proportions and talked about unsustainable spending at all levels of government. Does anyone remember the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray experienced the same day over and over and over.
Hearings on newly introduced bills begin on Tuesday and will continue for about 6 weeks. My afternoons next week are already pretty full with bills Ive flagged to watch for you folks, so look for me to contact some of you over the weekend to gather your thoughts on an item or two.
Check the bill tracker below
I will be summarizing the important bills over the weekend in more detail
keeping in mind there are still 2 days of bill introduction left next week.
See you next week!
KR
2013-14 ABATE Bill Tracker
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
update Jan 16, 2014
here are some updates from our lobbyist. see
below
|
Nebraska Legislative Update
ABATE of Nebraska
|
|
| |
103rd
LEGISLATURE, 2ND SESSION, CONVENES
And theyre off! The Nebraska
Unicameral got 3 days (3 hours actually) under their belts
in this 60 day session and so far its pretty much as we
expected. 164 bills and 1 constitutional amendment have
been introduced so far, which is about par. We welcome
Senator Tommy Garrett, newly appointed Senator representing
District 3 in central Sarpy County. Other than that, its
business as usual around the rotunda.
Notable proposals introduced
thus far include:
- Two separate bills
from Senator Chambers hoping to eliminate the
ability to hunt mountain lions and black tailed
prairie dogs
- Separate bills
from Senators Hansen and McCoy to lower the
valuation of farmland to 65%
- A bill from
Senator Hansen to eliminate the inheritance tax
- A bill from
Senator Harms to make driving while texting and not
wearing a seat belt a primary offense (currently a
secondary offense)
- A bill to finish
building the Capitol (construction began in 1922)by
installing the fountains in the courtyards
- A bill by Senator
Avery to fund maintenance projects in State Parks
- Several tax
reduction proposals
Of course, there are
several other great ideas out there
..and some
not-so-great ideas
.nonetheless, well expect a couple
hundred more to be on our desks before my next update.
I do want to commend myself on the fact that I have
already read all 165 proposals
.and by that I mean all
of those except the 68 page cleanup bill for the
Appraisers Board and the updates to the Uniform
Commercial Code (no one really cares).
As a reminder of whos who
and whos where, here are the links to the Senators and
their respective committee assignments:
2014
Senator List
2014
Committee List
|
WHAT
TO EXPECT IN 2014
This will be an unprecedented
year in Nebraska law making. We have 17 term-limited
Senators that for sure all have pet projects that they wish
to end their careers with; We have a term-limited Governor
that has many plans that he wishes to execute before
adjournment; We have 5 Senators, thats 10% of the body,
running for higher office; and we have 7 Standing Committee
Chairs, 2 Select Committee Chairs, and 4 Special Committee
Chairs not returning next session creating a mass of
political maneuvering throughout the coming months. I cant
wait for some of the postulating floor speeches that we will
experience in 2014.
The big issues at hand, so
far, are prison reform, Medicaid expansion, tax system
reform, education funding, and water. Yep
.pretty much the
same issues we have had at the top of the list for about 35
years. What I will say is that from my years as the Senator
from District 16 I remember this: The years we had money
were always WAY more dramatic than the years we were broke.
When the state is in a recession, no one worries about how
to spend the peoples money because were cutting back
everywhere
.when we have a surplus every John, Nancy, and
Maggie wants their particular issue/interest funded and we
always end up in a mud fight. Well we have nearly $700
million in our cash reserve
.heres to the tug-o-war!!!
Thanks and stay warm!
See you next week!
KR
|
|
update Nov 6, 2013
- new deadline!
|
 |
MRF E-MAIL NEWS
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE | Suite 204 | Washington, DC
20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice) | 202-546-0986 (fax) |
http://www.mrf.org
13NR36 - MRF News Release -
Petri Letter Extension
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6 Nov. 2013
Contact:Jeff
Hennie, Vice
President of Government Relations and Public Affairs |
|
Petri Letter Extension
Congressman Petri has decided
to hold the letter open for more signatures reports the Motorcycle
Riders Foundation. Congressman Petri (WI) has decided to allow time to
continue gathering signatures. Mr. Petri has taken the lead on drafting
a letter to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to ask them to not
waste resources on motorcycle safety when we have so many more
government agencies all ready doing the same research. He has decided to
hold the letter open through close of business Friday November 8th.
Please contact your Federal Representative and ask that they co-sign the
Petri CDC letter by contacting Mr. Petri's D.C. office. You can reach
the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and you can determine who your
Representative is through this website: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/.
Please act now. The text of the Petri CDC letter is below.
Dr. Thomas Frieden
Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333
Dear Dr. Frieden:
We are writing to express our concern
about activities of the CDC regarding motorcycle safety, in particular
the Motorcycle Safety report which focuses on pressuring states to pass
universal helmet laws.
The issue of transportation and
motorcycle safety has been studied extensively by agencies within the
Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety
Board. These agencies have transportation professionals who are
experienced in this area. The extensively footnoted report seems to be
little more than a compilation of work that other agencies have done,
and with questionable conclusions.
For example, the report states that
motorcycle-related deaths have increased by 55 percent since 2000. But
nowhere in the report is it mentioned that motorcycle registrations have
also increased substantially since 2000. The report also notes that 41
percent of motorcycle operators and 50 percent of motorcycle passengers
who died in 2010 were not wearing a helmet - which seems to indicate
there were more deaths with helmets than without. It would seem to
follow that 59 percent of motorcycle operators and 50 percent of
passengers who died in 2010 were wearing a helmet. Interesting, but what
is the conclusion we should reasonably draw from these figures?
Given the demands on your budget and
the unique ability of the CDC to address such pressing issues as heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and a host of other conditions
and issues which afflict millions of Americans and others around the
globe, we encourage you to direct your attention and resources to areas
that are not currently already being addressed elsewhere in the
government. |
update on Oct 23,
2013
 |
Your SSMRO Board Reps
>
Dave Dwyer
|
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/
SMRO Leaders Dialogue
MRF 2014 Legislative Agenda
10 16-2013
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation
> Legislative Strategy Agenda for 2013-2014
> At the recent 2013 Motorcycle Riders Foundations (MRF) Meeting
of the Minds held
> September in Columbus, Ohio a Legislative Strategy Session was
hosted by the MRF's
> Legislative Committee. As has been done for the past several
years, the MRF requested that it be attended by Sustaining State
Motorcyclists Rights Organizations (SSMRO) Legislative and/or
Executive Officers. The goal is to set the MRF's Federal
Legislative Agenda for the coming Meeting of the Minds "to"
Meeting of the Minds cycle. Our Sustaining SMRO partners
responded once again and the Legislative Committee was extremely
pleased at how aligned and clear the direction from our SSMRO
partners was, additionally together we added some meaningful
agenda items this years' agenda. This level of alignment will
allow for a solid and focused Strategic Action plan to be
developed, disseminated, and effectively employed. The session
this year again saw it moderated by MRF Vice President, Jay
Jackson, and supported by MRF President, Kirk "Hardtail"
Willard, and MRF Vice President of Government Relations and
Public Affairs, Jeff Hennie. We continued the practice
instituted three years ago where we utilized the one vote per
organization policy
> and those votes were again recorded. Shown below in the order
raised by our SSMROs is our upcoming Federal Legislative
Strategy Agenda followed by the recorded vote percentages on
each. Where "consent" is listed it is on legislative issues
that were brought up by those in attendance from SMRO or MRF
Leadership and once initial discussion was held and a position
explained no further discussion ensued regarding stated position
and
> no vote was called for.
> * MAP 21 Upcoming Reauthorization (the Highway Bill)
> To include Motorcycle 2010 Grant Funding (the MRF to pursue
the current
> levels of funding along with a request to tighten up language
for qualification
> and use), continuation of the NHTSA Lobbying Ban, pursue
reinstatement of
> the Motorcycle Advisory Council (MAC) to advise the FHWA,
oppose any
> motorcycling related federal blackmails or federal sanctions
contained in the
> highway bill; closely monitor for any action that would
negatively impact
> motorcycles, motorcycling, and motorcyclists; seek to include
HR1861
> language to ban motorcycle specific roadblock grant funding
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
> * SAE Motorcycle Roadside Sound Test
> The MRF to NOT promote the use of the SAE Sound Test as a
National
> enforcement standard, those that voted monitor is due to the
fact that it has
> not come up federally and is considered by them a state by
state issue at this
> time
94% Favor, 0% Oppose, 6% Monitor
* Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
> MRF to pursue reintroduction of the HR 1253 bill which
requires health
> insurance companies to disclose the list of "source of injury"
exclusions in the
> policies they issue; monitor means watch HIPAA and other
emerging
> healthcare law closely for motorcyclist specific
discrimination; those opposing
> were split between dropping this as an agenda item and
continuing pursuit of
> a HIPAA "fix"
> 0% Favor, 12% Oppose, 88% Monitor
* NHTSA Checkpoint Grant Program
> The MRF to carry out a full effort to cut off specified use
funding for this
> motorcycle based discriminatory practice, work with States to
exchange
> information on passing anti-checkpoint laws, HR1861 introduced
to
> accomplish this
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Crash Causation Study
MRF to allow the current study to take its' course and
respond accordingly,
> disappointed with the reduced scope, pursue no additional
funding
> Monitor and report on MSF alternate Naturalistic Study
No Vote
* EPA Mandatory Stamping of Exhaust
> MRF to strongly oppose any federal standard proposing stamping
and
> certifying motorcycle exhaust systems, work to prevent any
federal legislation
> mirroring that California SB435
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* EPA Sound Emissions User Study
> MRF to continue to closely monitor, MRF to oppose federal
agencies
> encouraging state activity-leave it up to the states to
determine course of
> action
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Distracted Driving
> MRF to oppose ALL forms of distracted driving, and all forms
of funding
> blackmails or withholding of funds for it as related to
motorcyclists, watch for
> motorcyclist specific discrimination language closely
97% Favor, 0% Oppose, 3% Abstain
* Right to Repair
> MRF to remove as a Legislative agenda item citing significant
progress
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Definition of a Motorcycle
> MRF to take advantage of any opportunity available to enhance
and further
> clarify the definition of a motorcycle and provide input in
any such activity on
> a Federal level
Consent
* Motorcyclist/Motorcycle Discrimination
> MRF to oppose any motorcycle, motorcycling, or motorcyclist
based
> discrimination proposed by the U.S. Congress or any Federal
Agency in
> Washington D.C., direction to seek a legislative vehicle to
include motorcyclist
> anti-profiling language this session
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* International Motorcycle Cooperation Group (European Union,
> United Nations, Canada)
> MRF to maintain the same level of engagement or increase as
needed within
> budget, approval to share costs with other partners for this
> lobbying/international meeting attendance, notify SMROs if
additional
> activities outside of budget are deemed necessary
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Mandatory Helmet and Apparel laws
> MRF to fiercely oppose any mandatory helmet or apparel
proposals
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* E 15 Fuel Blends
> MRF to not support the use of E15 fuel or any other
alternative renewable fuels
> without further testing and specific recommendations from
motorcycle
> manufacturers, MRF and SSMROs to pursue passage of HR875
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
> MRF to pursue inclusion of motorcycles in ongoing ITS efforts
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Crash Avoidance versus Safer Crashing
> MRF to continue to promote our theme of Crash Avoidance versus
Safer
> Crashing with similar language as contained in the previous
Congress House
> Resolution 1498 that stated "support efforts to retain the ban
on the
> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA)
ability to lobby
> state legislatures using federal tax dollars and urging NHTSA
to focus on crash
> prevention and rider education"
>
> Consent
* Roadway Design and Engineering
> MRF to pursue safer roadway design strategies, include cable
barrier research
> in the discussion
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* CDC's Involvement in Motorcycling Issues
> MRF to pursue limiting of funding of CDC on their involvement
in
> motorcycling safety issues through a relevant appropriations
bill, pursue CDC
> lobby ban, seek to remove language where CDC suggests
motorcycle crashes
> are preventable injury events, MRF to continue to support
efforts to refocus
> the CDC on their mission as stated in the letter from
Congressman Petri to
> the CDC on September 27th, 2013
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Private Organizations
> MRF to monitor private organizations that oppose the
legislative agenda or
> mission of the MRF, investigate their funding sources to make
certain they
> are not receiving federal monies.
Consent
* Public Organizations
> MRF to continue to monitor public organizations for funding
sources if in
> opposition to our legislative agenda or mission of the MRF,
develop
> appropriate strategies if discovered tax payer funding sources
are in use
Consent
* Federal Health Care/Affordable Care Act
> MRF to continue to closely monitor this federal health care
legislation for
> potential motorcyclist and motorcycling discrimination
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Monitor EPA for any activity on motorcycle emissions
regulations
> MRF to also monitor EPA for motorcycle drive train mandates
>
> 100% Favor, 0% Oppose
* Black Box Privacy Protection Act
> MRF to support Black Box Protection Act HR2414 to regulate
black boxes in
> motorcycles, seek to clarify the rights of the vehicle owner
to ownership of
> the recorded data
100% Favor, 0% Oppose
>
> * Deficiencies in motorcycle specific trauma and protocol
> While the MRF believes strongly in crash prevention and
avoidance, if a crash
> does occur we support development of a motorcycle specific
trauma training
> module and protocol for Emergency Medical Services,
Technicians, and 911
> Dispatch personnel; the increased training should be required
of all new
> EMT's and also those seeking re-certification
> 94% Favor, 3% Oppose, 3% Neutral
* Fair Tolling
> MRF to research fair tolling concept on federally funded roads
and roads
> supported by federal bonds
>
> Consent
* Federal Agency Motorcycle Design Standards
> MRF to oppose non motorcycle manufacturer mandated specific
design
> standards
>
> Consent
>
> MRF LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
> Keith Ball, Garry Canaday, Dave Dwyer, Jeff Hennie, George
Gorman, Cindy Hodges, Jay Jackson, Jim "Legs" Korte, Boyd McFail,
Bob Myers, John Pierce, Todd Riba, Kirk "Hardtail" Willard
(Chair)
> |
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.mrfae.org/yas.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.
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. |
MRF call to action
update - 10/3/2013 - please act fast! Deadline is Oct 8th
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation Announces
Letter to the CDC from the United States Congress.
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation has been working
with United States Representative and longtime motorcycle defender Tom Petri of
Wisconsin to send a letter to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) asking them
to stop focusing on motorcycle safety.
The CDC released a report that claimed a universal
motorcycle helmet law would save lives and money. The problem with the report
was that it was simply a collection of a few antiquated studies done by a
handful of government agencies which are just as unqualified to focus on
motorcycle safety as the CDC.
"This letter will send a clear message to the CDC
that Congress is extremely displeased that they are wasting precious tax
payer money on areas completely outside their area of expertise" said Jeff
Hennie, Vice President of Government Relations for the Motorcycle Riders
Foundation. "We don't need the CDC to focus on motorcycles when there are plenty
of other government agencies already working on this."
The CDC report states that 41% of all fatal
motorcycle accidents victims were not wearing a helmet. Simple math shows us
that 59% were wearing helmets when they were involved in a fatal motorcycle
crash. This is hardly a case for a universal helmet law.
Congressman Petri had this to say, "Given the
demands on your budget and the unique ability of the CDC to address such
pressing issues as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and a host of
other conditions and issues which afflict millions of Americans and others
around the globe, we encourage you to direct your attention and resources to
areas that are not currently already being addressed elsewhere in the
government."
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation urges you to
contact your Representative in the United States House and ask them to co-sign
this letter to the CDC. The larger the number of co-signers the greater impact
it will have. Please contact your Representative at the United States Capitol
switchboard which can be reached at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to co-sign the
Petri CDC motorcycle letter. The deadline for co-signing this letter is close
of business Tuesday, October 8th. Please act fast
MRF
call to action update - 6/8/2012
I am sending this
out as an FYI ... the call to action was sent out some time ago and it paid off
... for those of you not watching the proceedings on the national level it is
good to see that Nebraska congressman Lee terry did sign on to this ... thanks
for all your support locally and nationally.
Todd
| Motorcycle-Only
Roadside Checkpoint Letter Sent to Highway Bill Conference Leadership
You did it! Thanks to the motorcyclists
of America for contacting their Members of Congress to ask them to sign
onto the the letter. In total, 31 Members backed the letter that
instructed the highway bill conference committee to include language to
prohibit any federal funding of mandatory motorcycle-only roadside
checkpoints.
Special thanks to Congressman Jim
Sensenbrenner and his staff for originating the letter and to
Congressman Tom Petri for his early and often dedication.
The Members of Congress who signed onto
the letter are: Bob Filner-CA, Randy Hultgren-IL, Ron Paul-KY, Lee
Terry-NE, Sandy Adams-FL, Tim Walberg-MI, Tim Griffin-AR, Joe
Wilson-SC, Joe Walsh-IL, Jeff Denham-CA, Corey Gardner-CO, Erik
Paulsen-MN, Sean Duffy-WI, Walter Jones-NC, Bill Huizenga-MI, Candice
Miller-MI, Mark Critz-PA, Bobby Schilling-IL, Allen West-FL, Roscoe
Bartlet-MD, Adam Kinzinger-IL, Joe Donnelly-IN, Mike Rogers-MI, Donald
Manzullo-IL, Gary Peters-MI, John Line-MN, Aaron Schock-IL, Dan
Benisheck-MI, and Kathleen Hochul-NY.
Should you see your Representative's
name on this bipartisan list, be sure to thank them for their support.
Its unclear at this point if the
language to prohibit mandatory motorcycle-only checkpoints will be
included in the final legislation. There are a lot of devils in the
details of the entire bill. The compromise process is in the early
stages. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation will keep you updated on this
issue. |
Updates - May 16, 2012
Well folks I really dont have much to add to
what Scott has laid out for you except my sincerest thanks for all of you that
voted, worked the campaigns and just for being ABATE members. Everyone deserves
a pat on the back for this one !!
As Scott said we have a long road to November
but we can all breathe a bit easier now knowing we have made a difference and we
are well on our way to change.
Thanks to all the friends of ABATE ... it's
Members and Family
Job well done!!
"keep the shiny side up"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
ABATE of Ne Inc State Coordinator
402.440.8756
Update from ABATE's State Legislative Officer,
Scott Lucey
What a night
Well folks we did very well in the
primary with our candidates. Nationally, Adrian Smith and Lee Terry,
both of which have supported ABATE causes made it to the general
election. Adrian should have an easy go of it come this fall but Terry
may be in for a dog fight with Ewing for the House of Representatives.
The big story of the night was the
Deb Fischer win. Out spent by millions of dollars by her opponents and
came out on top. Jon Bruning spent 3.7 million compared to Fischers
400,000 and she got the nod from the voters. Great effort by all of
ABATE to pull this one off. Just goes to show, its not how much is in
your pocket, its whats in your heart. She will need the same effort
this fall to make it to Washington and when she does, we will have a
true supporter.
Of the 8 State legislative races
we were focused on we sent 7 of our candidates on to the general
election in November. The bright side is that in the one race we lost we
still have a supporting candidate. Our advancing candidates for the
legislature are; Geary, Bloomfield, Hilgers, Woodward, Curtiss, Davis,
and Carter.
Now comes the heavy lifting. Of
the 17 state legislative races this November, 14 of them have an impact
on ABATE. 14 races that if successful, could give us a majority vote and
possibly a veto proof vote in Lincoln next session.
Thanks to everyone for making this
and extremely successful primary for ABATE of Nebraska. Lets make an
even better outcome in November for the general election.
Much more to come.
Scott Lucey
Update - May 11, 2012
Ok
here we are a mere days away from the
Primary Elections. My friends I am concerned. We have lived in a State that has
for far too many years denied us as Motorcyclists the freedom of CHOICE by those
WE elect to govern us
why? Why do we elect representation that chooses not to
represent us? It may sound easy, over simplified. Some of you will say I did
not vote them in , some will say "I voted for the other guy" etc ... but how
many will say ... I never voted? Statistically they say approximately 54%
percent of Americans vote in any given election. That is 54% for all Americans
of voting age. So just over half the population makes the decision for
everyone?? really?
We as an organization cannot accept those
figures of ourselves. We need 100% participation from our members, from our
friends etc.
For most of us this weekend will be the
last big push before Tuesday. Our last chance to make a difference. We need
people to vote. To that end my task to each of you this weekend is to work the
phones, email or whatever means you have to contact your membership inform each
of them whom we need elected in this round to carry forward to November. Contact
your local clubs, organizations etc. make sure every biker in your area knows
whom we as ABATE is supporting! Distribute our support fliers at a run if you
can ... stick them up at your local pub etc ... DO NOT PUT THIS OFF ... I have
attached it again and it is available on the website ... One more idea ... May
is officially Motorcycle Awareness Month in Nebraska ... maybe ask our
sponsoring radio stations to remind people to vote during our PSA announcements.
something like "May is Motorcycle awareness month, watch out for motorcycles ...
ABATE of Ne reminds you to vote may 15th .."
Tell everyone you see ABATE is on the
firing line ... We need 110% participation from our membership!
VOTE!
"Keep the Shiny side up!"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator
ABATE of Ne Inc.
402.440.8756
Update - May 4, 2012
To the BOD and friends,
We are burning down to the wire. Primaries are
just around the corner 11 days as of this writing and then we can take a
breather ... I have put together a list of those folks who are running in the
primaries and need our support now ... we do have others we support as ABATE but
these are the ones that need our help to get past the primaries. Now I
understand there are many runs everywhere this weekend and if you are not
helping candidates directly I hope you plan to chat it up and distribute the
enclosed flier's ... We need to make this push to get a few more bikers
voting!!!
We cannot afford to lose one vote here. Print
these up take them to your favorite hangout ...
I am again working Mike Hilgers campaign this
weekend and going door to door ... I hope we can win a few more votes in his
favor ... if anyone is interested we can use more help. We will be meeting at
Toast in Fallbrook Saturday at 9:30 am ... a second crew will meet at 1pm ...
please join us if you can.
I have also picked up another 300 yard signs
for Senator Deb Fischer and have those available. I still have a few Signs for
Mike Hilgers as well ... I will be bringing what is left to the district 2
meeting Sunday 1pm at the starlight lounge in lincoln. If you cannot make it
there, give me a call, leave a message and i will deliver them to you.
Again, enjoy your weekend and do what you can
for the effort. Simply running around on a poker run this weekend with the
attached flier in hand may make one new person aware of what we need.
"Keep the Shiny side Up!"
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator
ABATE of Ne Inc.
402.440.8756
Update - April 27, 2012
Well,
Another week closer to the elections and
ramping up! We need to be working these campaigns people. Time is running out. I
cannot stress enough how important just talking about the candidates and getting
their names out is ... Again if you do not have a candidate up for election in
your district there are plenty of neighboring districts that can use your help.
I myself am working with senator Hilgers daily. After work we have been going
into some of the rural areas putting up 4' x 8' signs along the highway (where
we can find private property) we have been getting them up and getting good
feedback ! I was even able to get one of our supporting businesses Slick's in
Airpark to allow us to put up a sign on NW 48th which is an excellent location
... basically the only access for airpark! Hilgers has some more openings this
Saturday for going door to door delivering flier as well again meeting at Toast
in fallbrook and heading out 9:30 am !!
Senator Fischer ... let's not forget what we
can do for her as well she has plans to be in Western Nebraska here is her
schedule...
Deb Fischer Events:
Friday April 27th
8 AM
Coffee at Longhorn Cafe
Kimball, NE
4:30-6:30 PM
Public Meeting at the Scottsbluff Library
Saturday April 28th
2 PM
Coffee at the Bean Broker
Chadron, NE
Monday April 30th
8:30 to 9:30 AM
Coffee at Newberry Common ground
Alliance, NE
Stops later in the afternoon at Bridgeport
(11 am) and Oshkosh (2 pm)
let's get out and show her some support ...
bring a friend and get involved! Remember every vote counts !!!!!
please keep the information coming let
everyone know what you are doing in your area for your candidates ....
thanks!
Keep the shiny side up
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator
ABATE of Ne inc
402.440.8756
Update - April 13, 2012
OK
Scott has been on top of it all and you have
your lists of the Senators that need our help in the Primaries. We need to focus
and get things done. Make some calls and do whatever you can. I personally am
working on Mike Hilgers in district 21 we have several things going on over the
next 2 weekends. This weekend if anyone is so inclined we will be helping
deliver yard signs for any that show up at Toast in Fallbrook 10am this
Saturday. We are also planning to help go door to door the following Saturday
meeting at the same location at 9:30 am ... this is for legislative district 21.
any surrounding districts that feel left out
with nothing to do are welcome to join in the fun! ...
and as always remember Deb Fischer needs our
help as well signs can be picked up from 1620
N. st. or you can call 402-310-3347 .
please respond to all with your upcoming events
and we can get these posted to the web calendar ASAP , remember it is only a few
weeks of hard work then we have all summer to hang out ride and prepare for
November elections!
Thanks
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator
ABATE of Ne Inc.
Keep the shiny side up
Update - April 10, 2012
Ladies and gentlemen, its time flex some
ABATE muscle and get involved is some very critical races for us this
election season. Below is a list of candidates that are involved in
legislative races that need our help to make it through to the primary.
They are on the list because they came to us and asked for our help.
They indicated that they would be in support of a repeal of the helmet
bill, and they support what we are saying. They are also in races where
their opponents have either chosen not to side with us or have voted
against us in the past. We need these folks below to make to the general
election in November and then on to the take a seat in Lincoln and help
us put this issue of ours to bed..
I need each of you to either take
ownership of this request or appoint someone in your district to drive
the effort.
1#. Call the candidates in your area or
near it and find out how and when ABATE can assist. Offer to walk
neighborhoods to hang door tags, help putting up yard signs or stand on
street corners during the primary to show support. Where do they need
help and when?
2#. Organize and energize your membership
to help. Show the candidate that we are for real and offer real help.
3#. Have fun with it. Have a get together
or a ride after the event or assistance.
4#. Ask the candidate when they will need
help again and try to assist.
5#. Invite other ABATE districts that
boarder to help cause this helps all of us.
The Primary is May 15th which
leaves 5 weekends before we go to the polls. We need to make our contact
calls to the candidates this week. Please also let me know after your
conversation how you are going to assist.
They are:
D2 Larson Weeping Water 402-676-8007
D7 Greary South East Omaha 402-905-6865
D17 Bloomfield Hoskins 402-565-4223
D21 Hilgers Lincoln 402-916-0892
D37 Woodward Kearney 308-233-9955
D41 Curtis Plainview 402-582-3817
D43 Davis Hyannis 308-458-2220
D45 Carter Bellevue 402-871-3788
Come on folks, we need this
I will also tell you that I have calls from 3 supporting senators not
not in an election this go around giving recomendations to the list
above.
Please call or mail if you have any questions....
Scott Lucey
402-619-0378
Update - March 29, 2012
Ok,
I hope
everyone feels rejuvenated, energized and ready to go. STEAM was a great
event and I thank each and every one of
you that attended and those that went the extra mile to help. I know in my
case it was fantastic! I came back from
the event ready to post signs and
contact my Senator. We have a lot to do and very little time to get it done.
I wanted to get this out before your April meetings.
I see a lot of you have them scheduled for this Sunday due to the Easter
weekend ... We, as an organization,
did receive some
great praise for our comments on
Saturday morning as to our approach for changing the helmet law, by
changing the face of the legislature to
the point of even being quoted and told that it was a great rallying cry.
"It is much easier to Elect a Senator who will vote in our favor than it is
to change ones mind". We also made some great progress at STEAM to further
Senator Fischer's bid for US Senate. We have some hoops to jump through but
I believe the MRF will come through for us in their
support. I have already received some
confirmation that the paperwork is in progress to get this done. Thanks in
no small part to everyone who was there making a difference at STEAM.
Senator Fischer told me directly how much our efforts mean at the capital,
that everyone knows why we are there and whom we represent. I know we made a
few new contacts as well with bordering
states .. we had a representative from Colorado in particular that seemed
very interested in some joint efforts with District
12.
So what do
you need to be working on? Just as we said at STEAM,
we will never change the helmet law in the State of Nebraska till we
have 30 votes locked in on the floor. I know we can do this.
When i say we i mean every
motorcyclist in the State. ABATE members need to carry the flag but we need
all the votes we can muster for the primaries and beyond. We need you to be
the ambassadors for political action, get involved in the committees,
and work to get the candidates through the primaries. I will tell you
this, our past efforts have been making waves. We do make a difference,
candidates are again coming to us for support. We just need to practice what
we preach. Work to get them elected, put the fear of us supporting someone
else into those that have been elected!
Now
Primaries are hugely important and we need to hit the ground running. I need
to see some action in these legislative districts
District
2 - Lambert or Larson ...
District
7 - Greary
District
17 - Bloomfield
District
21 - Hilgers ...
I am talking to him myself and setting
up an interview (my personal district)
District
37 - Woodward
District
45 - Carter
These are
all the districts Scott has been sending out emails about but
we need to know what,
if anything, is happening.
Scott will be helping to contact and set up visits to your
Senators and those will be posted on the
State Website. Find out what you can do for each of them in your district
and do not be afraid to ask for help!!! A
border district may be able to lend support. I know there are a few more
districts we do not have all the information on yet so if you have any
information on support in another district let us know asap. Get these
people to your meetings get them involved.
Get your districts engaged in the
process! Invite them to your events. Get
them in parades, fairs, or anything you
can think of to get them in front of as many people as you can.
We also
need to be working for Sen Fischer in her US bid .. she has a tough battle
ahead and we all know name recognition is huge. Many districts took yard
signs etc to get started on her campaign already but she needs all the help
we can give her. I have gotten information from her aid that these counties
in the state need some extra attention ...
They still need county chairs for the following counties:
-Banner
-Box Butte
-Franklin
-Frontier
-Garfield
-Gosper
-Hayes
-Hitchcock
-Jefferson
-Knox
-Loup
-Nance
-Nuckolls
-Sioux
-Thurston
County chairs for a campaign are just point people in the county. Right now,
they are distributing signs, so a county chair would be someone who could
either help distribute to our supporters or help us find someone who could
be a base of operations. Also, when the Senator comes through, Larissa (Sen.
Fischer's aid) may call to see if there are any events she needs to attend
or people she should meet while they are in town. That's about it! Easy task
but these counties are currently without ... if you can lend a hand here or
know someone who would get in touch with me, Scott or Larissa ASAP.
Everyone has a job to do ... if there is not a local senate election in
your district Sen Fischer needs you...
I have been in contact with Larissa on getting voter registration booths set
up as well. This is an untapped resource we have an entire younger
generation of riders that often show indifference ... if we can get them
registered to vote and get them to the polls ... those few votes may change
the balance ...
Bottom line ... we need to get busy we have approximately 6 weeks to make
things happen for the primaries If you want to make a difference now is the
time!
Keep us all informed and we will succeed.
Todd C. Miller
"Rogue"
State Coordinator
ABATE of Ne Inc.
Roguetc@aol.com
402.440.8756
FORUM on March 20 for District
1 senator race
The
County Farm Bureaus in Legislative District 1 are sponsoring a Candidates Forum
on March 20 to give the public an opportunity to meet and question the
candidates who are seeking to represent the district in the Nebraska
Legislature. The forum is free, and open to the public.
Forum
will be held Tuesday, March 20, 7 pm at the St. Peters Lutheran Church Parish
Hall, 71955 Hwy 50, Elk Creek, NE.
All 6
candidates - Bruce Bernadt, Douglas Bohling, Alvin Guenther, Jerry Joy, Neal
Schatz, and Dan Watermeir - have been invited to participate.
March 6, 2012
Fellow
Motorcyclists,
ABATE of Nebraska's helmet modification bill, LB52 is
scheduled to be voted on tomorrow, Wed, March 7th
ABATE of Nebraska is asking for your help.
Please contact the Senator's listed below and ask them
NICELY...
"Vote LB52
out of committee so it can be debated and voted on by the full Legislature."
Email or phone is acceptable - however, do NOT contact them
past 11am on Wed, Marcy 7th.
Senator Kathy
Campbell
Phone (402)
471-2731
Email:
kcampbell@leg.ne.gov
Senator Annete
Dubas
Phone (402)
471-2630
Email:
aduba@leg.ne.gov
Senator Galen
Hadley
Phone (402)
471-2726
Email:
ghadley@leg.ne.gov
Senator LeRoy
Louden
Phone (402)
471-2725
Email:
llouden@leg.ne.gov
Thank you in
advance for your help. Please get this message out to others ASAP.
"Rogue"
Todd C. Miller
State
Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402-440-8756
Session starts January 4, 2012. Our
bill, LB52 is sitting in committee waiting for a swing vote to get it out of
committee and on the floor.
A large number of senators support us, but
still have some that need to be swung our way. A large number of
businesses and political organizations also support us.
We have Lobby Day coming up on Jan 23rd.
We need YOU there! We need 100% participation from our members.
Go to meetings! Get information and
educate others! Know your senators name and number - and use them!
Call your senator and tell them to back LB52,
the bill to repeal the mandatory helmet law. It is in committee and for
the sake of freedom, you want it out and you want it to pass. Tell them
you will be keeping track of the progress on the bill.
Unlike wearing a helmet, you do have a choice
in making a difference. What is YOUR decision???
January 15, 2012
As many of you may have heard, the new Senator for D33 is Les
Seiler, Hastings area. He was appointed to take the place of Senator
Uttler who passed away the first part of January.
From the MRF - very important
alert!!! UPDATE DECEMBER 13, 2011
| Please read the following from the MRF and do as it
asks....
Call the number listed and tell Nelson and Johans how you feel..
Also please spread the word and please forgive if their are
duplicate emails.
We need people to call
Scott Lucey
|
National
Call to Action: Federal Helmet
Mandates
The Motorcycle
Riders
Foundation
reports that the
US Senate
Committee on
Commerce Science
and
Transportation
will be marking
up The Motor
Vehicle Safety
Act of 2011 (S.
1449). This bill
governs the
National Highway
Transportation
Safety
Administrations
activities. This
bill has the
potential to
greatly affect
motorcyclists
nationwide.
There are three
provisions that
specifically
target
motorcyclists.
Call your
Senators and ask
them to:
-
Oppose
Lautenberg
amendment
#1. This
amendment
would alter
the
motorcycle
safety grant
program by
forcing
states to
pass
mandatory
universal
helmet laws
and drive
federal tax
dollars to
be used to
promote the
use of
helmets.
This
provision
would make
it easier
for helmet
law states
to obtain
2010 grant
money. This
amendment
would
provide no
money for
awareness or
training.
-
Support
DeMint
amendments
#1 and #18.
These
amendments
protect the
NHTSA lobby
ban. Under
the proposed
legislation
are
provisions
to lift this
lobby ban.
-
Support
DeMint
amendment
#2. The
bill, (S
1449) would
change the
definition
of "motor
vehicle
equipment"
to include
motorcycle
helmets.
This would
allow States
to spend
federal
money
dedicated to
"motor
vehicle
equipment"
on
motorcycle
helmets. The
DeMint
amendment
would keep
helmets out
of that
definition.
Call Now. Time
is of the
essence. Call
you Senators via
the capitol
switch board at
202 224 3121.
Of key
importance are
the Senators on
the committee
you can contact
them directly:
Senator
Rockefeller-WV
202 224 6472
Senator Kerry-MA
202 224 2742
Senator
Lautenberg-NJ
202 224 3224
Senator
McCaskill-MO 202
224 6154
Senator Udall-NM
202 224 5941
Senator Begich-AK
202 224 3004
Senator
Inouye-HI 202
224 3934
Senator Boxer-CA
202 224 3553
Senator
Cantwell-WA 202
224 3441
Senator Pryor-AR
202 224 2353
Senator
Klobucher-MN 202
224 3244
Senator
Hutchinson-TX
202 224 5922
Senator
DeMint-SC 202
224 6121
Senator
Wicker-MS 202
224 6253
Senator Blunt-MO
202 224 5721
Senator
Toomey-PA 202
224 4254
Senator Ayotte-NH
202 224 3324
Senator Snowe-ME
202 224 5344
Senator Thune-
SD 202 224 2321
Senator
Isakson-GA 202
224 3643
Senator Boozman-AR
202 224 4843
Senator Marco
Rubio-FL 202 224
3041
Senator
Heller-NV 202
224 6244
This is of
extreme
importance.
Please call
today, Tuesday,
December 13th,
2011.
Do not hesitate
to contact the
MRF should you
have any
questions. 202
546 0983
|
|
UPDATE - October 19.2011
|
Hello,
Well Saturday in the Omaha World Herald the Omaha Police
published their results after the summer long helmet
enforcement activity. As usual it was bias and full of
BS unrelated to bikers or the reason for the effort in
the first place. My response to the Public Pulse is
below. The article was published this last Saturday if
you want to check it out. It was a little square on the
back page of the Midlands section or under enforcemt
effort if you search the
www.omaha.com site. 6 weeks after the effort ended
they sneak it into a Saturday paper to fulfill the press
release requirements of the grant. Fucking pussy's.
There will be more to come on this and we may need to
make this an agenda item for Novembers BOD.
If you feel compelled to share with the OWH why you do
not come to Omaha on a bike in fear of being harassed
when you are compliant, please email the Public Pulse or
the mayors office or better yet the chamber of
commerce. The public pulses contact is (Jimmy and
Mike, I am sure you have this committed to memory),
pulse@owh.com |
|
|
Hello,
Well Saturday in the Omaha World Herald the Omaha Police
published their results after the summer long helmet
enforcement activity. As usual it was bias and full of
BS unrelated to bikers or the reason for the effort in
the first place. My response to the Public Pulse is
below. The article was published this last Saturday if
you want to check it out. It was a little square on the
back page of the Midlands section or under enforcement
effort if you search the
www.omaha.com site. 6 weeks after the effort ended
they sneak it into a Saturday paper to fulfill the press
release requirements of the grant. There will be
more to come on this and we may need to make this an
agenda item for Novembers BOD.
If you feel compelled to share with the OWH why you do
not come to Omaha on a bike in fear of being harassed
when you are compliant, please email the Public Pulse or
the mayors office or better yet the chamber of
commerce. The public pulses contact is (Jimmy and
Mike, I am sure you have this committed to memory),
pulse@owh.com
My slide...
"Summer of enforcement
ends with 1,498 citations issued" Saturday, October 15th
Omaha Word Herald
Of the 1,498 motor
vehicle and motorcycle citations issued, a total of
34 of the citations were issued for helmet non
compliance during the enforcement activity time
periods. Motorcycle helmet compliance is the basis for
the Federal grant which totaled almost 35,000.00 this
year in overtime law enforcement activities. Last year
the grant awarded 25,848.00 for the same program which
netted 44 helmet violations. The quick math says we
spent a lot more for a lot less this time around. While
I applaud the effort to keep Omaha and it's residents
safer, is the premise of making sure a rider has a
DOT compliant helmet on really impacting the safety of
the citizens of Omaha at large? 1,498 citations issued
is a nice effort but lets be honest, these are not all
bikers (over 130 of the citations were issued for seat
belts and 918 issued for cars and bikes speeding).
I am sure the Feds have a
grant for crooked parking lot line enforcement. Get
that one instead and stop masking an effort that really
has little to do with helmet compliance or the safety of
the majority of the citizens of Omaha at the expense of
the motorcycling community. 34 issued for folks that
could only hurt themselves verses 1464 issued to folks
that could potentially hurt others and the basis is
Helmet compliance. Please...
Scott Lucey
Omaha
|
|
UPDATE - October 10, 2011
Gov. Dave Heineman has chosen Plattsmouth Mayor, R. Paul
Lambert, to take over the state senator seat vacated by Dave Pankonin.
Lambert will be sworn in to office on Friday by Secretary of
State John Gale at the State Capitol.
"There were several key factors in my decision. Paul
has been the mayor of Plattsmouth for 8 years. He understands the
challenges of local government. He knows that we must control spending and
Paul is a common sense Nebraskan" Heineman said.
Lambert, 61, was appointed to the Plattsmouth City Council in
1999 and re-elected to that office twice. He has been mayor since 2003.
Mr. Lambert currently works in automotive sales and is a licensed real estate
agent and an iron worker.
In a press release Lambert said "I am honored to be appointed
by the Governor. I am humbled by the task at hand and I am pleased and
proud to serve the good people of the second district. I ask for their
help, their understanding and especially their prayers for the duration of my
service."
Lambert attended Wayne State College and the University of
Nebraska at Omaha.
UPDATE - September 21, 2011
Please see the email below concerning Deb Fischer's run for the
Senate. Please keep in mind that donations must be made individually and CANNOT
come from an ABATE acct. Let's support someone who has always supported us.
------------------------------------------------
Deb Fischer is running for the U.S. Senate.
Deb has supported us (ABATE of Ne) for years as Chairwoman of the Senate
Transportation Committee of which she will continue to chair during the
next session.
The campaign will probably be asking "us" for help with yard signs and
such as things move along, but right now they are looking for donations to build
up to coffers before the end of the filing quarter on September 30th.
To that end, here is an email from Aaron Trost, her campaign manager:
We have a very important financial deadline on this Friday, September
30. We are trying to raise as much money as possible on our report to make a
strong
showing and continue the momentum for Deb's campaign. Donations of $100,
$50, 25, even $10 will be very helpful.
If we can get 30 people to donate $50, or 100 people to give $25, then
that would be a big boost.
To Contribute online, go to -
http://www.debfischer2012.com/?page_id=11
Having a strong report is critical to our success. Any help ABATE can
provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!
Aaron Trost
Deb Fischer for U.S. Senate, Campaign Manager
As Deb has supported us, please consider supporting her!!
Update September 1, 2011
Yesterday Senator Pankonin
from Legislative district 2 which sits over Plattsmouth as well as parts of
Sarpy County said he will resign effective October 8th of this
year. ABATE districts 6 and 11 have members represented by the Senator.
There have been many
conversations with the senator over the years to get him to see our point of
view with no success. He has voted in opposition in every opportunity.
The Governor is taking
applications to fill the seat which are due to him no later then September
23rd. I suspect that Pankonins opponent Louderback from last
years election may be one of those but I am still in the process of
confirming that. Louderback pledged support of LB52 and our right to
choose.
I will keep everyone
updated but please contact me if you hear any developments relating to this
development.
Scott
Update - March 25, 2011
Well just goes to show
you
its Friday its spring and its snowing
so I thought I would take
this opportunity to touch base with everyone. Our website transfer should
be coming to completion very soon with little or no down time. If you have
trouble logging in give it a bit and try again. There will be a page coming
soon for the Chrome level membership and sample letter to your supporting
business feel free to use that
there will be a link on the website for the
business to apply for membership.
I am
not hearing much from anyone at this time and I have to wonder if everyone
is getting busy on the tasks that have been assigned. We need to be getting
to our supporting businesses. We need to be gearing up for rides to the
target zones as they are identified
Has your district started making plans
for runs this summer too? I have not been getting feedback from you. We at
the State office need to know. Please have your secretarys forward copies
of your meeting minutes to all of us. We need to stay focused this summer
in order to move this along
Have all your members been contacting the
transportation committee members? Are your supporting businesses doing the
same?
Do not
lose sight of where we are going, and how we plan to get there
get to your
meetings!
Of
note, there has been a lot of media attention on the sentencing of the kid
that killed the 4 coming back from Sturgis last year
keep an eye open for
anything on this .. some of you have been forwarding links to me that is
great
also watch for any other motorcycle related news
I want to know
about anything and everything within or near our state, whether it be atv or
street.
Keep the shiny side up
Rogue
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402.440.8756
Update - March 7, 2011
Call to action
LB52
What we need from you now:
Step
One:
Go to your
district meetings! There will be some information given
there not available on the web site. Do not expect to get all the
information there as some will be sensitive information and not available to
the general public. Do not call me or the other state officers either, for
this, as if we do not personally know you, we will not release sensitive
information over the phone either.
Step
Two:
We need to work on sending emails, letters
and making phone calls to our transportation committee members from us as
individuals. We are not trying to flood them but merely show the
support from across the state and out of state for moving this bill along
and out of Committee. I need to start hearing from you in the next few days
and weeks that this is getting done. On the web page you will find sample
letters of the type we wish you to send.
Be politically correct and do not in any way shape or form use any sort of
profanity! These letters should go to every member of the committee!
Step
Three:
We need you to start contacting our
supporting businesses and ask
them to write letters to the committee as well. Go to your
meetings get with your reps and find those businesses get organized so we
arent all contacting the same businesses. I want to know as the businesses
are contacted. Call the ABATE office number and leave a simple message, we
will be checking them off as we go, making sure all have been contacted! It
would be best if we received that information from one source per district,
such as your district rep but any others may do so as well. Again, we have
sample letters for them as well as an explanation letter on the web page for
you to hand or read to them regarding what we need done.
There will be much more to do in the next
weeks
this is our first push to get this bill out of committee, any and
all help doing these things from within ABATE and from other individuals
will be greatly appreciated. You do not have to be an ABATE member to attend
meetings find one near you and get involved!
SUPPORTING
BUSINESS SAMPLE LETTER
INDIVIDUAL SAMPLE LETTER
INFO LETTER FOR BUSINESS
OWNERS
TRANSPORTATION SENATORS CONTACT INFORMATION
Todd
C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402.440.8756
Update - March 4, 2011
Ok,
I dont have a
lot for you all right now but I did not want you to think we were keeping
you in the dark. As of now we have had no real news just a lot of whispers
and innuendo
that being said Bob, Scott and I will be meeting this weekend
to hopefully formulate some sort of backup plan and be ready to present
options to the BOD at the March meeting
I wanted to get this out today as
I know a lot of you have meetings this weekend
be assured we are not
sitting on our butts doing nothing. The game of politics is a chess game,
that is for sure, and we need to be sure of our next move. Tell your
members the bill is still on hold but to be alert to action after the Board
meeting next Sunday. Keep your eyes out for any media
I have had a few
respond to me on this and we have taken action where necessary
thanks for
all of you who have been keeping us informed across the state
and for
those of you out of state as well.
Todd
C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402.440.8756
Update - Feb 24, 2011
Again no news on our bill
lb52, I just wanted to remind everyone to be patient and be standing by for
a call to action once we have movement of any kind we will be needing
assistance in a short time. Be prepared!
Again I ask that you keep
an eye on all news and media coverage
watch for any polls etc. I have had
some nice letters in response to my responses in the paper locally as well
as from those old members across the state who are watching the web site
for any news
I know a some have sent
some emails to me as well requesting permission to respond to others
thanks
to all of you!
Hopefully more news soon
but voting only happens on Monday or Tuesday
so we will be in a holding
pattern till then for news from the committee.
Todd
C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402.440.8756
Update - Feb 15, 2011
Ok, I want to remind
everyone we are in a holding pattern for now waiting for the outcome of the
committee hearing. That does not mean we dont need to be busy
there have
already been many blogs on the web about our bill and bashing back and forth
one such as this
-
traveler
said on: February 14, 2011,
11:24 pm
Yes, ABATE presented the same bill
last year, and they will probably present it next year, and the year after
that
If this bill makes it to the floor, it will still get stuck in the same
debate of personal freedom vs. public safety. I see this as very similar to
requiring seat belts and child restraints. I doubt this will have much
better chance than last year.
American Bikers Aimed Towards Education. Really? I would disagree with their
name choice. When the hearing to cut funding for motorcycle training took
place several weeks ago (LB170), ABATE was silent. Education is not really
their thing, they just dont like helmets.
I have sent a response
already in regards to only that we did have a position on the bill lb170 and
we did present it to the committee. Also that yes we will continue to fight
unjust legislation singling out motorcyclists. I would like all of you to be
very aware we will be getting publicity on this issue I was down at the
State office last night Valentines Day (which I am still trying to make it
up to my wife for not being home)
fielding calls about the hearing. I
dont want to see ABATE members out there doing a lot of bashing other
individuals
state facts and let them look like fools if you feel we need a
comment and are not sure what to say contact me Scott, or bob and we will do
it. If you dont know something for sure dont guess!!! And yes pointing a
finger at someone who shall remain nameless
Anyway keep your eyes open
watch for any wrong facts, any polls etc
I will update as soon as
we know more
Todd
C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402.440.8756
Update - Feb 14, 2011
We met in committee today
for lb 52 and both sides of the argument were heard. We have a good feeling
about the outcome but we are working on some additional information that the
committee requested. There a couple of opportunities for them to reach a
decision by next Tuesday. We are in close contact with the committee. Of
note, we were applauded on our professionalism and our adherence to the
system to date
please be patient and we will keep you updated as we know
more.
Todd C. Miller
State Coordinator, ABATE of NE Inc.
ABATE of Nebraska
402.440.8756
Update - Jan 13, 2011 -
click HERE to read LB170
LB170 was
introduced this legislative session and has some direct impact on the
motorcycling community of Nebraska. LB170 as we understand it will
eliminate the redirection of the portion of the motorcycle license and
registration fees used for motorcycle safety and training courses. To the
best of our knowledge, the majority of these funds were used to subsidize
tuition for rider training classes and for instructor education and
certification. At this time we are unclear of the total dollars redirected
per year are nor are we sure if the money is spent for any other motorcycle
related cause.
Senator
Fisher introduced LB170. As we understand it, all of the committee chairs
were asked to find monies to cut or add back into the states general fund
from all state departments and the content of LB170 is a result of what the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offered as their contribution. Senator
Fisher is the introducer as this department is guided by the Transportation
Committee.
Part of
the criteria set forth in determining what would be eligible to cut is if
the program or activity were optional. Rider training courses are optional
in that you are not required to take it to receive a license or register a
motorcycle. Only if you want to forgo the test required by the DMV will you
need to show proof of successful completion of one of these courses. There
courses are also not fully funded by the state but by the subsidized expense
to the individual.
In
conversation with the Grater Omaha Office on Safety who offers such a
program. They indicated that they charge the individual 209.00 for the
course. The Safety Council then submits a list of all of the participants
and is reimbursed 75.00 from the fund for each successful completion. This
last year they estimated 700 enrollees in the Omaha area. The Safety
Council said they use the money to offset costs and to keep the tuition more
affordable. They were not prepared to comment if they think this will deter
people from taking the course since a price increase is emanate if the
funding goes away. They indicated they would be in opposition.
At this
time we are not sure how we will want to proceed with this as we dont have
all the information, however I think we can all agree we cannot let this go
unnoticed by our organization
Scott is
checking into this further and will keep us all updated
By the
same token Lb52 is moving along and though we dont know as of yet for sure
when it will be heard in committee it is in committee and we are preparing
our committee hearing testimony if you are planning to attend let me bob or
scott know so we can get a feel for who will be there
it is expected to
happen sometime next week as soon as we know something we will let you all
know
Todd Miller
Update - Jan 10, 2011
Its official, we have now
been referred to the Transportation Committee.
My gut tells me we will
be in committee next week. I will keep you all posted. Most likely after
the 18th.
Todd
Miller
Update - Jan 7, 2011
Ok folks,
The legislative session has been
underway and the preliminary steps are full steam ahead for our bill. LB52
looks to move quickly and there is no time to waste. You have been getting
all the information we have and it has been sent to the web as well. I hope
you know what you need to be doing by now but if not get to your meetings,
go to the web and make plans to be at lobby day. Right now one of the best
things you can do is spread the word to all you know
not just ABATE
members but other bikers in your area .. your friends, businesses, etc
keep the enthusiasm and the public opinion going in our favor
that means
we also need to hear about any public opinion polls going on, whether it be
in the paper on a website or on tv. We need timely information sent to me,
Scott, Bob and or Connie so we can get it posted and blanket the state and
the outlying states for help
we did a great job last year. I ask for your
help in this again, as it is sure to happen
we cant afford to have one
more bogus statistic against us
I cannot stress enough how important
contacting your senators at all times, whether it be to thank them for their
support or to encourage them to vote for us
even those against us we can
be working on to not vote against cloture
that in itself could be huge and
a major turning point in this session. If a senator wants more information
let us know, we have our secret weapon Spotman for resources as well as
many other state coordinators willing to send us information as we need it,
dont be afraid to ask
but be aware a lot of what they may ask for is
information they may already have or they are just stalling you to get you
out of their office
LOL. We can win this political game but it will take
all of us working together to do so
Do not lose HOPE!
I dont want to hear from anyone, here we go again, it will never happen
in Nebraska, we are just beating our heads against the wall, etc
If you
dont believe, you are in the wrong organization. Our whole purpose is
based on believing we can make a difference. You will not make a difference
sitting on the sidelines. It is truly amazing how easily hope can spread
from one person to another
if you speak and think we can do this you may
or may not convince another, but you will do no harm
. By the same token
despair spreads just as easily
if you sit and talk to your friends of how
it will never happen
and that is what you believe
you will spread that
thought and may convince someone not to try, you have now become a liability
to this organization and everything we are working for
understand what you
are doing and make a choice to be positive!
Please keep in mind I dont expect this war to be over
in a day
but each battle we win no matter how small puts us one step
closer to the prize
Freedom of choice for bikers in Nebraska
and
this is only the beginning
Todd Miller
Update - Jan 5, 2011
It looks like our legislation was read today along with
all of the bill that are being introduced this year. Our helmet bill is
LB52 and is now on file. Most likely we will be picked up by the
transportation committee to be heard. Hearings start in a week or so.
The transportation committee appointments have also been made. It looks
the same as last year but Gay and Stuthman have been replaced with Price
and Dubas. Last year Price voted with us and was the one that added the
sun down clause to LB200. I still think that means we could get him to
move it out of committee. Dubas voted against us every time. We have
work to do there. Also, we need Louden to keep again to move it on. If
we keep Price and Louden we have a 5 to 3 advantage.
It still would not hurt to visit with Hadley, and Campbell either but I
am not sure what luck you will have. It never hurts to try.
Stay tuned in folks there will be a lot happening and much work to be
done.
Scott Lucey
Update - Jan 5, 2011
Hello all,
I have expanded my mailing this month to other Dist officers that I have
addresses for. Please get this out to as many folks as possible and use it at
your upcoming Dist. meetings. Here we go............
Fire 'em up and get the troops ready, the battle is at hand. The 102nd Nebraska
Legislative Session started today.
We can expect that Committee appointments will be made in the next few days. We
can expect that our bill will be introduced in the next few days.
We can expect that the media will pick up on this very quickly. When you read,
see, or hear media reports in your area, please contact Todd, Scott, or myself
so we can keep up with what is being printed or broadcasted.
We can expect that our bill will receive an early hearing in Committee and, if
the Committee make up is what we hope to see, it will be passed on to the floor
quickly.
We can expect that once it reaches the floor is will be heard very soon. They
will want this cleared so they can move on to a lot of major issues that they
have to deal with in this session.
We can expect that we will not have the debate time that we had last year.
Again, they will be wanting to move on. This could work in our favor if we are
ready.
So..........NOW IS THE TIME.
Now is the time to get this info our to your membership.
Now is the time to contact other biker organizations in your area and let them
know what is going on and that we need their support to. This is HUGE!
Now is the time to make everyone aware that they need to keep up with what is
going on at our website:
www.abateofne.com Starting today, there is a link to
the latest info we have. Be sure to have everyone check out Scott's lobbying
tips on the website. Be sure that someone is scheduling meetings with your
Senator's on Lobby Day.
Now is the time to take action or plan on getting nothing done for the next 2
years. This is our opportunity for this legislative session. Today, not next
year, not next month, not next week.
What to do next? Pull out the info on the Senator's that Scott provided at the
last BOD. Can't find your copy-contact Scott or myself.
Senators that are shown as a HARD YES-Contact their staff and assure that they
are still on board.
Senators shown as a SOFT YES-Contact them and see if they are willing to support
our bill when it comes up. If they indicate they are undecided, contact Scott
immediately.
Senators shown as a SOFT NO-Same as soft yes. If they indicate they will oppose
our bill, ask if they will vote yes if a cloture vote comes up.
Senators shown as a HARD NO-There is probably no need to spend a lot of time on
them in trying to get them to support our bill. They will ask for all sorts of
info that we don't have the time to provide them, and I will bet this will not
change them in a short period of time. BUT, ASK THEM IS THEY WILL VOTE YES IF A
CLOTURE VOTE COMES UP.
Then let Scott know what you find out. He has been, and is, working hard on
this. He cannot do it alone and needs as much info as you can provide him
Get your lobbyist forms in and let Scott or I know who plans to register, if you
haven't already.
Am I fired up......you bet I am. Are you? Is your District? If we don't fire
'em up, who then?
Have
questions-Ask Todd, Scott, or myself
Bob Ailor
Jan 3, 2011
It's time to get your motors running! It's
time to get geared up! The next legislative session starts on January 5,
2011, and there is a very good possibility that motorcycle helmets will again be a
hot topic of conversation. Are YOU ready??
Make plans now to attend
Lobby Day at the Capital
on January 24th. Let your senators know where you stand. Want to
know how you should approach your Senator?
Check this out!
Stay tuned and check back often for updates, and
any calls to actions that will be sent out. Things are quiet now, but they
will be heating up quickly!
In the meantime.....go to your local district
meetings to find out what is going on. Talk to your District Rep, and your
Districts Legislative Officer. Don't know who they are? Go to our
District Officer page right here on the web! Don't know when your
districts next meeting is? You can find that here on the web too...just go
to the Calendar of Events page...or, email your District Rep - he/she will be
more than happy to give you all that information.
HOME
