Legislation to Save Motorcycle Safety Education

[Smit-Dog]

E-mail I received from the AMA Legislative Alert Watch...

Legislation Introduced to Save Motorcycle Safety Education Program

Michigan Senate Bill 462, sponsored by Senator Valde Garcia (R-Howell) and co-sponsored by eleven other senators, proposes to move the Michigan Motorcycle Safety Education Program from the Department of Education to the Secretary of State. SB-462 was introduced on May 7, 2003 and referred to the House Committee on Transportation.

Senator Garcia’s bill would save the program, which Governor Granholm had recommended for termination in her fiscal year 2004 Department of Education budget recommendation.

NOW is the time to contact your elected officials to tell them rider education is important to you, your family and friends, and the citizens of Michigan. Tell them YOU support SB-462 and request THEIR support to keep the Motorcycle Safety Education Program alive and funded.

Your letter of support should be sent to The Honorable Jud Gilbert, Michigan Senate Transportation Committee, State Capitol, P. O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909-7536.

Additional letters of support should be sent to your state senator at The Michigan Senate, State Capitol, P. O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909-7536 and your state representative at The Michigan House of Representatives, State Capitol, P. O. Box 30014, Lansing, MI 48909-7514.

Click here to go to our web site and review the information on SB-462. Using the “Take Action Now” feature of our Rapid Response Center is as simple as entering your Zip code and clicking on the “GO!” button to send a pre-written letter to your state senator and representative to show your support for Senate Bill 462.

DO IT NOW!

Makes sense to me!

:thumb:

 

[Smit-Dog]

In the most recent CCC Trailrider magazine (June 2003), there is a legislative update on the proposals to eliminate the rider safety training from the Department of Education, and set it up under the control of the Secretary of State.

While initially it seems to make sense that rider safety training should be administered by the same department that collects associated fees, evidently the CCC strongly opposes this bill as currently written.

To boil it down here, the CCC is recommending that concerned parties write their representatives to oppose:

1) HB 4621 - Eliminate Off Road Training
2) HB 4622 - Eliminate On Road Motorcycle Training
3) SB 0462 - Move Motorcycle Safety Training to Secretary of State Office

The CCC obviously has a long and experienced history of facilitating the safety training and working with state agencies involved with the program. In the CCC article, they list about 8 different concerns as to why SB 462 should not be pass as worded. They would like the 3 proposed bills defeated, and to keep the existing program in place until hearings can be held with all affected parties. Even if the Secretary of State office does end up administering the program, the CCC wants to ensure that the bill proposing this ensures that it will be done cost-effectively.

Check out http://www.michiganvotes.org/ for plain language info on these bills, and to submit your comments about them.