ABATE OF WASHINGTON
Legislative Affairs Officer Reports 2007

Submitted 12/05/07  Posted 12/05/07

 

Well, it’s November and that means it is time to make your appointments for Black Thursday.
 Yeah, seems a bit early, but this is the middle of the legislative biennium (two-year legislature).
 That means no elections for state legislators this year.
And, since we already know who and where they are, we can contact them now for January 17th appointments.

 We are re-submitting these bills from last session:

 HB 1639 Modifying motorcycle helmet use requirements. Our sponsors were:

 Representatives Hinkle, Blake, Wood, Kirby, Warnick, DeBolt, Chase, Dunn, Upthegrove, Newhouse, Condotta, Haigh

HB 1625 Regulating motorcycles at traffic control signals. Our sponsors were:

 Representatives DeBolt, Blake, Hinkle, Warnick, Seaquist, Kagi, Kirby, Hunt, Wood, Dickerson, Conway, Lovick, Roach, Chase, Dunn, Flannigan, McCune, Priest, McDermott, Santos, Williams, McDonald, Newhouse, Alexander, Strow, Kretz, Condotta, Roberts, Ormsby, Haigh, Rolfes, Moeller

 There was a substitute bill (actually an amendment to our original bill):

 Section 2) Turning left as provided for in subsection (1) of this section

 while not insured under a motor vehicle liability policy with liability

 limits of at least the amounts provided in RCW 46.29.090, not self-

 insured as provided in RCW 46.29.630, not covered by a certificate of

 deposit in conformance with RCW 46.29.550, or not covered by a

 liability bond of at least the amounts provided in RCW 46.29.090, is a

 traffic infraction, and the operator is subject to the same penalty

 imposed for violations under RCW 46.30.020(1)(d).

 In other words, it would only be illegal if you are not insured!

This is their way of forcing us to have insurance!!!

 I will be doing some recon on getting this amendment dropped.
We may have to go back to the original language of the ‘Left Turn’ Bill HB 1466 from 2005-2006.

 

I am compiling similar legislation passed in other states for the phrasing they used and see if we
 can shame our opponents into seeing the light…

 

Anyway, make your appointments now! Send me the info, so I can make sure those districts without appointments get some!!!

  

On the legislative front:  

National:        

 HIPPA (Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act): To close the loophole which allows your personal health insurance provider to deny coverage of medical treatment for injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident.

 Note: While Washington State’s legislature supposedly closed this loophole a few years ago, it seems that it is rearing its ugly head again through SB 5726, which allows anyone denied coverage by an insurance company to sue for triple damages. It does not include your health coverage; which means: if your personal health insurance does not pay, you are screwed!

 Prop 67 attempts to again plug the hole. We really need to watch this one!

 EPA:               The bureaucrats are at it again…Trying to close down the mom-n-pop shops and denying you the right to modify your own motorcycle! More on this soon…

 

NHTSA:         Washington State got $114,000 for motorcycle safety awareness programs this year…guess who got it? DOL’s Washington State Motorcycle Safety Program. I’m not sure what they intend to do with it this year. But last year’s $100,000 went for a 20 or 30 second cable TV ad for select markets (i.e.; Seattle-Tacoma & Spokane). What about all the riders in the rest of the state? I will be contacting Project Manager Steve Stewart very soon to determine what the money is going to be used for this year.

 

This is important…my voice is not enough! We all need to be heard in Olympia and in that other Washington. It’s your rights being whittled away. Be heard! Call your State Legislators and Congressmen. If we are to be effective we all… you all have to make yourselves heard!

 

Watch the website for updates. Subscribe to the ABATE Legislative Alert email list at the bottom of the ABATE webpage.

 

Most of all…read your voter pamphlets and VOTE!!!

 

 That’s it for now… make your appointments ASAP and get the information to me.

  

Ride Free, 

Ginger Magures Member 15789
ABATE of Washington
Legislative Affairs Officer
 

Submitted 12/05/07  Posted 12/05/07

05/20/07

How does Politics work?

Subject: How It's Done

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House in D.C. One from New Jersey , another from Tennessee and the third, Florida . They go with a White House official to examine the fence.

The Florida contractor takes out a tape measure and does some Measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me."

The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me."

The New Jersey contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700."

The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"

The New Jersey contractor whispers back, "$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence."    "Done!" replies the government official.

 

We laugh, but sometimes the truth is not so funny when it is our rights or our money being taken or spent.

This year several bills went South on us and some folks didn’t even notice, others asked “WHY?”

  The bottom line is we as a Motorcycle Rights Organization need to read the tea leaves in Olympia, plan our strategy, alert all the bikers who give a damn what we need to support and oppose and then implement the plan of action. I am sorry to say, we didn’t do very well on any of those steps.

How can we avoid the same pitfalls for next year’s Legislative session? I think we read the tea leaves pretty well, put our plan was weak and our communications was below par. Therefore, next year, we will start the tea leaf reading sooner and refine the plan, but from you who are reading this, I need you to decide to get involved. Find your hidden talent and help us with this fight. Now that the DOL and WSP, know we can be over ridden all the obstacles will get tougher. Next year we need to rally our political supporters, activate our phone trees, bombard the emails and make sure we get heard. The Communication Email updates must go out every week.

I also, believe we need to reach across the street to the off road guys and defend their right too ride. Plus, we need to help them send SEN Kline to the unemployment line next election cycle. We need to help the COC pass their Profile bill. Basically we need to make some noise and prove once again, we are the oldest, largest and strongest MRO in the state, and we will be here for a long time to come….  

 

Thanks for the support-  Rich Bright

 

 

Posted By: Dragoni 04/23/04

TO ALL

CHAPTERS, OFFICERS, MEMBERS

AND OTHER INTERESTED RIDERS/ CITIZENS

WHO BELIEVE IN OUR LIBERTIES

 

 

Your Chapter may be active in fund-raising for charities, going on runs, or other ‘fun’ stuff.

 

Some of your Chapters have strong Black Thursday participation. However, Black Thursday is only one day and the legislative sessions are 90 or 105 days, depending on the year…this year is 105 days.

 Are you a registered voter?

 What Legislative District do you live in?

 Do you know your Senator and Representatives? Not just their names, but who they are (personally)?

 Do they know who you are?

 Do they know you ride and give a *%@# about your rights?

 
Who is your Chapter’s Legislative Officer?

Does your Leg Officer know what’s going on in Olympia?

Do you get monthly reports from him/her at your meeting?

Do you check your email often? Or check with someone who does?

Are you signed up for the alert list? (It’s on every page of the website…and no one else gets your information!

If you are, do you get the alerts sent out asking you to contact your legislator(s)?

Do you make that call or send that email???

 

ABATE…A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments…It’s a mouthful and really means what it says to many thousands of riders…in other states and a few dozen here. We are going to be dancing to other's music if we don't band together, as our name suggests, as a brotherhood!

 

 

Just this session alone, with little or no support from you, the concerned voter:

 

SB 5134 - the Impound bill for Drivers/Riders without Required Special Endorsements (heard in the House Transportation Committee March 28th;  & SB 5273  Increasing subsidized training fees to $125 (heard - in Executive session-same Committee, same day), among others, have passed through the Legislature like greased lightning and are sitting on the Governor’s desk awaiting her signature. The one good thing in this bill is that it took the power of oversight of training programs out of the hands of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (based in Southern California) and put it back in the hands of our own Department of Licensing, via Steve Stewart, Project Manager fo Washington State Motorcycle Safety Program.

 

SB 5797 - The “Endorsement Required for Renewal of Tabs” bill got jerked around so that, if passed, each of you who will renew your licenses and endorsements between March 1, 2008, and March 1, 2010, (about 40% of endorsed riders) will be paying an extra $10;

 HB 1625 the Signal Light bill was skewed with an amendment that required you to have liability insurance to
 enter the intersection against the red light. That was stripped by another amendment It was further bastardized with an amendment returning it to left-turn only language. And it moved to the Senate;

 And HB 1639, the helmet by choice for adult riders amendment went exactly…NOWHERE!!!
 It died in the House Transportation Committee.

  There are some extraordinary people in ABATE of Washington who truly believe in the purposes of
ABATE - Legislation and Education:

 Rich Bright - great heart and greatly overworked;

 Dutch Phillips ( Dragoni ) - who works hard to keep everything up to date on the website
so you can be informed if you even bother to look;

 Mike Campbell - a true ambassador learning and sharing; every day;

 

Leroy Herrick - so awesome behind the scenes…he even informs me of some
 legislative things…every day or two;

 

Becki & Jingles DiLorenzo (they both gave us everything they had until their health gave out
 and they couldn’t do it anymore. Thank you both more than words can say!);

 

Bruce Ramsey - who keeps on top of membership.
 (By the way, do you know it is his effort that keeps you informed
 of your time to renew on you Newsletter…check your last issue and this one!);

 

Your State and Chapter Officers - who give their time and time and time…
Without them we wouldn’t have a potentially great organization; and
 I wouldn’t be here letting you know of your chance to repay their efforts
 with a little effort of your own and you wouldn’t be getting ragged on for being half
 (or less) of what you could be to this organization supporting you;

 

The Executive Committee who did such an awesome job on the Spring Swap Meet
 to bring in money to support other events like Spring Opener and Black Thursday;

 

Bruce Arnold (he’s not even in Washington and I hear from him several times a week asking for our help supporting Motorcycle Rights Organizations in other States.
 I know he would do it for us, too. I won’t ask him to do what our own members
 can’t get off their butts to do for themselves.

 

There are really too many to name all of those who do contribute above and beyond.
 And that doesn’t even include the brothers and sisters who are gone who fought so valiantly
 to make this organization known to the Legislature!

 Just know that you are my heroes…and I want to grow up (did I say that?) to be like you!

 These members, people just like you and me, who care about you and me, should be your heroes, too!!!

 

I am gathering a list of Legislative Officers to put together a true slate of legislation for next year
 and for contact purposes to keep everyone updated. Some smaller chapters have their coordinators
 doing double duty as their Leg officers (Pacific County & North Olympic Chapters are prime examples).
 Please contact me if you are interested in being part of the process and not part of the problem!

 

 

To be more effective in Olympia, we need voices and bodies. Bodies when you can be there, voices
 when you can't. Legislators are listening to other organizations and taking their word that they represent
 all motorcyclists in this state. That is how some of the bad bills are getting passed into bad laws!
 Is that really what you want? Then why did you join ABATE? I think somewhere inside you is a hero
 and freedom fighter waiting to be set free to wreak havoc on the Legislature and other organizations
 passing laws for your good! Let that ABATE member out and let that ABATE member carry
 membership apps with you wherever you go…Let’s build an army of freedom fighters!!!

 

If you don’t have a Legislative Officer in your Chapter, maybe you will consider stepping up to help your friends remain free to choose how, when, where, with whom and on what you and they ride. You can be their hero!

 Belong, Become, Be more…Support your organization with your heart!

 Spring Opener (Now that’s fun!!!); Black Thursday; contribute to the legislative fund (if you can)
 and to the Legislative Committee (this you can do…); volunteer…do Something!!!

 Freedom isn’t Free!

And, if you’re not adding your voice to the effort, you are stealing a ride!

 Someday someone may want to grow up like you…

What kind of an example are you?

Don’t be a thief…Be a Hero!!!

 Ride FREE!!!

 Ginger “Mama Wolf” Magures

Registered Voter

Member # 15789 exp 3/09

Legislative Affairs Officer

ABATE of Washington

legislative1@abate-wa.org

 

Legislative Officer

North Kitsap Chapter

mamawolf50@comcast.net

 

360/697-2659 home

360/271-3092 cell (anytime - I’ll answer if I hear it! If not…page me!!!)