A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois
Legislative Report
September, 2010
Summer is more than half over. Sturgis is behind us. The State Party is past. Yes, many of the pleasant distractions of the riding season are no longer vying for our time. Hopefully, this means we can just ride without having to fit bike time into a set structure.
With Labor Day weekend coming, however, we may face additional Illinois State Police (ISP) “safety checks” that seem to interfere with our freedom of the road more than promote safety. We are addressing this problem in various ways: 1st we have asked for a sit-down with the policy makers in ISP to find a way to promote safety without interfering with our right to ride. We have made a Freedom of Information Act request for more information about this program in hopes that, by knowing more, we can be more productive when we meet. Secondly, I am consulting with A.B.A.T.E. Legal Services and with attorney Mitch Proner in New York who has brought suit in federal court to stop these motorcycle-only roadblocks. Unfortunately, these efforts take time. I hope we can see positive results before Labor Day.
With legislatures in recess, we are seeing little new legislation to report. This has not, however, stopped our President from threatening to have the US EPA enact regulations that will restrict vehicle emissions. It appears that “cap and trade” will not make it through the Senate. That is good news for persons who do not want to have catalytic converters on their motorcycles or to see the end of air-cooled engines. The bad news is that US EPA might do its own version of “cap and trade” anyway. If that happens, we need to have as many friends as possible in Congress and the US Senate to hold the Obama Administration and its EPA in check.
Speaking of having friends in office, you may have noticed the “voters’ guide” on pages 12-14 of last month’s newspaper did not show certain friends of motorcycling as endorsed. In one race, both candidates were apparently endorsed. ABATE PAC has corrected these errors elsewhere in this paper and on the ABATE website. Please note those changes. If you have a favorite candidate that is not endorsed, please encourage them to view our concerns favorable so that they might get higher grades in the future.
In the next few months, you will be hearing a LOT of requests for your time, money, and efforts to help in the election campaigns. Please set aside a generous amount of yourself to help our friends win their respective elections. Our future depends on it!
George Tinkham
A.B.A.T.E. State Legislative Coordinator
"Helping Democracy Work"