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For current information on any piece of California legislation, click here.
To find your Current California Representatives, click here.
To find the California Representatives for the NEWLY Re-districted Areas, you need to click here,
then find the letter of the County where you live, click that, and then put in your address.
New Laws in California for 2013 -
Bills Enacted In 2012 Regular Session - 56 pages
SB 350 - Lane Sharing bill Introduced -Senator Beall
IS NOW a TWO-Year bill.
AB 1192 - Motorcycle Parking - Assembly Member Beth Gaines http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_1151-1200/ab_1192_bill_20130222_introduced.htm
AB 1047 - Jeffries - Motorcycle Only Checkpoint Funding - Passed the Assembly Floor on January 17, & is now headed to the Senate Transportation Cmte (scheduled for May 8 June 12)- Bill passed out of Cmte (Pavley withheld her vote). Bill Amended in Senate to STOP Motorcycle ONLY checkpoints; Concurred on Assembly Floor July 2 (77 Aye Votes); AB 1047 signed by Governor Brown on July 13, 2012. This bill amends Section 2814.1 of the Vehicle code.
AB 1535 - Halderman - Motorcycles "OK" in High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes - Bill has been referred to the Appropriations Committee. (4/25/12) and is currently in the "suspense file", could possibly be scheduled for hearing in May. (this bill is in "limbo")
AB 1890 - Solorio - Toll Highways/Roads: Transponders for Motorcycles (placement).This bill will amend Section 23302 of the vehicle code relating to vehicles. - Scheduled to be heard in Transportation Committee on 4/9/12 passed on consent, passed the Assembly Floor, and now headed to Senate Rules Cmte for scheduling. Tentative schedule to be heard June 12 -Heard on June 12, passed out of the Senate to Consent Calendar - June 18 the Assembly concurred with the Senate amendments; On June 25 the Senate approved, and is now awaiting for Governor Brown to approve and sign the bill. July 10 - Governor Brown signed the bill and will now be Chaptered (Chapter 81, Amends Section 23302 of the Vehicle Code).
The following two bills were heard on January 9, 2012 - by the Assembly Transportation Committee.
AB 695 - Helmet Modification/Repeal Bill (Assemblyman Norby) Did not pass out of the Committee - Although plenty of Motorcyclist's were there asking for the choice of "Let Those Who Ride Decide"!
AB 1047 - Motorcycle Only Check points (funding), (Assemblyman Jeffries) Passed out of the Committee with a 14 - 0 Vote. That was a first step, now more work to do on it. Please attend Your ABATE Local Meeting for the next step.
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AB 695 authored by Assemblyman Chris Norby, to repeal California's mandatory motorcycle helmet law, is set for its first hearing in the Assembly Transportation Committee on April 25, at 1:30 pm in Room 4202. That's the same room we have had our hearings in before. If you can make it, PLEASE DO! {to send a Thank you, email danny.martinez@asm.ca.gov in the subject write “I support AB695” and then your message.}
Please send your emails to the above again or for the First time (per James Lombardo).
AB695 was heard, and did not pass, however it was granted reconsideration. The bill will be heard the first part of January 2012. If you live in the district of one of the Assembly Transportation Members, please contact them and urge their Yes Vote.
AB 1047, to Stop MOTORCYCLE ONLY Checkpoints, authored by the Vice Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Kevin Jefferies, is set to be heard in April, also in the Assembly Transportation Committee. Our bill will prohibit the CA Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) from issuing grants to law enforcement agencies to stage MOTORCYCLE ONLY Checkpoints and also require the OTS to conduct audits of the safety checkpoint grants to insure that law enforcement is complying!
This will be a major victory for motorcycle riders, who are being singled out for profiling. We will need letters and emails on this bill as well! Stay tuned for what you can do to stop this disgraceful discrimination against bikers! {to send a thank you – email craig.deluz@asm.ca.gov In the subject write “I support AB1047” and then your message.}
These are the members of the Transportation Committee:
If any of these members are in YOUR district, you can email them direct, if not please use the email addresses listed above so your email will not be returned.
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Committee Members
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District
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Phone
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E-mail
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Dem-54
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(916) 319-2054
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Rep-66
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(916) 319-2066
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Rep-33
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(916) 319-2033
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Dem-40
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(916) 319-2040
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Dem-11
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(916) 319-2011
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Dem-15
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(916) 319-2015
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Dem-49
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(916) 319-2049
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Dem-55
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(916) 319-2055
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Dem-17
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(916) 319-2017
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Rep-3
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(916) 319-2003
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Rep-71
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(916) 319-2071
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Rep-72
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(916) 319-2072
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Dem-44
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(916) 319-2044
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Dem-69
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(916) 319-2069
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SB 435 - Pavley's bill
The Bill has been approved by Governor Schwarznegger and chaptered on September 28, 2010. Chapter 407 - Amends Section 27202.1 V.C.
Benedict Arnold Swan Song
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October 26, 2010 - As Arnold Schwarzenegger's run as Governor comes to a close, his swan song for California motorcycle riders is evident in the photo that sums up his feelings about California's million-plus riders -- he's an actor pretending to be a biker -- and having a great laugh at our expense!
- Instead of simply vetoing SB 435, which would have allowed the next Governor and Legislature to deal with the issue (as he did with the 100-day overdue State Budget), he signed SB 435 into law.
- Luckily for Arnie, his modified fishtail-mufflered bike will probably escape being ticketed for not having the muffler noise emission stamps on his bike. He can thank ABATE for forcing amendments into SB 435 that "exempts all existing motorcylces and exhaust systems made before 2013."
- In signing SB 435 our motorcycle-riding Governor adds to the lists of disappointments -- in 2008 he vetoed a modest bill to have Caltrans re-post "motorcycles OK" signs in the HOV lanes. The signs were designed to alert motorists to remember to share the lanes with motorcyclists. The signs would have been reinstalled during normal Caltrans maintenance/repair in order to save the State money -- but NO, the Governor terminated that bill with his veto.
- Also in 2008, he played a major behind-the-scenes role in defeating a motorcycle helmet law repeal bill with a real chance of passing.
As the Governator rides into the sunset, maybe he'll reflect on all the lost opportunities he missed to improve the lot of California motorcyclists. Or, perhaps not . . .
REMEMBER . . . We still have the right and privilege of selecting our legislators -- be certain to exercise your right . . .
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We'll be sending out Action Alerts as more news becomes available, sign up for Action Alerts here.
Thanks again to everyone who has taken action on SB 435!
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FREEWAY “CHANGEABLE MESSAGE SIGNS”
by John Del Santo
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The ‘E’ in ABATE stands for “education.” One of the goals we reach for is Motorcycle Awareness….educating the driving public so that they are more aware of the motorcycles sharing the road with them, and less likely to run us over.
A few years back some of our ABATE members on a cross-country run saw the electronic highway signs in several states being used for motorcycle awareness messages when they were not being used for Amber Alert and Buckle-up messages. Upon returning to California we started a project of convincing the Department of Transportation (DOT) here that this would certainly save some lives. Imagine the millions of people every week that would be seeing motorcycle awareness messages!
Years went by, sending constant letters and making hundreds of phone calls, and recruiting other people into the action. The word “no” got to be a mantra with the folks we were dealing with, banging our heads against the wall.
And TODAY, February 11, 2010, there they were! Big grins on our faces… Big electric signs up and down the freeways and highways of the state! Different messages, most of which were penned and sent in by ABATE members. Send your THANKS to the people that were involved…. Shamiel Coleman with the CHP Office of Special Projects, and the California Motorcycle Safety Program, ABATE’s Mike Osborn, & Jim Lombardo, CHP Commissioner Farrow, Sgt Mike Thomason, and Ron Miller of the Office of Traffic Safety, and big kudos to the ABATE members who sent their e-mails, phone calls and words of encouragement. Perseverance! Any motorcyclist whose life is lengthened by the Motorcycle Awareness message on these signs adds to the Karma of this assembled crew. Let them know that we appreciate the time and effort invested, and pitch in on the next project during May, which is Motorcycle Awareness & Safety Month.
The Signs will be lit with Motorcycle Awareness messages for at least a week during May for "Motorcycle Awareness Month," and for about a week during June to Honor "Ride your bike to work" week (June 21). ABATE is working on getting our messages posted on the signs for at least one or two days each month.
NOTE: We encourage everyone to send a note of thanks to the hyperlinked names above. They're set to open a new message in your default e-mail program pre-addressed to the appropriate recipient. If this causes a problem with your software set-up, use the addresses below:
Shamiel Coleman: SCOLEMAN@CHP.CA.GOV
CHP Commissioner Farrow: pspringer@chp.ca.gov
Sgt. Mike Thomason: MTHOMASON@CHP.CA.GOV
Ron Miller: Ron.Miller@ots.ca.gov
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AB 1205 - Helmet Law Modification
AB 1205 did not have the votes to get approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee and died there. ABATEPAC will be working on a new helmet law modification bill after the 2010 elections are over and we have a chance to evaluate the new playing field in Sacramento.
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AB 751 - Motor Vehicle Theft
This bill creates six new one-year enhancements for the theft of a vehicle under specified circumstances. ABATE was asked for our support and the PAC voted to tentatively agree based on feedback from other affected organizations such as firefighters and other emergency first responders. Go here and search for AB 751 to read the summary and text of the current bill.
SB 1134 - Child Passenger on a Motorcycle
Current law already prohibits carrying a passenger on other than the seat or in a sidecar. This bill would likely have resulted in age limits on motorcycle passengers but, after hearing our objections the author decided to drop it for this session. You can read the existing text of the bill here.
AB 1951 - Accidents Resulting in Bodily Injury
This bill was originally intended to provide for increased penalties for motorists who caused bodily injury to pedestrians and bicyclists. ABATE agreed to endorse it after the language was changed to make the penalties apply to injuries caused to any road user, including motorcyclists. To read the summary and amendments go here and type in AB 1951.
AB 1952 - Motor Vehicle Instruction Permits
A couple of years ago ABATE was approached by the bereaved uncle of a teenager who died after crashing his motorcycle into a wall near his home, wanting us to sponsor legislation that would require minors to take an approved training course before they could get an instruction permit to operate a motorcycle. The boy's father was an experienced motorcyclist and so it appears it was a freak accident rather than something that could have been prevented by a basic rider training course. At the time we voted not to support the legislation.
Existing law provides that anyone under 21 has to take an approved training course before they can get ther M1 endorsement. AB 1952 was introduced to make it mandatory that anyone under 21 had to take an approved training course before they could even get a motorcycle instruction permit. It appears to have been amended to remove that requirement and instead close a loophole that allowed minors to continuously renew their temporary motorcycle instruction permit until age 21, bypassing the need to get an M1 endorsement on their driver's license.
You can read the latest version of the bill by going here and typing in AB 1952
Stop the Ban on the Sale of Youth Sized ATVs and Dirt Bikes!
The sale of youth-sized ATVs and dirt bikes remains banned. We continue to need your help to persuade Congress to overturn the ban. In a January report to Congress the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) unanimously asked Congress to provide flexibility to grant exclusions that would permanently allow the sale of youth OHVs. Now it is time for Congress to act!
Click the Take Action link below to send a letter to your Members of Congress and to the Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation urging them to provide for a categorical exemption for youth OHVs or to provide the authority to CPSC to exclude youth OHVs from the law.
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Here's an example of the sticker that's supposed to come on all new bikes since 1983:
And here's an example of the stamp that's supposed to match the sticker on the frame:
Can you find and match these on your bike?
Here's a presenation on what they found in New York
Download a printable copy
(15Mb PDF file)
EPA Labeling FAQ
(Did you know the EPA agency responsible for the labeling was disbanded in 1981?)
If you appreciate what we're trying to do for motorcyclists in CA, please consider joining or making a small donation to help us out. Unfortunately, Freedom isn't free and, although we're a volunteeer organization, it still takes money to keep the lights on.
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