There’s Still Work to be Done

by Steve Panten

I am sure that all of you heard me say that the most important day of the year for motorcyclists in the state of Wisconsin is our “Biker Day at the Capitol” in Madison. I would then say that the second most important day is the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s “Bikers Inside the Beltway” because we take the MRF’s legislative agenda to Washington DC to lobby at the Capitol there. This takes us to the third most important day because that’s what’s next. The third most important day of the year for motorcyclists in Wisconsin is Abate of Wisconsin’s Annual Meeting. This is the day that the motorcyclists set the legislative agenda for the upcoming year. While we set the agenda that we will be taking to Biker Day, that does not mean that the agenda is not flexible. As things change and new challenges or opportunities come up during the year, we need to stay vigilant and be prepared. At the annual meeting last month, we discussed a few things that should be addressed and focused on what is most important to help create a safe and enjoyable environment for motorcyclists in the state.

The first part of the discussion was about where we are with our current issues. I was very happy to report that our definition of a motorcycle bill, also known as the autocycle bill or AB 78/SB 86, is very close to the finish line. This piece of legislation passed through the Senate Committee unanimously and passed on the Senate floor unanimously. The Assembly Committee passed it unanimously and now we are waiting for the Assembly to vote for it on the floor. I am hopeful that they will schedule it for a vote during the next floor session in November. If we can get it passed in November, we will be pushing the Governor’s office to sign it when he receives the bills in December. There is a realistic chance that we could have this done by the end of the year which would be a great finish to the year.

The other current things we discussed are data recorders, correcting the current truck platooning law and the paddle wheel raffle bill. Let’s talk about the bad news first. Data Recorder is going nowhere unless the residents of Wisconsin get angry about having someone track their every move in their vehicles. We will need help from many different groups to get this moving. Representative Bradtjen would like to help us by taking the lead in the Assembly but we do not have anyone in the Senate to step up. Without the residents in the state supporting our efforts, this will not go anywhere. If someone does start to push this legislation we will be in the forefront, but until then we are stepping back.

Correcting the current truck platooning law is something that we will be taking up in 2020. To think that allowing heavy-duty trucks to travel in an electronically connected line, without regulation on where they can travel and how many can travel in one group, is irresponsible in our opinion. We will be addressing this on Lobby Day by asking our Legislators to limit the number of vehicles that are traveling in a connected manner to two. By doing this we will ensure that all motorists will have access to entrance and egress ramps on the freeway.

The last item that I mentioned was the paddle wheel raffle law. In the state of Wisconsin, paddle wheel raffles are illegal. Many groups use paddle wheels as a means to raise money for their organizations. The current bill that is in Madison is not our bill, but we did take a position and testified in support of it. So far, this bill is in the same status as our autocycle bill, passed the full Senate unanimously and is waiting for a floor vote in the Assembly. I am hopeful that we can help Senator Jacque get his legislation signed into law before the end of the year (he is also the lead on our autocycle bill).

New in 2020! We are going to follow the discussions on unlicensed drivers and help ABATE’s Highway Safety Committee address the number of unendorsed motorcycle riders in Wisconsin. We are learning that over one-third of all motorcycle fatalities are people that should not be legally operating a motorcycle on the street. ABATE has always encouraged riders to be trained and properly endorsed to help protect themselves and others. By reducing the number of unendorsed and unlicensed vehicle drivers, we are hoping to create a safer environment for motorcyclists in the state.

Also, in 2020 we will be looking at creating a bill to legalize poker runs in Wisconsin. Yes, hard to believe that with all the poker runs going on every weekend throughout the summer that they are illegal, but it’s true. You may have noticed that many organizations including ABATE have changed the structure of their events to avoid violating state law. ABATE learned of this after a number of our regions got a visit from the State Gaming Commissioner. This was a big deal and the penalty for breaking the law includes losing our raffle licenses, so we needed to take action immediately. Many groups learned of our “visits” and changed how they were doing their events to avoid the same meeting but now we all need to work together to fix that. We are still in the VERY early stages of drafting legislation, but this will be something that we bring to the table on January 23^rd.

January 23rd you ask? Yes…. Biker Day at the Capitol is on January 23rd, 2020. Remember earlier in my article where I said that this is the most important day of the year for motorcyclists? This day sets the tone for our success throughout the year. The Legislators need to see their constituents in the Capitol to show how important our agenda is to motorcyclists. You do not need to be an ABATE member to attend, just believe in what we are trying to do and stick to our agenda items. While you are working on scheduling a Thursday off of work or clearing your calendar for that day, we are working on setting up busses to get you to Madison. As usual the busses will be free for all attendees and will be posted in the newsletter as soon as they are set.

Biker Day at the Capitol is our last chance to push anything that is left over from 2019 and get a start on new things. Since 2020 is an election year we had to move Lobby Day up earlier in the year. The Legislature adjourns for the year early and once they leave Madison they typically work from their Districts unless there is a pressing issue, so we need to move fast and hard and use all the horsepower that we can give.

One final thing…and this comes from my heart. I have been a member of this great organization for 28ish years. Although I was not “active” during all those years, right from the start I attended my local region meetings and followed what we as a well-tuned machine were accomplishing. I learned a lot from those that fought before me and continue to fight. I saw the passion and commitment of many people and watched them give all that they could. With all that being said, I was humbled when I received the Founders Award at this years Annual Meeting. Recognizing the members who have gone above and beyond during the year is one of the things that I enjoy about our Annual Meeting.

There a lot of people that have done a lot and do a lot for this organization and should get recognized but I never consider myself as one of them. Like I said after I received the Presidents Cup from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation earlier this year, I still think that I am sitting at the kids table when I sit down for a meal with all the special people that make up ABATE. Thank You to Tony “Pan” Sanfelipo for even considering me for this award, let alone choosing to give it to me. I/we would not be successful without our members help. While I accepted this award, it belongs to every member and they should be proud to be part of our success…. but I will keep it at my house. Thank You.

That’s it.

Steve