Legislative Report

by Steve Panten

With July in the rear-view mirror, I wonder to myself how did I survive that? You see, July is always a very busy month for me, and then throw in Harley Davidson’s Home Coming, Summerfest, and then travel for work and this time, July seemed busier than usual, but I survived.

AB141 and AB142 are both waiting for Governor Evers to take a position on. These 2 bills are drafted to prevent State or Local Government Agencies from banning the sale of “devices” with combustion engines has passed out of both the State Senate and the Assembly, so it is up to the Governor. He has 3 choices once it is sent to him, sign it, veto it, or take no action which would result in it becoming law. There is a scheduled day that bills are sent to him, and the next time is on August 3^rd. Although that is the next scheduled date, the Governor has a right to call up certain bills when he wants. That means we are relying on our friends in Madison to let us know if he calls for them. Not that there is anything that we can do at that point beside be aware that he is reviewing them. We are hopeful that he will recognize that these bills are about consumer choice and not taking a position on alternative fuel sources. We will be watching this closely.

Last month, John Reblin and I met with Secretary Thompson from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Deputy Secretary, Head of the State Patrol and The Bureau of Transportation Safety to discuss motorcycle related concerns in the State. This is something that we do every year to discuss not only motorcycle fatalities but also how we can work together to create a safe and enjoyable environment for motorcycling in the State.

There was quite a bit of discussion around motorcycle fatalities because we are trending to end the year with more fatalities than last year. One of the things that we learned was that the DOT is working with the DNR to review areas with deer crashes. They are trying to find out if there is an increase and in what areas. Once we can address where there is an increase, the DNR will review the deer population and possible actions that could be taken to prevent them. One option would be to cut back the brush and tall grass, so operators have a better chance to see the deer coming before they are in the road. Another thing they are looking at is motorcyclists’ crashing because they swerved to avoid a deer. Normally, this would be considered rider error since there is a proper way to react in this situation that is taught at experienced rider classes.

While that was one of the things we discussed, we also talked about the expansion of electric vehicles in the state and autonomous technology. The interesting thing about that was the DOT knows that it is illegal to operate a vehicle on Wisconsin Roads in autonomous, or hands-free operation yet, the DOT is doing their own testing. Secretary Thompson was quick to point out that they are not testing it on roads but how else are you going to understand how these vehicles are going to react in real life until you do? We appreciate the opportunity to meet with them and look forward to working together in the future.

I would like to thank Suburban Motors in Theinsville for giving us the opportunity to hold a “Future of Motorcycling” Summit at their facility during the Harley Homecoming. There will be more about that next month but wow, what an opportunity to reach the motorcyclists in the State.

Wisconsin is a beautiful state to ride your motorcycle. Get out and ride but please, ride within your means and take care of your brothers and sisters. Lowering motorcyclists’ deaths starts with taking care of each other.

Steve