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n January 8th the 2014 Legislative session began in Annapolis. This next 90 days will be quite busy for ABATE. We are in Annapolis every Monday night during session lobbying. Our first night was this Monday, January 13th. We will continue until the session ends in April. We have put together two bills for this session. The first one is the helmet modification bill. This bill will be introduced with the same wording as last year’s bill. We are asking for freedom of choice if you are 21 years of age and carry $10,000 worth of health insurance. This bill will be introduced by Senator Astle and Senator Edwards in the Senate and by Del. Bromwell on the House side. We decided to cross file this year. We will be posting dates and times for hearings as soon as we get them. The second bill is addressing motorcycle only checkpoints. We are looking at nipping this in the bud before it becomes an issue in Maryland. This bill would prevent law enforcement from conducting motorcycle only checkpoints. ABATE of Maryland is also working administratively on editing the content of the Maryland drivers handbook. We will be addressing adding important motorcycle awareness content to the handbook. As always, we work closely with Maryland State Police, MVA and State Highway Administration in making Maryland a motorcycle friendly state.
is for the wellbeing of motorcyclists in Maryland. For only $25 a year, you are making sure that you are represented in Annapolis. It is a small price to pay for your freedom. If you watched the news this week, you would see what bikers in California are addressing. They have gathered together to fight legislation that would make reflective vests mandatory. It is a sneaky way of making sure their club names are covered up. They too are fighting mandatory helmets. Motorcyclists from all over the state converged on the capitol in a show of force and unity. This is freedom fighting at its best. This is what ABATE of Maryland and motorcycle rights organizations all over the country do. We stand as one strong unit to protect our rights and preserve our freedom to ride. If you come to Timonium, stop by our booths and ask us questions. See what we do for you and what we have done for you. Hope to see you there. Michelle Holcomb Executive Director ABATE of Maryland, Inc. For more information – www.abateofmd.org
Timonium bike show is coming up in February. ABATE of Maryland will have two booths this year to introduce ABATE to all motorcyclists who are not aware of what we are about. It is important that every motorcyclist in the state is aware that we are there for them. We are the only motorcycle rights organization in Maryland. We are your watchdog. ABATE always has their eyes open for any legislation that would negatively affect motorcyclists. We address road hazards and highway structures that affect us in any way. Everything we do THUNDER ROADS MAGAZINE MD-DE-DC
FEBRUARY 2014
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