2,000 Bikers Lobby for Rights in Texas
by Dustin Woods
January 29th, 2009 3:45 PM
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Motorcyclist education, safety among top concerns
The halls of the House of Representatives in Texas were filled with a slightly different breed of protestor on Monday as 2,000 bikers from across the state lobbied their legislative representatives to preserve and reinstate the rights of their group.
The chairman of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association, who goes by the name Sputnik, who outlined the group’s concerns began by saying, “We want to remind legislators that this is our house.” Their top priority is the reinstatement of the motorcycle education fund. Bikers in Texas pay an extra $8 for motorcycle licenses and license renewals, which were raised in order to improve motorcycle safety. “For about four years, the money has been funneled into a general pool instead, and motorcyclists are owed about $8 million for rider training,” Sputnik said.
Other proposals from the colorful group included higher penalties for careless motorists who collide with pedestrians or bikers as well as the instatement of laws that would alleviate discrimination of the group, preventing them from entering restaurants and hotels that refuse service to them. This is the eighth time the organization has held a lobby day for bikers to meet their legislators.
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