Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill

Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill

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Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill - 6/9/2008 6:20:13 AM

eff

Posts: 1095
Joined: 8/12/2003
From: RI
Status: offline

From a friend in Mass. Contact your representatives and tell them that you oppose such legislation. Sorry I do not know the bill #.

quote:

I am sending you this email because your friends in Mass. need your
help. A bill filed in the Mass legislature threatens to ban kids under
14 from riding ATVs, dirtbikes, and snowmobiles. It also puts some very
heavy restrictions on private trail systems making it virtually
impossible for such trail systems to exist. The penalties are draconian
going all the way up to 1 year in jail. This bill will mess up ATVs,
NETRA dirtbike racing events and what's left of snowmobile trails in
Mass.

We, the ATV community, sent hundreds of letters and emails to our state
reps and senators. We made hundreds of phone calls. After all that,
last week, the bill passed the first hurdle towards becoming law.

Therefore, the ATV community needs your help. We are hiring a lobbyist
to fight this bill. The cost is at least $ 5,000. We will want to keep
him retained thereafter costing lots more money.

Would you please spread word to your members that we need donations? I
know a lot of Rhode Island residents regularly ride in Mass. Now, we
need such riders to step up to the plate and help us with some big
donations. If we lose this, who knows if some RI state rep won't see
what was done here and do the same in RI. Let me know if you are
willing to contact your membership about this. If so, I'll give you
more info.

< Message edited by eff -- 6/9/2008 6:22:15 AM >

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RE: Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill - 6/9/2008 11:43:50 AM

Throttlemonkey

Posts: 375
Joined: 6/14/2002
From: Upton MA
Status: offline

Almost all true, the dirtbikes and snowmobiles were supposed to be exempt from the 14 yr old age limit but the committee 'forgot'. The NETRA Lobbyist is working diligently to get that squared away but no guarantees.

Basically the recommendations of last year's ORV working group were totally ignored and the committee went crazy with their own agendas, many stemming from the 8 yr old death in Plymouth last year.

I'll try to keep folks posted as news becomes available but right now it looks like a full fledged statehouse demonstration may be on the agenda before the summer is over!!!!!!!

Post #: 2

RE: Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill - 6/9/2008 12:03:34 PM

Dav5049915

Posts: 1088
Joined: 11/3/2006
From: Cape Cod, MA
Status: offline

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/NEWS/806060318

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RE: Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill - 6/14/2008 6:52:33 AM

eff

Posts: 1095
Joined: 8/12/2003
From: RI
Status: offline

Update from the same guy. Call if you can.

URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT
>
> Private ATV/dirtbike trails may close permanently unless EVERYONE
> contacts their state senator TODAY!
>
> The Mass. Senate is poised to pass SB 2735, the omnibus bill regulating
> recreation vehicles (ATVs included). The bill will prohibit children
> under 14 from riding ATVs with severe criminal penalties to the parents
> of up to 1 year in jail.
>
> The bill will also allow the Environmental Police and other government
> organizations to create standards for private trail systems, road
> crossings, etc. Such regulations will most likely close private trail
> systems forever.
>
> Please call and write your state senator TODAY!! Tell him/her that you
> oppose SB 2735. Make sure to let him/her know some of your good personal
> experiences with ATVs, especially family activities, charity rides, etc.
> Your senator needs to hear how this bill is one-sided. Your senator
> needs to hear that ATVING is a family activity including children. Your
> senator needs to hear that because ATVING is a family activity, it would
> be okay if the bill was modified to allow children under 14 to ride so
> long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. After all,
> families ride together. Feel free to let them know what our neighboring
> state of New Hampshire does. It allows children under 12 to ride so long
> as they are with a parent or guardian.
>
> We need to stress the family atmosphere of ATVing and we need to do it
> now.
>
> The senate president is driving this bill. An 8 year old child was
> killed in her district while riding an ATV. Of course, I have
> information that the 8 year old was on an adult racing ATV without
> parental supervision and had no riding experience. Go figure.
>
> Phone calls are first due to the urgency of this issue, letters via
> snail mail are second as they are the most effective but take time to
> do, and emails are last as they are sometimes not read for a week or
> more. A personal visit to your senator is better than any of the above.
> If you have pictures of your family on ATVs (nice pictures-no wheelies
> etc.), then include your pictures in your letters or emails.
>
> PLEASE DO THIS TODAY!! AT A MINIMUM, PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATOR TODAY
> BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE. TELL HIM/HER THAT YOU ARE OPPOSED TO PASSAGE OF SB
> 2735.
>
> Senate Ways & Means Committee:
>
> http://www.mass.gov/legis/comm/s30.htm
>
> List of all 40 state senators:
>
> http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenus.htm

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RE: Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill - 6/18/2008 5:58:50 PM

joegencon

Posts: 751
Joined: 9/8/2006
From: Halifax,Ma
Status: offline

    Just a bit of good news for a change. Netra's lobbyist John Bartley along with our former President Frank Frey and our current President Jim Sherman Have been working overtime on an amendment to HB3592 also known now as SB2735. This is the Bill that Rep Murray has been pushing hard to get passed due to the death of the boy on the quad. As of now they have successfully amended the Bill to read Dirtbikes are now excluded from the age limit and are finally separated form Quads and Snowmobiles. A big reason this campaign was successful is due to the video Bill Riordan (NEDB's "Throttlemonkey") made which showed how Dirtbikes differ from Quads in regards to kids operating them

   This is a huge win for us and hopefully the new amendment will keep our kids riding long into the future. I urge everyone to keep on top of this Bill due to the fact it will be voted on prior to the July 31st deadline.  In the last couple of weeks the Quad and Snowmobile groups have hired a lobbyist to try and stop this Bill due to the fact it will ban the use of both of these machines for kids under 14 and require training courses for kids ages 14-16. We are under constant fire from people outside our organization and it's nice to know we also have many friends at the State House who helped NETRA in many ways. This fight I'm sure will go on for years to come but it's nice to know we have people on our side.

   I cant stress enough that everyone should watch here for further updates regarding this Bill.

   In closing if you see Frank Frey, John Bartley, Jim Sherman, or Bill Riordan at your next race or event shake their hands and thank them for all of their hard work. Excluding John Bartley none of these guys get paid for this and have put in hundreds of hours of their own time fighting for us and our kids.

   Who says NETRA does nothing for us.

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RE: Trouble in Mass - Age Restriction Bill - 6/20/2008 1:00:25 PM

44Dwarf

Posts: 203
Joined: 6/14/2001
From: Winchendon ma
Status: offline

The hearing is Monday, call your Senators office TODAY! Senator Brewer want’s to allow racing but practice will be illegal. IF WE CAN BEAT IT IN THE SENATE IT CAN’T PASS.

I heard back from the Senator's office and here is the response:

"I would also like to let you know that Senator Brewer shares the same concerns that you do
relative to S.2735, specifically the section on age minimum for
operating ATVs or snow vehicles.
Where is the list of state senators/reps?

See this link - http://www.mass.gov/legis/

Scroll down, left side of screen has
Senate
House

PLEASE PASS ON

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Post #: 6