Committee advances motorcycle safety bill that raises fine but waives it if rider obtains endorsement
Summary
The committee passed first substitute House Bill 234 to increase fines for riding without a motorcycle endorsement to $350, with the fine waived if the rider obtains the endorsement; the bill passed 5–1 in committee with Senator Kwan recorded as the lone no vote.
Representative DeFe told the committee House Bill 234 was prompted by a constituent motorcycle-safety instructor and aims to change the enforcement incentives around motorcycle endorsements.
The sponsor said the current system makes it cheaper in some cases to receive repeated infractions than to obtain an endorsement and that fatalities among riders without endorsements have risen from 28 percent to 38 percent of motorcycle fatalities in the period cited by the sponsor. To change incentives, the bill raises the fine for riding without an endorsement to $350 but provides that the fine will be waived if the rider obtains an endorsement (typically following a motorcycle safety course).
Chris, director of the Driver's License Division, testified the agency supports the incentive approach and confirmed there is no current statutory parity that waives fines for someone caught driving without any driver's license; the director said the agency would work with the sponsor to encourage compliance. The director explained that the endorsement requires a knowledge test and a practical skills test but that completing an approved motorcycle course can waive the skills test.
Senator Winterton moved to pass out the first substitute with a favorable recommendation. The committee voted 5–1, with Senator Kwan recorded as the sole ‘‘nay.’’ The chair announced the measure passed out to the floor 5–1.
Votes at a glance: HB 234 (1st Sub) — Favorable recommendation to the Senate (5–1); Senator Kwan recorded as the no vote.
