Bikers ride to Tallahassee in support of motorcycle safety bill

More than 100 bikers were at the Capitol Monday to advocate for legislation aimed at making the roads safer for motorcycle riders.

ABATE of Florida is the state’s primary motorcycle rights organization, or “MRO,” with about 20 local chapters across Florida. The group is essentially the advocacy voice for Florida’s motorcycle community. ABATE stands for American Bikers Advocating Training and Education.

The organization’s 29th “Rally to the Capitol” saw membership recognize motorcycle riders who have died during the past year and advocate for motorcycle safety legislation (HB 709, SB 838) currently working its way through the House and Senate.

The bills, sponsored by Sen. Jay Collins and Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, would require the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to contract with a nonprofit focused primarily on motorcycle safety and education.

The bill sets requirements for the nonprofit, namely that it be a Florida-based group that has been promoting motorcycle safety for at least 30 years and has a membership of at least 3,000 people. ABATE of Florida, with about 6,000 current members and a more than 40-year track record, would qualify for the contract under the proposed requirements.

The contracted nonprofit would administer an education program and would be funded by way of a $2.50 fee that DHSMV already collects from Florida riders when they apply for a motorcycle license endorsement.

The fee, which ABATE of Florida advocated for, was intended to be used “exclusively” for motorcycle safety and education when it was put in place, but over the years the law has been changed to allow it to be used to fund “the general operations of (DHSMV).”

ABATE is universally respected in the motorcycle community — a rarity given the diversity of the community, which encompasses veterans’ groups, current and former law enforcement, Christian groups, family groups, retiree groups, Harley owners groups, and many more.

The organization has received state funding in the past. The year that ABATE of Florida was charged with administering the program was the only year the state saw a decrease in motorcycle deaths and injuries.

But ABATE lost state funding in 2011 amid the Great Recession budget shortfall, when lawmakers modified the statute to allow the fee to be used for general operations at DHSMV. Motorcycle deaths and injuries have climbed in the years since.

The legislation under consideration this year is moving forward with bipartisan support. SB 838 cleared the Senate Transportation Committee with a unanimous vote two weeks ago; HB 709 advanced through the House Transportation & Modals Subcommittee last week, also with a unanimous vote.

However, the House bill was amended in committee to give DHSMV broad leeway in how the funding is used and would even allow the Department to keep the funding for itself. Proponents of the original bill say the committee substitute whiffs on the original intent — had DHSMV been providing adequate motorcycle safety education, they say, a shakeup wouldn’t be needed.

HB 709 is now awaiting a hearing in the House Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee. The Senate companion, which has not been altered, next goes before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism & Economic Development.