Thanks to the hard work of all of ABATE of Indiana it’s shaping up to be clear skies for the motorcyclists of The Hoosier State. However, threats to our rights still loom large in neighboring states and through the uncertainty of an oncoming election cycle.
Of all the bills on our radar, only 3 survived the 2024 session of the Indiana General Assembly. SB65 (salvage vehicles), SB281 (Child Helmet ORV Requirements), and HB1162 (BMV Matters) have all passed into Indiana Code.
Unfortunately, for a handful of weeks and still today, our neighbors in Illinois have been battling a helmet law. We’ve been helping out as we can and hope to have this awful thing beat by the beginning of April. Reach out to your local ABATE officer on how you can get involved.
2024 is an election year and unfortunately, through retirement, the race for national offices, and totally unpredictable races here at home, ABATE of Indiana is going to lose legislator friends at the Statehouse. We will be able to make new friends, but it won’t be as easy as it once was. What we need to cultivate these relationships is more members. We need at least 10,000 members to be in ABATE by May 7th, 2024. That’s the date of our Primary Elections. That means we need about 1,400 new members. We can do this!
It’s a wild world out there. We are continuing to track issues that plague modern motorcyclists like unsafe self-driving technologies that are already on our roads, the proliferation of damaging high ethanol fuels, and bad actors within bureaucratic agencies. Throughout the riding season, remember to keep your eyes open. Look for opportunities to talk to local and state lawmakers (and candidates!) about motorcycle issues.
ABATE of Indiana, by law, cannot and will not endorse a candidate for any elected office. However, it is my intent to distribute questionnaires to candidates for this year, and to have the responses collected and published in time for the General Election in November. This way every motorcyclist in Indiana can go to the polls as an informed voter.
Staying Vigilant,
Aaron Meyer
Legislative Information Network Committee Director
