Motorcycle Operator Safety Training fund in jeopardy!
As motorcyclists there is an important issue happening at the Capitol November 7th and possibly beyond. I don't know how many of you are aware of the Motorcycle Operators Safety Training (MOST) program and how it works. For those of you that don't here's a quick lesson. The program was established in 1990. Motorcyclists worked with the Legislature to impose fees upon our registration and licensing to create a fund to assist with rider training in Colorado. We even went back to the Legislature in 2006 to raise the fees. Each of us pay an additional $4 on our registration every year and when we renew our driver's license we pay an additional $2. These fees are collected and put into the MOST program to offset training costs to CO residents and military. Every training company that works under MOST gets a subsidy per student to reduce the costs of the courses offered. The amount varies from year to year dependent upon how much money is in the fund. There have been some issues with the program. Until recently it was not well managed. ABATE tried to correct some issues Legislatively in 2010. The bill was ultimately defeated by competing training companies and a faction of motorcyclists. It did result in an Audit of the MOST program which was completed last week and heard by the Legislative Audit Committee. There were several recommendations (surprisingly familiar to what ABATE asked for in 2010) that should be implemented in the program. There was also a recommendation to close the program. The Audit Committee voted to draft a bill to close the program. ABATE's members have chosen to fight to preserve the MOST program with the other recommendations implemented and we need your help if you agree with us!! When the Audit Committee meets again November 7th they will vote whether to move the bill forward to shut down MOST or they will kill the bill. We'd like to convince them to kill the bill. There is still a chance that another Legislator will decide to introduce a bill in 2012. We will compose a plan of action if that happens. If you feel this program is valuable to Colorado and want to help us here is what you can do. Contact these Legislators and tell them we want to keep the MOST program.
This is our first group to hit hard and heavy with emails, phone calls...etc. Thank the ones that voted no on the draft legislation...still send them out talking points which I will cut and paste in another post!! ABATE will be visiting them in person in the coming weeks.
Rep. Cindy Acree - 303-866-2944
E-mail: cindy.acree.house@state.co.us
Rep Deb Gardner - 303-866-2780 Thank you for the support
E-mail: deb.gardner.house@state.co.us
Rep Jim Kerr - 303-866-2939
E-mail: james.kerr.house@state.co.us
Rep Joe Miklosi - 303-866-2910
E-mail: joe@joemiklosi.com
Senator Scott Renfroe - 303-866-4451
E-mail: senatorrenfroe@gmail.com
Senator Steve King - 303-866-3077
E-mail: steve.king.senate@state.co.us
Senator Lucia Guzman - 303-866-4862 Thank you for the support
E-mail: lucia.guzman.senate@state.co.us
Senator Lois Tochtrop - 303-866-4863 Thank you for the support (she is a huge friend to motorcyclists)
E-mail: lotochtrop@aol.com
If you have more questions shoot me a pm or call me 303-789-3264. Thanks for your help. REMEMBER this is NOT a government imposed program, motorcyclists of Colorado imposed this program!! It's OUR money not the general taxpayers!!!
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