Today, H.B. 4034 came up in House Judiciary and it was placed into a subcommittee with Delegate Barbara Fleischauer as chair. (Recall that Barbara participated in October's legislative bike ride in response to Traci's invitation!) The other members of the subcommittee are McCuskey R-Kanawha, Wells D-Kanawha (lead sponsor), Pino D-Fayette, & Sobonya R-Cabell. If you know any of these delegates, please contact them. If you know anybody in those counties, please ask them to contact their delegates and encourage them to support H.B. 4304.
Barbara Fleischauer barbaraf@wvhouse.gov (304) 340-3169 John B. McCuskey john.mccuskey@wvhouse.gov (304) 340-3183 Danny Wells danny.wells@wvhouse.gov (304) 340-3287 John Pino john.pino@wvhouse.gov (304) 340-3170 Kelli Sobonya kelli.sobonya@wvhouse.gov (304) 340-3175
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/committees/house/HouseCommittee.cfm?Chart=jud lists the members of the Judiciary Committee and their contact info. Besides contacting the delegates on Barbara's subcommittee, please call other members of the Judiciary, e.g. Frich who represents us and get your friends in other counties to call the delegates that represent them.
With a full complement of 11 sponsors, and our Barbara leading the subcommittee, H.B. 4034 is off to a good start. There will certainly be some delegates that will oppose it. Let's be sure that all delegates hear from those of us that support it. It would be especially powerful if they got called by coal truck drivers or other professional drivers that are also bicyclists.
Frank
Begin forwarded message:
From: Frank Gmeindl fgmeindl@gmail.com Date: January 25, 2014 3:06:12 PM EST To: Bicycle Board bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com Subject: H.B. 4304 bicycle law
On Friday, January 24, 2014, House Bill 4304 was introduced to the WV legislature.
H.B. 4304:
- requires motorists to pass bicycles not less than three feet at a careful and reduced speed;
- allows motorists to cross the double yellow line to pass a bicycle;
- repeals the law that requires bicyclists to ride as far to the right as practicable;
- repeals the requirement for bicyclists to use a side path and not to use the road;
- repeals the requirement for bicycles to have a bell.
To read the bill (one page) go to: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4304%20int...
To understand the steps that a bill goes through to become a law, see: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/Bill_Becomes_Law/Bill_Becomes_Law.c...
Please call your delegates and encourage them to support this bill. House delegates are listed at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/House/roster.cfm
Attached are some talking points and the animation at http://commuteorlando.com/ontheroad/animations/narrowlane/narrowlane.html can help your discussion.
Frank