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Senate panel rejects cycle helmet repeal
Published Thursday, June 11, 2009
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal’s support for a repeal of Louisiana’s motorcycle helmet law for adults couldn’t save the proposal, which was rejected Wednesday for a second year by the Senate’s health committee.
The committee shelved the bill by Rep. Jim Morris, R-Oil City, without objection, siding with opponents who said the health concerns trump arguments of personal liberty.
Morris’ bill, which easily passed in the House, would have allowed riders 21 and older to drive without a helmet as long as they have health insurance and a certain amount of liability insurance. Morris said 30 states don’t require motorcyclists to wear a helmet.
Speaking for the Jindal administration, the governor’s executive counsel Jimmy Faircloth compared motorcycle riding to skydiving, mountain climbing or hunting — activities he said involve well-known risks that adults accept when taking part.
‘‘The governor supports this bill on the grounds of personal liberty and freedom of choice,’’ Faircloth said.
Senators said the helmet requirement was similar to the state’s seat belt law, designed to protect people from avoidable injuries.
On the Net:
House Bill 639 can be viewed at http://legis.state.la.us
Comments
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on June 12, 2009 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder how often august Senate bodies are first consulted when another branch of government champions some act of legal theater that they know will not pass.
Jimmy Faircloth compared motorcycle riding to skydiving, climbing and hunting -- but they will still try to put you in jail if you do one of those activities on public highways. In fact, if I am not mistaken, Louisiana is one of those places where you can go to prison for driving around with your legal prescription in a bottle other than the one it was delivered in.
I don't think this flurry about helmets was much more than an illusion and not really about liberty at all. IMHO. I think it was a empty pander to the increasingly wealthy class of Harley riders on the highway and their votes.
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