Helmet bill, property tax topics of Hughes call

McCOOK, Neb. -- District 44 Sen. Dan Hughes co-sponsored a bill recently which would eliminate motorcycle and moped helmet requirements.

"It comes down to a matter of personal freedom," said Hughes this morning during his weekly conference call with the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce.

Nebraska is among 19 states that have a law in place requiring all motorcyclists to wear a helmet. Missouri and Nebraska are the only two states located within the central United States that have a universal helmet law in place.

The majority of U.S. states, 28, have a helmet law requiring only motorcyclists 17 years of age or younger to wear a helmet, with a few states extending the age requirement to 20. Only Iowa, Illinois and New Hamphshire have no helmet law requirements, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The bill, LB 31, was introduced by District 17 Sen. Dave Bloomfield and referred to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee last week.

Sen. Hughes indicated he wasn't thrilled by preliminary reports teasing Gov. Pete Ricketts' plan to reduce property taxes across the state. Hughes said Gov. Ricketts intends to add some 40 to 60 million dollars to the property relief fund over the next couple of years and he wasn't confident it amounted to anything more than kicking the can down the road.

"It doesn't solve the problem for very many school districts," said Hughes.

Sen. Hughes said the property tax relief fund has to be funded every year and it becomes low- hanging fruit for revenue starved legislators in budget tight years.

"It's not the long-term solution I was hoping for," said Hughes, adding he was still hopeful other legislation could make progress this session.

Sen. Hughes said a bill intending to require drivers to follow the same passing laws when passing bicyclists, as they would when passing another vehicle, stemmed from incidents involving high-profile bicycle enthusiasts being struck and killed by motorists in the Lincoln area. Hughes said state law requires motorists to give bicyclists three feet of space, however, it is difficult to enforce unless law enforcement officers actually witness the accident.

Sen. Hughes also said he was suspicious of the amount of tourism supporters of the bill thought they could generate by adding bike paths to urban areas.

He indicated legislation may not be the best approach for the issue but it could raise awareness and perhaps help raise funds for bike paths.