TMRA2 Legislative Update

Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007
- H.R.505

Under this bill, Native Hawaiians would be permitted to organize into a governing entity that could negotiate with the federal government.
Congress is scheduled to take up this Bill during the coming week. This would give them the same standing as the American Indians recognized by the Federal Government.

There are 16 Propositions on the November 6th Ballot to amend the State Constitution. These can be read at our website, www.tmra2.org Generally it must be a very important issue to warrant a change to the constitution.
A good rule of thumb is to just VOTE NO unless you know the Proposition falls in that category. In my opinion Props 6, 9 and 10 have those qualities. Read them and make your own choices but please don’t be fooled by #11. This only requires a record on the final vote to passage. We need to know how they voted during committee hearings and on amendments that got the Bill to a final vote. Let’s go back and try this one again next session. We can win this if Proposition 11 fails. If it passes we will never get any type movement on it again.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will not seek another term as US Senator. She will probably step down in 2009 to run for Governor of Texas in 2010. That would be a very sweet move for Texas Bikers. Senator Hutchison has been a very strong supporter to have in DC. Not very good news however for the Lt. Governor who is already eyeing the seat.

Michigan riders were willing to go the limit to ride without a helmet but after passing the Bill it appears it is headed for a veto by their governor.

Many of you have heard about the NTSB recommendation that all states pass a mandatory helmet law for adults. As you know we got a federal Bill passed to stop NHTSA from lobbying states with taxpayer money. Now NTSB is doing the Lobbying for NHTSA as they weren’t banned from doing so under that law. They are using TAXPAYER money to do so.
NTSB has sent letters of recommendation to all governors of states that do not have adult helmet laws and plan to send lobbyist into states to help pass a helmet law. It will be up to each state’s riders to keep that from happening. In the meantime contact your US Senators and your Congressman to put a stop to this nonsense and ban ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES from using taxpayer money to lobby for anything in state government. This is the only way to stop this type interference permanently.

I was recently appointed as Chairman of the NCOM Legislative Task Force.
My first assignment was to speak at the Region Nine Meeting in Reno, Nevada. Flew out on Friday morning and opened the meeting on Saturday. It was a very well orchestrated meeting hosted by the Northern Nevada COC.
All in attendance were very interested in what was being said during the entire event. I was asked to come back out and speak to the entire Nevada COC as their guest at a later date. They will pick up all expenses and as they said “treat me right.” I explained I would do so if they fit it into my schedule.

I am planning to attend the Mid South MILE this coming weekend in Arkansas.

Court looking at state’s promotion of toll-road plan By PEGGY FIKAC Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — When Texas transportation officials talk about bridges these days, they don’t necessarily mean steel spans and concrete girders.
Instead, they are being taught how to “bridge” from off-message questions to their own talking points in a toll-road campaign.

“You will often be asked questions that don’t get to the points you wish to make or that you don’t wish to answer,” says a “radio interview techniques” section of Texas Department of Transportation documents released under the Public Information Act. “You can use bridging to turn the question to your points.”

One useful phrase, suggests the document — prepared by consultants who are to be paid $24,500 for talk-radio training for the campaign, and tweaked by the department — is this: ” … I think what you are really asking is … “
The document also offers this timeless advice: “Keep calm. Leave wrestling to the pigs. They always end up looking like pigs.”

DON’T FORGET THE HOWL-O-WEEN RALLY IN GROESBECK THE FIRST WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER.

Sputnik