With special thanks Bob Pistole from Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, IL, as well as RedBud's Amy Ritchie, here's more on the defeat of the controversial Illinois House Bill 3914, which would have basically made it illegal for anyone without a driver's license or under the age of 16 to ride an off-road motorcycle or ATV. ABATE (the motorcyclists' rights organization from Illinois) has an office in Springfield and caught the legislation first, and notified AMA District 17 officials.  "The district did a great job of getting the word out," reported Pistone. "There were over 200 people at the committee meeting this morning.  The committee allowed the general public to speak, and he was impressed that one of the kids spoke up against the law. There were promoters and riders from just about every D17 division there: MX, Hare Scrambles, Dirt Track, Enduro - lots of riders and families, and that made a big impression." 

The representative who pushed for the legislation-- Mary Flowers -- was not very convincing, added Pistole. "All she did was recite statistics and didn't seem to understand anything about riding or racing, and she couldn't pronounce 'Polaris.' Regardless, there didn't seem to be much support for the law from the representatives on the committee, and the vote seemed like just a formality, coming out at 17-3 against.

Special thanks should be noted for Illinoise State Representative Bob Flider, who was on the panel and supported the motorcycle and ATV riders.