Date: 04/22/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1345

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 15-1345 to the Committee of the WPASS



03:03 PM -- HB 15-1345

Representative Rosenthal, prime sponsor, came to the table to present to the committee on House Bill 15-1345. Current law requires that a motorcyclist obtain a motorcycle endorsement on his or her driver's license. Motorcyclists and passengers are also required by current law to wear eye protection and, if under the age of 18, a helmet. The bill exempts motorcyclists and passengers of a three-wheel motorcycle from these requirements if the motorcycle has a top speed of 25 miles per hour, a windshield, and seatbelts (motorcycles meeting these criteria are also known as auto rickshaws or tuk-tuks).

Representative Rosenthal responded to committee questions on the intent of the bill.

03:09 PM -- Walid Mourtada and Colin Sommer, representing eTuk USA, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Mourtada said that the bill would allow tuk-tuks to operate more widely in the Denver downtown area. Mr. Sommer said that three-wheel vehicles are considered motorcycles under federal law and that the company is trying to bring tuk-tuks to the U.S., which are approved for use throughout most of the world. He discussed the need to re-categorize three-wheeled vehicles, such as tuk-tuks, in order to separate them from motorcycles. Mr. Mourtada responded to questions on where tuk-tuks would operate in Denver and if eTuk USA will operate on specific routes.

03:21 PM -- Dennis Haberstumpf, representing A Brotherhood Active Towards Education (ABATE) of Colorado, discussed the bill. He said that ABATE is concerned that motorcycle accident statistics could be skewed by tuk-tuk accidents and that the mis-classification of tuk-tuks as motorcycles needs to be rectified. He responded to questions on the state's Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) program and data collection.

03:29 PM

Dave Hall, Legislative Liaison, Colorado State Patrol, came to the table to respond to questions on motorcycle accident statistics and the capability of the state patrol to separately track tuk-tuk accident statistics, and if there are other types of vehicle that are skewing motorcycle accident data. The committee discussed exploring this issue as part of the Transportation Legislative Review Committee in the 2015 interim.

03:35 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

03:37 PM -- Vanessa Medina Velasquez, representing herself, spoke to the bill.
BILL:HB15-1345
TIME: 03:38:47 PM
MOVED:Neville P.
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1345 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 13-0.
SECONDED:Buck
VOTE
Becker J.
Yes
Buck
Yes
Carver
Yes
Coram
Yes
Esgar
Yes
Kraft-Tharp
Yes
Melton
Yes
Moreno
Yes
Neville P.
Yes
Nordberg
Yes
Winter
Yes
Mitsch Bush
Yes
Tyler
Yes
Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS