Legislation is commonly used to codify public policy, whether good, bad, or indifferent. Perhaps more than you might expect, bills introduced in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures can have undue influence on how we drive, where we drive, and what controls are in place to punish offenders.
We developed the NMA Bill/Regulation Tracker (Tracker) in late 2018 with the conviction that the most effective advocacy is a byproduct of an informed and activated populace. “Knowledge is power” is a millennia-old saw, but a very true one for just about any topic. It is certainly valid for motorists, particularly in current times when our government is keen on imposing speed cameras and Vision Zero nonsense.
The early months of the calendar year are always the busiest legislative periods. New bills are introduced, and older ones are carried over from previous sessions or reintroduced. 2022 is no different, so we take this opportunity to reacquaint you with Tracker, where the knowledge to defend your driving rights is at your fingertips (or a mouse click away).
We update legislative information weekly and sometimes more frequently during the hectic January to March legislative period. Below is a snapshot of the responsive Tracker interface available as a free service to the public. At the time of this writing, it is populated with 69 bills from 25 states and the federal government. The issues include surveillance, speed cameras, transportation funding, school-bus cameras, driver courtesy, red-light cameras, tolling/HOV lanes, speed limits, enforcement/penalties, and highway safety. They are a virtual potpourri of topics that affect every driver.
By using the Jurisdiction and Issue filters, the results are narrowed to a particular state or motorist topic of interest. But that’s just the beginning of the power of Tracker. Click on (or tap your finger for those with touchscreens) a line item of interest, or click on “More” at the far right to open an information window that drills down into the crux of the bill.
Let’s take Alabama Senate Bill 56 as an example.
In addition to listing the basic facts of the bill, the NMA team provides a brief summary of why this bill is significant to motorists and supplements it with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon to indicate our recommended support or opposition.
Click on “Full Bill Text” to open a window, courtesy of Legiscan.com, into the guts of the proposed legislation, including such key information as:
- Bill sponsor(s)
- Committee assignment
- Scheduled hearings
- Link to complete text of the bill
- Votes taken
- Legislative timeline
It is all there for advocates to prepare a response for their state or federal elected representatives. We have said it many times: The roughly 250 million licensed drivers in the United States form (or should form) one of the largest blocs of special interest voters in the country. That only matters if we collectively are willing to speak up before bills become law and law becomes policy.
Knowledge is power, but only when it fuels action.
If you are aware of pending motorist-effecting legislation that is not on Tracker, please contact us at nma@motorists.org to let us know, a) the state legislature (or U.S. Congress) that has the bill on its docket, b) the bill designation, e.g., Senate Bill 56, House/Assembly Bill 83, etc., and c) any comments you’d like to make that drew your attention to the proposed law.
