1999-2000 Massachusetts Bicycle Legislation

Rebuilding the Mass. Bicycle Advisory Board

MassBike will be tracking and lobbying for the passage by the Mass. General Court in 1999 House 1128, a reconstituted Bicycle Advisory Board. This new board would much more broadly represent bicycle interests and have more teeth in it that the old (inactive) board. This legislation is endorsed by the Secretary of Transportation in the Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan ("Action Plan", page xv). The text of the bill (virtually identical to the language in the plan) is given in full below, together with the "petitioners" (Rep. Anne Paulsen and co-sponsoring legislators):

House 1128; referred to Joint Committee on Transportation 1/6/99

The Secretary of Transportation shall create a new Bicycle Advisory Board (BAB), replacing the existing board, to advise the Bicycle Program Office. The board will consist of the Secretary of Transportation or his/her designee, the Secretary of the Office of Environmental Affairs or his/her designee, the Commissioner of Highways or his/her designee, the Commissioner of Environmental Management or his/her designee, the General Manager of the MBTA or his/her designee, the Superintendent of State Police or his/her designee, the Commissioner of Public Health or his/her designee, the Director of Travel & Tourism or his/her designee, one representative of any regional planning agency and seven non-governmental members appointed by the Governor upon recommendation of the co-chairmen, three of whom shall be experienced in bicycle safety, one of whom shall be a representative of the commercial bicycle industry, and three of whom shall be representatives of bicycle organizations. The Bicycle Program Manager will serve ex officio. Each appointee will serve without compensation for a term of two years and may be reappointed to serve for no more than three consecutive terms. Two co-chairmen shall be selected by a majority vote of the board members, but at least one of the chairmen will not be an employee of the Commonwealth. The advisory board will meet at least four times a year. Among the board's primary responsibilities shall be the monitoring of the implementation of the MassachusettsStatewide Bicycle Transportation Plan and assisting the Bicycle Program Office in future plan updates.

Petitioners include Reps. Anne Paulsen, John Stasik, Douglas Pedersen, Thomas Kennedy, Kay Kahn, Ruth Balser, Christopher Hodgkins, Barbara Hyland, Elizabeth Malia, Patricia Jehlen, Kevin Fitzgerald,[one name indecipherable] and Senator Steven Tolman.

To find out what you can do to help get this legislation passed, contact Ted Hamann by phone, (617) 576-0475 or email, thamann@acad.suffolk.edu.

Search for other bills currently under consideration by the Legislature.

Last updated February 3, 1999

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