HB 2001 – Landmark funding bill for highways.  Generates $300 million a year in new fees for highways.  Constitutionally protected money can only be used on highway uses.

Fees that rise are:

Registration fees 2 years         $          84

Motorcycle registration 2 years           48

Weight mile fees                                 Increase by graph

Title Fee                                              77

2 plates                                                20 or 25

1 plate                                                 10 or 13

21 day light vehicle Trip permit          30

10 day trip permit                               15

HB 2020 – Raids the ATV allocation fund.  Sends the money to the Department of Agriculture to help fight invasive species of plants.  Rips off the gas tax money off highway users left in the fund for something not connected to why they were collected in the first place.  A definite ‘rip off’ by the legislature during the last moments of the 2009 legislature.

HB 2564 – Amends dealer law to allow out of state dealers and their ‘authorized representatives buy, sell and consign vehicles in auctions that only allow licensed dealers to buy, sell and consign vehicles.  Allows DMV to make rules to define what an ‘authorized representative’ is.  Agreement before HB 2564 was passed is that only employees are going to be in the definition, and out of state dealers may only consign vehicles at ‘dealer only’ auctions.

Starting January 1, 2009, riders under the age of 16 will be required to successfully complete internet-based training to ride Class I (quads) and Class III (off-road motorcycles) vehicles on public lands. Since these youth must also be supervised by an adult who is at least 18 years old, any adult supervising a youth must also complete the online safety course beginning January 1, 2009. By 2014, riders of all ages will be required to complete this course. The legislatively mandated new laws do not impact Class II (Jeeps, dune buggies, rails, side-by-sides) riders.

OVDA President Monty King attended a Stakeholders ATV committee meeting in late October and was able to review the new Oregon Parks & Recreation Department’s ATV training website and, in his opinion, it was a complete success.

“If they were on “Dancing with the Stars”, this would have been a perfect 10″, King told Parks Department Managers after reviewing the site.

Effective January 1, 2009, whether riding a motorcycle or an ATV off-road in the forest, desert or Dunes, both in-state and out-of-state riders need to go to the site and take the safety education course. Once you successfully pass the course, you can immediately download and print a temporary card. A permanent ATV Safety Education Card will be mailed to the rider within a few weeks. The cost to the public for this safety education training is zero. The state will not charge for taking the course or for obtaining the ATV Safety Education Card. The only charge is if the rider loses their card and needs a replacement. Then it will cost $8 for a replacement card.

Since the new law requires that eventually everyone who rides on public property will need to obtain the safety education card, you can take training individually or as a family group. Parents can and should help train their youngsters and it can all be done easily on the internet.

The new laws do not apply to riders who recreate or work on private property. Enforcement on public lands will start in earnest on January 1, 2009. Many law enforcement agencies have already said that they are going to spend the first 6 months working hard on educating and less on citing the public; they really want to get the public up to speed on the new laws but be assured, anyone who is endangering themselves or others is likely to be ticketed for their stupid behavior.

Dealers should ensure everyone buying or renting off-road vehicles knows about the training requirements. Brochures and literature are available free from the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department. Check out their new website at:

http://www.rideatvoregon.org/

Oregon Parks & Recreation Department staff are going to come around to those dealers who rent Class I and Class III vehicles to the public and will help them understand their requirements in providing safety instructions to their customers.

Beginning in 2012, the state intends to have in place additional safety educational opportunities for riders under the age of 16 that will consist of “hands-on” training.

For additional information about the new training requirements contact John Lane (phone: 503-986-0585 or email: john.lane@state.or.us).