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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1219 FILED ON: 1/14/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3697 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Steven S. Howitt |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act requiring the use of helmets for electronically propelled wheeled vehicle operators and |
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| 13 | 13 | | passengers. |
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| 14 | 14 | | _______________ |
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| 15 | 15 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 16 | 16 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Steven S. Howitt4th Bristol1/14/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1219 FILED ON: 1/14/2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3697 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3697) of |
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| 20 | 20 | | Steven S. Howitt relative to requiring the use of helmets for electronically propelled wheeled |
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| 21 | 21 | | vehicle operators and passengers. Transportation. |
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| 22 | 22 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 23 | 23 | | SEE HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5363 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 24 | 24 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 28 | 28 | | _______________ |
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| 29 | 29 | | An Act requiring the use of helmets for electronically propelled wheeled vehicle operators and |
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| 30 | 30 | | passengers. |
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| 31 | 31 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 32 | 32 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 33 | 33 | | 1 Chapter 85 of the Massachusetts General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2is hereby amended by inserting after Section 11D the following section:- |
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| 35 | 35 | | 3 Section 11D1/2. Any person operating an electric scooter, bicycle, skateboard, or other |
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| 36 | 36 | | 4electronically propelled wheeled vehicle, including hybrid electric bicycles, on a public way, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 5bicycle path or on any other public right-of-way shall wear a helmet. Such helmet shall fit the |
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| 38 | 38 | | 6person's head and be secured by straps at all times and shall meet the standards for helmets |
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| 39 | 39 | | 7established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z 90.4) or the Snell Memorial |
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| 40 | 40 | | 8Foundation's 1984 standard for use in bicycling. A violation of this section shall not be used as 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 9evidence of contributory negligence in a civil action. Nothing in this section shall require |
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| 42 | 42 | | 10individuals operating a motorized wheelchair to wear a helmet. |
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| 43 | 43 | | 11 A city or town shall be prohibited from adopting any by-laws or ordinances to change the |
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| 44 | 44 | | 12standards required by this section. |
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