The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill, SB 549, that would allow individuals 21 and older to operate a motorcycle without a helmet under specified conditions.
Senator Robert Beach, D-Monongalia, made an amendment that would change the motorcycle endorsement qualification to 5 years instead of 2 years. The amendment was rejected.
Senator Mike Romano, D-Harrison, proposed an amendment to require health insurance coverage in the case that there is a motorcycle accident involving someone who was not wearing a helmet. The amendment was rejected.
The committee previously reported the bill to the floor, but it was requested that the bill be referred back to Judiciary again on its second reading.
The bill was previously reported out of Senate Transportation and Infrastructure with the recommendation that it do pass.
The committee also moved that SB 560 be revised into a resolution to be studied during the interim. The bill would establish a medical malpractice peer review panel by the Board of Medicine to review medical malpractice and medical malpractice-related claim.
