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Senate committee concurs with HB 588 after three amendments adding scooter definitions, lighting and helmet rules
Summary
The Senate Transportation Committee concurred with House Bill 588, which revises transportation laws to define motorized scooters and regulate their use; the committee adopted three amendments, including a technical coordination clause, a helmet-law inclusion for riders under 18 and a lighting alternative allowing wearable rear lamps.
The Montana Senate Transportation Committee voted to concur with House Bill 588, a measure that revises transportation laws to define motorized scooters and provide regulations for their operation.
Committee staff noted Representative Durham, the bill sponsor, approved three amendments presented to the committee. One amendment was described as technical—a coordination clause to align statutory language with another bill. Another amendment clarified helmet requirements by extending existing helmet-age rules to include mopeds, motorized scooters and quadricycles for riders up to age 18. A third amendment clarified lighting requirements: where a lamp cannot be affixed to a bicycle, moped, or motorized scooter, a rider may use “a red lamp with equal intensity and visibility affixed to the rider and facing to the rear,” which the sponsor noted could be a helmet-mounted light.
Committee members discussed the amendments and adopted each by voice vote and proxy where used. Senator Fern praised the amendment clarifying helmet rules; the sponsor's representative said the changes were intended to address practical usage questions such as how a rider without a mounting point could comply with lighting requirements. After three amendments were adopted, a motion to concur with HB 588 as three times amended carried on a voice vote and recorded proxies.
The committee's action advances the House-passed vehicle code changes that create a regulatory category for motorized scooters and clarify safety equipment expectations for riders, particularly those under 18. The committee record shows the bill was passed three times amended at the committee level and will proceed with the House language as amended.
