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Senate moves to regulate electric bicycles: helmets and license requirements adopted
Summary
SB 199 establishes a regulatory category for electric bicycles (max motor-assisted speed ~20 mph), requires operation on streets not sidewalks, mandates helmets for under-18 riders and requires a driver’s license; the bill passed to third reading (25–0).
The Senate advanced SB 199 on Feb. 19, which defines and regulates electric or motorized bicycles. Senator Beatty described the technology as essentially a mountain bike with an auxiliary electric motor that provides assistance up to roughly 20 miles per hour.
Under the bill as presented, electric bicycles would be treated similarly to mopeds for regulatory purposes: they would be prohibited from sidewalk operation, required to be ridden on streets, operators under age 18 must wear a bicycle-style helmet meeting American National Standards Institute criteria, and operators must hold a license (class D or optionally class M). Senator Beatty said the measure does not require a motorcycle endorsement but does require the operator to be familiar with road rules.
Floor discussion was brief; after a roll-call vote the bill was advanced to the third-reading calendar (25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent). Sponsors said the bill is intended to balance safety with practicality for a low-speed, pedal-able electric bicycle category.
