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House committee advances bill to require parental consent for minors’ motorcycle permits
Summary
Sponsors said House Bill 10 79 would close a statutory loophole that allows anyone over 21 to sign for a minor’s motorcycle permit; testimony included a parent who described her son’s near‑fatal crash and a young survivor who urged support. Committee advanced the bill unanimously to the Committee of the Whole.
Representative Bradley, a sponsor of House Bill 10 79, told the Transportation & Local Government Committee that she is pursuing the bill to "try to protect kids in Colorado" after her son suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle crash that required two units of blood, multiple surgeries and lengthy hospitalization.
"We received a phone call from the chaplain at Parker Adventist Hospital to come quick," Bradley said, describing a night she called "the worst night of my life." She said the bill does not ban motorcycles but would require parental or guardian consent for minors seeking an instructional motorcycle permit, closing a gap she and co-sponsors said currently allows anyone over 21 to sign for a teen’s permit.
Cole Bridal, who testified in person for three minutes, described obtaining a motorcycle permit without parental consent, subsequently buying an out‑of‑state motorcycle and nearly dying in a crash. "I am committed to advocating that situations like mine don't happen to any other families," Bridal said, urging a yes vote on the bill.
Co-sponsor Representative Basenacker and members of the committee framed the measure as a narrowly targeted, revenue‑neutral safety step intended to involve parents in teen riders’ training and decision‑making. Basenacker offered an amendment to ensure that minors in foster care have an appropriate sign‑off pathway; sponsors said the amendment came from an external office and that it clarifies consent mechanisms for different circumstances.
With no sustained objections in committee, Representative Basenacker moved HB 10 79 as amended to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded a unanimous roll‑call vote and advanced the bill.
The next procedural step is consideration in the Committee of the Whole. The committee did not take final action to enact the measure into law at this hearing.
