LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator hopes to win a decades-old debate with a familiar bill that would let motorcyclists ride without a helmet.
Lawmakers heard public testimony Monday on the proposal to repeal Nebraska's 1989 mandatory helmet law.
Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins says he introduced the bill because the state should let motorcyclists decide. The law's opponents say Nebraska loses millions of dollars in revenue from bikers who avoid Nebraska.
Advocates say helmet usage has consistently been shown to reduce fatalities.
The National Transportation Safety Board says more than 80 people died in motorcycle accidents in Nebraska between 2009 and 2013.
Last year a version of the bill that would have exempted riders older than 21 from the helmet law was blocked by a filibuster.
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