| VETO MESSAGE ON HB 1003 |
| April 28, 2005 |
| To the Honorable Speaker and Members, |
| The House of Representatives of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning, without my approval as to Section 8, Engrossed House Bill No. 1003 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to the operation of off-road vehicles on roadways." |
| Sections 1 through 7 and 9 of Engrossed House Bill 1003 provide for increased flexibility and improved safety requirements when operating an off-road vehicle. Specifically, no person under the age of thirteen (13) years may operate an off-road vehicle unless directly supervised by a person over the age of eighteen (18). Any person operating an off-road vehicle must wear an approved helmet unless the vehicle is equipped with seat belts, roll bars or an enclosed passenger compartment. Engrossed House Bill 1003 provides further flexibility for off-road vehicle users by permitting, in certain circumstances, the operation of the vehicle on non-highway roads to facilitate greater access to off-road vehicle specific trails. |
| Section 8 of Engrossed House Bill 1003 creates a task force for the purpose of studying and making recommendations regarding off-road vehicle noise. I am vetoing Section 8 because the task force created in that section is identical to the task force created in Engrossed Substitute House Bill 5089 (Sec. 1), which I signed April 22, 2005. |
| For these reasons, I have vetoed Section 8 of Engrossed House Bill 1003. |
| With the exception of Section 8, Engrossed House Bill 1003 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Christine O. Gregoire |
| Governor |