A Killington lawyer who sometimes sits as a traffic court judge in Vermont appeared Wednesday before another judge and pleaded innocent to criminal charges, including three felonies, for allegedly lying to police about his role in a motor-vehicle crash that injured a motorcyclist.

A Killington attorney who occasionally sits as a traffic court judge in Rutland County is facing criminal charges for his alleged role in a motor-vehicle crash and then falsely telling police it was his wife who was behind the wheel of the vehicle, according to court records filed Tuesday.

With Congress poised to return today from a sleepy month off fromWashington, it's a great time to call or e-mail your federal legislators and remind them to support HR 1076 and S 616, the two pieces oflegislation filed on behalf of motorcyclists to fix the discriminatory loopholes in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These two pieces of legislation are currently sitting in committee before both bodies of Congress. The Motorcycle Riders
Foundation (MRF) encourages you to contact your Senators and Representatives this week.

The HIPAA loophole mentioned above allows employer-sponsored health insurance plans to deny payments for particular injuries that stem from any risky recreational behavior. Another wrinkle is that the employer can determine what behaviors they want to define as risky. Some have refused payment of hospital bills for injuries as common as sprained ankles resulting from jogging. And although it is a legal form of transportation subject to taxes, tolls and licensing fees, for some reason motorcycling is specifically mentioned in HIPAA as a hazardous recreational activity.

Rep. John Rodgers had introduced House Resolution H.0064 Motorcycle Helmets. If this bill passes, motorcyclists with 1 year or more riding experience (motorcycle endorsement) and 21 years of age or older will be free to choose whether or not to wear a helmet.

(Boston, MA) Motorcycle fatalities decreased in Massachusetts In 2006 despite a 5% increase in registrations, reported the State’s Motorcycle Association.