URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Email Your Legislators to Support SB 1517-21
Oregon riders, racers, and trail volunteers — we need your help this week.
A bill affecting liability waivers for recreational events and volunteer activities is expected to be voted on in two days, and it directly impacts the future of riding, racing, and trail stewardship in Oregon.
If this issue is not fixed, events like races, poker runs, and volunteer trail projects could become impossible to insure in Oregon.
Without insurance, many clubs, promoters, landowners, and volunteers will simply not be able to continue hosting events or organizing trail work. That means fewer events, fewer places to ride, and fewer volunteers maintaining the trails we all depend on.
The solution is SB 1517-21.
SB 1517-21 restores the protections around recreational waivers that Oregon relied on for many years, and that still exist in many neighboring states.
These protections are critical for:
Motorcycle races and organized rides
Poker runs and recreational events
Volunteer trail maintenance and stewardship
Landowners who allow recreation on their property
Nonprofits and clubs that organize these activities
If courts become a routine part of ordinary negligence claims related to recreational activities, insurers have warned they will leave Oregon. Without insurance coverage, many of the activities our community depends on simply cannot continue.
What You Can Do (Takes Less Than One Minute)
Please take a moment today to email your Oregon legislators and ask them to support SB 1517-21 only.
Find your legislators here:
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/FindYourLegislator/legislator-lookup.html
Send one email to your State Representative and one to your State Senator.
Your message does not need to be long or perfect. Three sentences is enough:
Introduce yourself and mention that you live in their district.
Ask them to support SB 1517-21 only.
Briefly explain why riding, racing, and Oregon trails matter to you and your family.
Personal messages from constituents make a real difference.
Why This Matters
Our riding community depends on volunteers, land managers, clubs, and event organizers working together to keep trails open and events running.
If insurance becomes unavailable due to increased legal exposure, the result will be simple:
Fewer organized events
Less volunteer trail maintenance
Increased costs for participants
Loss of recreational opportunities across Oregon
We have successfully shown up before when the future of our sport and recreation was at stake. Each time our community spoke up, it made a difference.
Now we need riders, racers, and trail volunteers across Oregon to do it again.
Please Act Today
Take 30 seconds and send an email asking your legislators to support SB 1517-21 only.
Find your legislators here:
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/FindYourLegislator/legislator-lookup.html
Then share this with other riders so more people take action.
Our community works because people care enough to show up — on the trail and when it matters most.
