<td data-cellinner="cell1" style="width:100.0%;">
NEWS FROM THE HILL – Motorcycle Caucus Back in Business, Profiling Discussions Underway
The Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, first founded in 2009, acts as a forum for Members of Congress who ride or are interested in motorcycles to discuss relevant issues. The Caucus has been a huge help to the MRF in recent weeks as they helped to sound the alarm when the Federal Highway Administration announced their intention to move forward with the Motorcyclist Advisory Council but neglected to include adequate representation of motorcyclists! We continue to thank the Caucus for their support on that particular issue.
However, because it is a new Congress and new Administration, the Caucus is again soliciting elected officials to be included as Members of the Caucus. The group is run by Reps. Tim Walberg (Michigan) and Mike Burgess (Texas). They recently issued the solicitation below asking for new members. Please consider reaching out to your Member of Congress and ask them to join the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus! The letter currently circulating can be found below. Alternatively, for a copy, contact Megan Ekstrom (Megan@MRF.org)
<img border="0" data-wawidth="1" id="_x0000_i1026" src="http://MotorcycleRidersFoundation.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/dear%20colleague.png" style="height:auto;line-height:100%;width:auto;" title="" width="600" />As many of you know, in 2016, the MRF worked to get a bill addressing motorcycle profiling introduced in the House of Representatives. However, with the November elections, a new Congress and new Administration were ushered in and all legislative proposals from 2015 and 2016 expired. As such, the MRF is again working to get a similar measure regarding anti-profiling introduced in the coming months. The MRF and its supporters have been diligently working with both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate in the hopes of getting a bill introduced in EACH chamber that would be both bi-partisan and bi-cameral. This tactic will ultimately help the chances of passage. Currently, the MRF has commitments from House Republicans and Democrats to introduce the bill, but we are still working on securing a Democratic co-sponsor in the Senate to help lead this effort. If you have a positive working relationship with a Democratic Senator in your state, please contact Megan Ekstrom ASAP. Ultimately, our goal is to get this bill introduced just prior to the Bikers Inside the Beltway Event and then use that lobbying event as the jumping off point to rally additional co-sponsors and supporters. Please help the MRF with the final piece of the puzzle if you think your Senator (who aligns with Democrats) would be willing to sponsor a Senate bill addressing motorcycle profiling.
EXECUTIVE & REGULATORY UPDATES – Cuts to EPA Under Trump Budget, Comments Filed to Federal Highway Administration and MAC Deadline Pushed Again
Last week, the President released his recommended budget for the funding of federal agencies. Interestingly, the suggested budget gives some indication of where the White House priorities lie. This year’s budget proposed a 31 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency. Tellingly, it appears as though the Administration is looking to take away any federal funding for policies regarding climate change housed within the EPA. The budget blueprint funds the EPA at $5.7 billion next year, down from its current budget of $8.3 billion. The budget also discontinues $100 million in funding for several climate change programs within the Agency, including enforcement for Obama-era climate rules, climate change research and international climate change support. Be aware that this budget is merely a suggestion, Congress is in charge of funding the government and will have to approve such a measure. At this point it appears unlikely that Congress will approve Trump’s suggested budget ‘as is.’
This week, your MRF filed official comments with the Federal Highway Administration regarding the Motorcyclist Advisory Council or MAC. As a reminder, the MAC was created to coordinate with and counsel the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on infrastructure issues that affect motorcyclists. So, it came as shock when the FHWA announced in January they would only dedicate one seat out of a possible ten for a motorcyclist on the Council. Instead, the other nine seats were to represent experts in road design, construction, safety and engineering. The MRF quickly mobilized, asking Members of Congress to weigh in. That they did, with letters representing dozens of states and almost 40 elected officials signing on to oppose the move by FHWA. In addition, the MRF filed its own set of comments which aggressively addressed the missteps of the Agency. For a copy of the MRF’s comments, contact Megan Ekstrom (Megan@mrf.org). Relatedly, we found out this week that the deadline for submitting nominations to serve on the MAC was pushed yet again. Originally, comments and nominations were due in February. That date got pushed back to March 23 and we were told this week by the FHWA that they are pushing the deadline yet again to mid-April. Its unclear if the MRF’s advocacy and concerns are the reason the deadline is being pushed but it is clear that internally, there are discussions going on within the FHWA about how to handle the MAC and as a result, the finish line keeps being moved. Stay tuned….
STATE NEWS – South Dakota
Recently, ABATE of South Dakota had a legislative win – they had been working on SB79 this year. This bill allows for motorcycle license plates to be mounted in any way except upside down. This is after their members wanted a vertical plate option. Happily, the bill passed in March with the voting in favor – the Senate passed it 34-0 and the House 60-7 with 3 excused. The bill was signed by the Governor and will now allow the mounting of a motorcycle license plate in any position except upside down. The law takes effect July 1st. Great job SD!
MRF NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
The BITB deadline is looming!! The MRF’s 9th Annual Michael ‘Boz’ Kerr Bikers Inside the Beltway is set for Tuesday, May 23, 2017. This signature event provides a forum to meet personally with your fellow riders, Senators, Congressmen and their staff and tell them directly what issues we care about. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity.
Keep in mind that you must register to attend this event! Contact mrfoffice@mrf.org or register directly at http://mrf.org/events/ or call 202-546-0983. Though there is not a cost to attend, you will be expected to make appointments with your lawmakers, attend the prep session and report back on your meetings. Please register by May 1 to ensure space for you or your group.
I hope to see you there!
RIDE FREE-
![]()
Megan Ekstrom
Vice-President of Government Affairs & Public Relations
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation