Visitors to DC
At the end of last week, Steve Panten, Legislative Director of ABATE of Wisconsin and Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, President of the MRF, made the trip out to DC to meet with members of the Wisconsin delegation. Having missed out on Bikers Inside the Beltway, this was a great opportunity to remind the folks on Capitol Hill about motorcycle priorities.
Capitol Hill still remains on lockdown with most offices working from home and strict restrictions on visitors into the Capitol Complex. Despite these challenges, Steve and Hardtail managed three in-person meetings with Wisconsin offices as well as three calls with staff.
ABATE of Wisconsin and the MRF met in person with Senator Ron Johnson’s Chief of Staff and conducted a phone call with Senator Tammy Baldwin’s staff. The purpose of these conversations was to press the Senate to include identical provisions in their Highway Bill as those that are included in the House version.
Phone calls with the staff of Congressmen Mike Gallagher and Mark Pocan focused on thanking the two offices for their help on motorcycle issues. Congressman Gallagher was the lead sponsor of the amendment to the highway bill that fixes the Motorcycle Advisory Council. Congressman Pocan has been an original cosponsor of our profiling resolution over the past 3 Congresses.
Our team also had an in-person meeting with Congressman Brian Steil to discuss issues facing motorcyclists in the state and the current political environment in Wisconsin. With strict restrictions in place on office meetings, this one took place at a coffee shop down the street from the Capitol.
Our final meeting was with Congressman Tom Tiffany. Congressman Tiffany was elected in a special election earlier in the month as was just sworn into office a few weeks back. This was the first in-person meeting his office has held in DC since he was elected. ABATE of Wisconsin has made a point of personally meeting all newly elected members of their delegation and this trip was made with the main objective of meeting the new Congressman.
MRF PAC Breakfast
On Friday morning, your MRF team attended a private breakfast with Congressman Troy Balderson of Ohio. As you may remember, Congressman Balderson was one of the lead champions of our motorcycle amendments to the highway bill. At breakfast, Hardtail presented the Congressman with a check from the MRF PAC. This check was a way to say thank you for his efforts to protect the rights of all motorcyclists.
For over an hour, we discussed all things motorcycles. The Congressman even knew which Harley shop Tiffany stopped at to find a replacement part while riding through Ohio two years ago. Thank you to everyone that contributes to the MRF PAC. The PAC allows us to support our champions on Capitol Hill and gives us a relaxed environment to share ideas and stories about motorcycles.
A Story for the Ages
As we were finishing our final meeting of the trip with Congressman Tom Tiffany, we discovered that he and Hardtail were on the same flight back to Minneapolis that evening. After realizing that they live relatively close to one another, the Congressman asked Hardtail, “Would you mind giving me a ride home from the airport?” Not one to miss an opportunity Hardtail quickly said, “Sure!”
So, after arriving in Minneapolis, your MRF President chauffeured a newly elected Congressman 3.5 hours home. The only stop along the way was at a Jimmy John’s to grab a sandwich for dinner. It is still unclear who paid the tab for the food.
Needless to say, after over 3 hours in a car with Hardtail, we’re confident that the newly elected Congressman is fully briefed on all our motorcycle priorities and should be an ally for years to come!
We are a little disappointed that Hardtail decided to take his SUV to the airport instead of one of his bikes. Strapping a Congressman onto the back of a Harley would have made for an even better story!
Ride Free,
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation