On Tuesday, 13 members of the House of Representatives sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary of Pete Buttigieg seeking the formation of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC). As you may remember, the MAC was first established by Congress in 2015 and renewed with passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.

Unfortunately, despite the requirement that the MAC be established within 90 days after the law is passed, DOT has failed to act. In the past, the MAC has provided a critical forum for policy makers, roadway engineers, and motorcyclists to discuss ways roadway and barrier design, construction and maintenance practices and intelligent transportation systems can better meet the safety needs of the nearly 9 million motorcyclists in this country.

One important part of the reestablished MAC, as outlined in the text of the law, is the expansion of membership seats. The inclusion of manufacturers, motorcyclist rights organizations and safety professionals will provide for a more expansive knowledge base and information sharing on the council. As prescribed in the law, the MAC will be required to submit biennial reports on their findings.

Establishment of the MAC was one of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s priorities during the recent Bikers Inside the Beltway event in D.C. Thank you to Rep. Gallagher for leading the letter and to the 12 other lawmakers listed below for supporting our efforts to seat the MAC.

•     Rep. Gallagher (WI)
•     Rep. Carsen (IN)
•     Rep. Finstad (MN)
•     Rep. Fitzgerald (WI)
•     Rep. Fitzpatrick (PA)
•     Rep. Grothman (WI)
•     Rep. Lee (NV)
•     Rep. Norman (SC)
•     Rep. Stauber (MN)
•     Rep. Steil (WI)
•     Rep. Tiffany (WI)
•     Rep. Van Orden (WI)
•     Rep. Wilson (SC)

To read the full text of the letter click here.

Bikers inside the Beltway – “Building toward total success!”?  The event is two weeks away and the claim is either arrogant or wishful thinking. It’s neither.

Since the late eighties, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and motorcyclists’ rights advocates have journeyed to Capitol Hill on behalf of the nation’s motorcyclists. Since 2009 and the inception of Bikers inside the Beltway, the journey matches the MRF’s immediate and long-term legislative goals.

With over one hundred registered attendees, the hotel is totally booked. Although rooms may be available at neighboring hotels, we can make no recommendations. Finding rooms on the Blue or Yellow Metro lines is possible on a first-come basis.

The event hotel (Embassy Suites at 1900 Diagonal, Old Town Alexandra) is on notice to expect more attendees than we’ve experienced at the past three Bikers inside the Beltway, and they are preparing for the MRF Board meeting (open to all) on May 15. Briefing packets and “leave-behinds” are being assembled for the 6:00 p.m. briefing on Monday evening.

Registration for Bikers inside the Beltway is free, and even if you are staying at another hotel, you are requested to register now to ensure we have your state’s leave-behind packet ready. Use the link or the QR code below for Bikers inside the Beltway registration.

To ensure that the mission of getting our message to Congress continues to be successful, it is not too late to act on the following:

·      Make your appointments locally or in Washington.

·      Familiarize yourself with the briefing points.

·      Confirm your appointment locally or in Washington.

·      Virtual or in person, make notes on your meeting.

·      Share your meeting notes with the MRF.

 

The MRF’s victories, realized in the waning hours of the 117^th Congress in December, came to fruition because of dedicated freedom fighters and events like Bikers inside the Beltway. The MRF will continue to stand and hold common ground to oppose profiling, support the right to repair, support policies to protect motorcyclist from the perils of sharing the road with autonomous vehicles, and oppose the distribution of ethanol-15 without pump identifiers.

Bikers inside the Beltway -- an essential element of the MRF’s grassroots activism. Act now to attend the pre-event briefing and Q&A for visits to Congress, scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Monday, May 15. Again, briefing packets and “leave behinds” will be available during the briefing.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s Bikers inside the Beltway — May 15 & 16, 2023.

Thank you for your commitment to the ongoing fight to promote and protect the rights of all motorcyclists.

Yours in Freedom,

 

Fredric Harrell

MRF Director of Conferences & Events

PS The event recap and de-briefing will take place at the Embassy Suites on Tuesday, May 16 from 6-8:00 p.m.

https://motorcycleridersfoundation.wildapricot.org/widget/event-5008758/Registration

Friday, the Biden Administration issued an emergency waiver allowing for the sale of E15 from June 1st to September 15th. Restrictions on fuel volatility have limited the sale of E15 to the months outside of summer.  This move by the Biden Administration is an attempt to appease lawmakers from corn producing states, who for years have lobbied for year-round use of the fuel. A similar emergency waiver was issued in 2022.

As always read your owner’s manual, know what you are putting in your bike, and be an educated consumer.

To read more about the decision click here.

Heartland STEAM in Bismarck this weekend marks the unofficial conclusion of the 2023 MRF “Road  Show”. Beginning in January MRF board members have traveled to 23 states to speak and present at SMRO events. We are honored to be invited to so many events, and we do our best to attend all of them.

Getting out into the states and meeting with bikers is a critical part of what MRF board members do. Listening to presentations and having one on one conversations with bikers helps the MRF shape our agenda. We are successful in D.C. because of these interactions.

After Heartland STEAM, we will pivot to our next big event, Bikers Inside the Beltway. This May we again plan to take our message to the halls of Congress and fight to protect the rights and freedoms of the street rider.

While this year’s road show is ending, we are already planning the 2024 version. If you’d like a representative of the MRF to visit your state event let us know!

Thank you for the hospitality you’ve shown us, and let’s continue to fight on!

As always Ride Safe and Ride Free!!!

Across the country a battle is underway between those that want to end the availability of combustion engines, and those fighting to protect their survival. While states like California and Massachusetts are setting timelines for purchase bans on internal combustion engines, other states like New Hampshire and Wisconsin are pushing back.

Bikers inside the Beltway – Since the late eighties, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and motorcyclists’ rights advocates have journeyed to Capitol Hill on behalf of the nation’s motorcyclists. Since 2009 and the inception of Bikers inside the Beltway, the journey matches the MFR’s immediate and long-range legislative goals. Bikers inside the Beltway 2023 will not deviate from the MRF’s purpose – Standing on and holding common ground to protect the rights of all motorcyclists. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) response to the request from Congress, and initiated by the MRF, to provide the agency’s direction regarding protecting all highways users and especially motorcyclists from the perils of autonomous vehicles being driven without the driver’s full attention to traffic was less than stellar. The words of former U.S. Representative David Price from North Carolina may well applyto the recent efforts of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation “... Understand that not every battle can be won on the first try and that politics is a matter of striking a balance between ... compromising and finding common ground where you can, and fighting where you must.” The MRF found common ground among the nation’s state motorcyclist rights organizations, motorcycle club members, and all freedom loving motorcyclists who, as the Motorcycle Profiling Project demonstrates, are susceptible to being profiled while riding a motorcycle. Although anti-profiling language was included in the mega funding legislation signed into law in December, the MRF will remain diligent in assisting SMROs pass anti-profiling legislation at the state level. The MRF’s victories, realized in the waning hours of the 117th Congress in December, drive home Congressman Price’s words, and demonstrate the positive results from standing on and holding common ground. Those victories came from the year-after-year vigilance of MRF members writing, calling, and meeting with members of Congress during the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s annual Bikers inside the Beltway. Now is the time for you to make plans to attend Bikers inside the Beltway – May 15 & 16, 2023. As in years past, Bikers inside the Beltway will be dual-faceted to accommodate in-person visits to Congress plus visits to local district offices. To ensure that the mission of getting our message to Congress continues to be successful, please consider the following: Make your appointments locally or in Washington. Familiarize yourself with the briefing points. Confirm your appointment locally or in Washington. Virtual or in person, make notes on your meeting. Share your meeting notes with the MRF. In conjunction with Bikers inside the Beltway, a meeting of the MRF Board of Directors takes place on May 15 at the Embassy Suites, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, Virginia. Rooms are available through the hotel direct line 703-684-5900 and use reference code MRF. Bikers inside the Beltway is an essential element of the MRF’s grassroots activism. Rooms are limited and the cut-off date is rapidly approaching. Act now to attend the pre-event briefing and Q&A for visits to Congress, scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Monday, May 15. Briefing packets and “leave behinds” will be available during the briefing. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s Bikers inside the Beltway — May 15 & 16, 2023.

PS Registration for Bikers inside the Beltway is free. However, we request that you register early to help us plan the event. Use the link or the QR code below for Bikers inside the Beltway registration. Thank you.

P.P.S. This year, more than any time before, one of the MRF’s top agenda items is to specifically thank supporters in Congress for helping foster our success in 2023.

https://motorcycleridersfoundation.wildapricot.org/widget/event-5008758/Registration

Media reports have surfaced regarding a planned announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed to ensure that all-electric cars make up as much as 67 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the country by 2032.

According to the New York Times, "The proposed rule would not mandate that electric vehicles make up a certain number or percentage of sales. Instead, it would require that automakers make sure the total number of vehicles they sell each year did not exceed a certain emissions limit. That limit would be so strict that it would force carmakers to ensure that two thirds of the vehicles they sold were all-electric by 2032."

In 2021 roughly 6% of vehicles sold were electric. Increasing that percentage by a multiple of 10 in less than a decade presents numerous challenges. Sourcing the materials to make the batteries, building an adequate number of charging stations and ensuring the electrical grid is safe and secure to meet the increased demands are all major issues.

This potential EPA announcement comes as states around the nation are tackling the issues very differently. While California has been at the forefront of the attacks on combustion engines, other states have sought to protect such engines. This week lawmakers in Wisconsin held hearings on legislation that would protect the combustion engine. The legislative analysis of Wisconsin S.B. 212/ A.B. 142 states, "Under this bill, no state agency and no local governmental unit may restrict the use or sale of motor vehicles based on the energy source used to power the motor vehicle, including use for propulsion or use for powering other functions of the motor vehicle."

The federal government is also split on the issue. While the Biden Administration is pushing for increased sales of electric vehicles, Republicans in Congress last month introduced H.R. 1435 the "Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act," that would amend the Clean Air Act to prevent the elimination of the sale of internal combustion engines.

The MRF’s 2023 legislative agenda states the MRF will, "Work to ensure the survival of internal combustion engines," to do that we will keep you posted on this situation as it develops and seek your help with an upcoming call to action.

Stay tuned…

The best state motto in the country is New Hampshire’s… Live Free or Die! Some people may disagree, but the state motto captures what we as bikers believe. We cherish our freedoms and we will fight to defend them! 

Last week, the New Hampshire Motorcycle Riders Organization (NHMRO) hosted a dinner to celebrate legislative victories and reconnect with riders in the state. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) was honored to be invited and speak at the event. MRF D.C. lobbyist Rocky Fox made the journey to Manchester, NH, and was impressed by the passion and commitment of New England bikers.

The bikers in New Hampshire take the state motto seriously. For almost 50 years, NHMRO and motorcyclists in the Granite State have defended their freedoms and helped shape a path that benefits all bikers. The March dinner was about celebrating recent victories and reconnecting with riders in the state, encouraging them to remain engaged on important issues. Last year New Hampshire became the 5th state to pass a motorcyclist profiling law! New Hampshire joins Washington, Maryland, Louisiana, and Idaho on the list of states that have changed laws and regulations regarding the profiling of motorcyclists.

Part of the success of NHMRO is due to its outstanding leadership team. Traci and Steve Beaueivage, Patti and Don Pike, Sherman Packard, Rick Daynard, Imre Szauter, and CJ Lynch have a long history of fighting for our rights as bikers. Whether it be helmet choice, supporting Laconia Motorcycle Week, or working on the profiling issue, NHMRO does it all! The MRF thanks you for including us in your event and for your commitment to freedom. All bikers agree we should Live Free or Die!

A letter released to the public on Thursday, from the Ford Motor Company to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding automated driving systems is eye opener. While not giving up on “self-driving cars” Ford appears to be dialing back their testing and investment.

In the letter, Ford formally withdraws a petition seeking U.S. regulatory approval to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without required human controls like steering wheels. Ford states, “We believe the road to fully autonomous vehicles, at scale, with a profitable business model, will be a long one."  

In December, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) worked with bipartisan lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to get answers from NHTSA about this new technology. The deployment of vehicles like the type mentioned in the Ford letter, are a major concern of motorcyclists. The MRF remains troubled by the rush to allow testing of these vehicles on public roads.

While the decision by Ford appears to be based on the economic reality surrounding this new technology, the MRF applauds any decision that pauses the deployment of this unproven technology on our nation’s roads.

To read the full letter click here.