MRF Honored in the US Senate

November 10, 1999 Washington DC … Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) honored the Motorcycle Riders Foundation in the Senate Congressional Record with a statement commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the organization's continued presence in Washington, DC. The following statement can be found on page S14583 of the Senate portion of the November 10, 1999 Congressional Record.

Honoring the 10-year anniversery of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation

Mr. CAMPBELL:

Mr. President, today I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a not-for-profit organization which has been on the national forefront of motorcyclists' rights. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation here in Washington, D.C. is a nation-wide grassroots activist group that is completing its tenth year representing motorcycling rights. As the year draws to an end and we look forward to a new century, we should be proud of an organization such as MRF which embodies our forefathers' commitment to the Constitution and the values of freedom and the self- determination of a citizen government.

 

In the mid-1980's the leadership of the various state motorcyclist associations, which had been around since the early 1970's, began to be concerned about the possibility of and need for becoming involved with federal legislation that had an impact on motorcyclists. In 1985, these leaders began hosting a national conference, the Meeting Of The Minds, to educate motorcyclists on how to be more effective in their state legislatures.

 

In September of this year the MRF hosted the Fifteenth Annual Meeting Of The Minds in Denver, Colorado. In 1986, the idea of establishing a national association and opening an office in Washington, DC, was conceived. In 1987, the Motorcycle Rights Fund (MRF) was incorporated as a 501 (4) not-for-profit association and fund raising began. In 1988, the name of the association was changed to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, and with less than $30,000 in the bank, the MRF hired its first employee and opened its Washington, D.C. headquarters on November 8, 1988.

 

Since its inception the MRF has had two primary goals. One has been its educational program, which sponsors national and regional conferences every year, with the purpose of training and educating leaders of state motorcyclist associations. The MRF's second, and primary program is its government relations activity. The MRF was recently recognized by the American Society of Association Executives with its Award of Excellence, for the overall federal legislative program. The awards committee recognized the commitment of the MRF and its on-going efforts for the past ten years.

 

In 1996 MRF's federal legislative program was also the recipient of ASAE's Excellence in Government Relations Award for a Single Issue. In its ten-year presence in the Nation's Capital, MRF has had a number of legislative accomplishments in diverse areas ranging from highway safety, personal liberty, law enforcement and discrimination issues; technology development policies, highway access, and state to federal relationships.

 

As we recognize MRF's 10-Year Anniversary, I look forward to hearing about MRF's future successes in the months and years to come.

Steve Zimmer, MRF Vice President of Government Relations said, "We appreciate Senator Campbell making this public statement honoring the MRF in the official record of the United States Senate. It is high praise, indeed to have a man such as Senator Campbell commend MRF's accomplishments considering what he himself has done for motorcycling."

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