FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)

January 22, 2008

CONGRESS RETURNS

The second session of the 110th Congress officially began last week. Both bodies of Congress have much work to accomplish in this session, however that seems highly unlikely when one considers that this is a hotly-contested presidential election year, as well as the bitter partisan mood of Congress and a troubled economy.

All of the legislation that is assigned a bill number for the first session of this Congress stands for this second session of the 110th. That means that the HIPAA loophole bills (HR 1076 and S 616) are still in need of co-sponsors. Gathering co-sponsors for these bills will dominate the busy spring lobby season for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) and motorcyclists nationwide.

SPEAKING OF LOBBYING

Now is a great time to start planning your trips to lobby your nation's capitol for 2008. Haven't considered sending a group to DC? What's stopping you? Every lobby trip to DC promises to be a life-changing event for first- and long-timers alike. Don't hesitate to contact the Washington DC office of the MRF for more information on organizing a trip to DC.

TRB ANNUAL MEETING

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) held its yearly Washington DC summit last week. The event brings every aspect of transportation together for a comprehensive review and presentation of what's happening with regard to every form of transportation and the current research that is taking place. This annual meeting, one of the largest each year in DC, is perhaps the most comprehensive look into the world's foremost transportation research.

The MRF Vice President of Government Relations has a seat on the Motorcycle & Moped committee also known as ANF30 of the TRB. The committee met, as they do each time the TRB convenes in Washington, to discuss the research, emerging technologies, government studies, and international issues.

One of the items that piqued a lot of interest was the discussion on three-wheeled vehicles. Many states consider all vehicles equipped with three wheels, no matter the configuration, a motorcycle. For years that has not posed many problems. Until now. There has been an emergence of many covered three-wheeled vehicles with two wheels in front of the operator and one aft. These vehicles are often equipped with seat belts, doors, steering wheel, climate controls, and windshield. For all intensive purposes it's a car that's missing one rear wheel. Many of these vehicles are powered by electricity and are being promoted as environmentally friendly alternatives to gas guzzling cars. The issue with these covered three wheeled vehicles is that they are not motorcycles. The key word here is covered. We don't want to single out trikes, sidecars, or even the new Piaggo MP3 (that's the funky motorcycle with two side-by-side wheels up front). All of these are true motorcycles. Covered three wheeled vehicles are sold as alternatives to cars with virtually none of the challenges of motorcycles and all of the benefits. For instance, once classified as a motorcycle these three-wheeled cars are allowed on HOV lanes, cheaper insurance and licensing fees, and motorcycle parking. It may be that we need to create a new classification for these new types of vehicles instead of just lumping them in with a completely different class of vehicle. That's what they did in Canada – it looks like our friendly neighbors to north are in front of us on this one.

NHTSA QUARTERLY MEETING

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently held it's quarterly motorcycle safety network meeting, and as always the MRF was in attendance. This meeting was like most of its kind in the past. All of the relevant government agencies had representation, as did Harley-Davidson, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), the American Motorcycle Association (AMA), the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), and the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA).

Vicky Sanfelipo from Wisconsin was granted a portion of the MRF's time during the meeting to present about Accident Scene Management Inc. ASMI prepares first responders in motorcycle-specific procedures. Many emergency response agents have little or no training with regard to motorcycles, which we all agree has its own set of characteristics from any other type of vehicle mishap, and more education for our first responders is key.

A significant difference with this meeting was that NHTSA Deputy Administrator Jim Ports attended and led the entire 4.5-hour meeting. This is not the first time a NHTSA honcho has attended, but it's the first time any one of their leadership has stayed for the duration. No offense to the past visitors, but they generally show up with just enough time to deliver a canned speech and then leave. Ports showed a true dedication to motorcycle safety that is sometimes hard to find. Jim Ports is himself a motorcyclist and a strong ally with ABATE of Maryland, a former state delegate for Maryland, former Maryland DOT administrator, and a friend of the MRF. Thanks, Jim, for rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty with us. We appreciate it.

PRO Convention

The Public Relations Officers (PRO) convention was held last weekend outside Philadelphia, PA and the MRF was given 30 minutes to present at the general session. If you haven't heard of PRO it's an organization of the public relations officers for sport bike clubs across the country. The event draws over 1000 sport bikers each year. The MRF has been involved for the past three years and has plans to continue supporting this event. The sport bikers have many similarities with the cruisers and there are a lot of issues that can be shared despite some obvious differences.

TUESDAY GROUP

Of final note was the MRF's attendance at a high-profile fundraiser last week. You may not have heard of them, but the Tuesday Group is Washington's latest faction of the House of Representatives to organize and try to keep each other elected. The group (which, naturally, meets on Wednesdays) is made up of House Republicans who are also known as "moderates," Republicans who are not as conservative on issues as the right wing of the party. With membership of the groups numbering in the low 40s, an unpopular republican president, and a soft stance on things like the environment, the Tuesday Group is becoming a force to be reckoned with. When they can stick together and vote on issues as a block, they are very effective and can sway controversial votes one direction or the other.

MRF PAC chose to donate to this group because of the many supporters we have that are also members of the Tuesday Group.

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(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.