FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MMA Presence at Annual Motorcycle Riders Foundation Conference
On May 13-15, 2011, members of the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) Board of Directors attended the Motorcycle Riders Foundation “Bikers inside the Beltway” and “Beast of the East” Motorcycle Conferences representing the over 200,000 motorcyclists of Massachusetts.
Beginning with the Bikers inside the Beltway, hundreds of Motorcyclists rode to our Nation’s Capital for the Only National Motorcycle Lobby Day. This 3rd Annual Michael “Boz” Kerr Bikers Inside The Beltway was a significant show of force on Capitol Hill with 250 individual visits to their Congressional Offices demonstrating solidarity around Motorcycle-related issues currently on the hill.
MRF Bikers Inside the Beltway 2011
MRF Vice President of Government Affairs, Jeff Hennie, MMA Chairman Dave Condon, and MMA District 4 Manager Tanker Griswold also had a rare opportunity to meet directly with Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown who received an award for his efforts representing Motorcyclists at previously the State and now the National level.
Jeff Hennie, Dave Condon, & Tanker Griswold with US Senator Scott Brown
During the MRF’s Beast of the East, the MMA officers were updated on national issues while sharing some of our own experiences here in Massachusetts with our other Motorcycle Freedom Fighters from around the country.
MMA Chairman Dave Condon shared the MMA’s Legislative Agenda for our 2011-2012 General Court and also talked about some of the issues facing us in the Commonwealth, including Red Light Cameras, 2 Bills restricting our rights as parents to carry our children as passengers on our Motorcycles, and a Motorcycle Sound Bill which has unrealistic testing requirements and includes penalties stricter than a first time DUI!
In addition to numerous other bills being watched by the MMA, Dave discussed our annual Motorcycle Safety Awareness period that just passed and the initiatives the MMA has undertaken to promote education, not legislation. Also of interest were motorcycle parking in Boston, our efforts with the MA Attorney General’s Office with regard to Insurance Overcharge Refunds, and the continuous raiding of the Massachusetts Motorcycle Safety Fund.
In an effort to share some of our expertise, the MMA was asked to present on our “When in Town, Throttle Down©” campaign, for which Dave was joined by MMA Safety & Education Director Doc D’Errico. Dave & Doc discussed the national issue, the realities of motorcycle sound, the mystical “EPA Stamp” and testing procedures and realities. After the presentation, Dave, Doc, and Tanker held a voluntary sound test which followed the SAE’s j2825 stationary motorcycle sound test procedure – the event was a hit despite some threatening weather.
Doc D'Errico talks about "the Noise about Noise"
Doc performing a Voluntary Sound Check while Dave discusses the issues
On the national level, the MRF talked about numerous issues facing motorcyclists in the 112th Congress. These included Distracted Driving, Health Insurance, Health Reform, and the new National Highway Bill.
Distracted Driving is an issue that currently many states are dealing with, but on the national level, it’s recognized that approximately 80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes involve some form of Distracted Driving. While House Bill 1772 addresses texting while driving only and offers Incentive Grants to address this at the State level, the MRF believes that Comprehensive laws are best, such as one recently passed in Maine which addresses all forms of distraction, not just texting.
Health Insurance has been a problem facing motorcyclists since the inception of HIPAA. Due to a loophole in the wording, injuries sustained while operating a motorcycle may not be covered by many insurances. While previous Congressional sessions have attempted to address this loophole, many issues have kept a bill from getting through both bodies of Congress. The MRF is lobbying heavily to make it illegal for health insurance providers to refuse payment for an injury simply because it came from a motorcycle mishap.
While Health Reform remains somewhat in the national spotlight, there consistently is no mention of specifics for motorcycles. This could be a good thing, meaning no exceptions, but it could also be bad thing since the congressional leadership drafted the bill without open process. Without seeing the text, changes could possibly include mandatory motorcycle safety equipment, mandatory rider education, or continue to exclude motorcycle related injury from coverage. Members of the House and the MRF are indeed trying to get to the bottom of this while the process is still in the drafting stages.
The National Highway Bill is something that funds our nation’s transportation infrastructure, and was last passed in 2005. Expired in 2009 and currently in an extension period, this bill, funded by 18½¢ per gallon of gas, has provided over $39 million to motorcycle safety funds. Unfortunately, the gas tax hasn’t been raised since 1993 and although there are more cars on the road, the funds have not kept pace with the increasing costs of infrastructure, which is slowing down the process. The MRF is working diligently to assure that funding remains for Motorcycle Safety programs and motorcycle considerations in the infrastructure planning.
US Representative James Sensenbrenner, a longtime Motorcycle Supporter, has also introduced House Resolution 239 which supports efforts to retain the NHTSA lobby ban and asks that NHTSA focus on accident prevention over injury reduction when dealing with motorcycle safety. Specifically, work to reduce accident occurrence, rather than focus on things like mandatory helmet use and/or motorcycle-only safety checkpoints. Representative Sensenbrenner also filed HR 904, a bill to prohibit future funding of mandatory motorcycle only checkpoints, since our tax money is better spent elsewhere.
The MRF is also actively monitoring the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s activities concerning lead levels in children's toys. While this is overall a good thing, the sweeping reform passed by congress now also restricts the use of off-road motorcycles and ATVs to children 12 and under due to the lead content in things like wheel balance weights, foot pegs, valve stems, etc. Although as yet unenforced, HR 412 now has 69 cosponsors and would exempt dirt bikes and ATVs from the restrictions.
Many more issues were discussed during the conference, including those successes and concerns in our neighboring states. The MMA appreciated the opportunity to both learn and share our experiences at the national level. We also ask our membership to let your Federal Representative know that you support and they should Cosponsor HR 904, HR 412, and House Resolution 239.
For More Information, please see http://www.massmotorcycle.org, or contact mrfrep@MassMotorcycle.org
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