On behalf of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association I would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to all of our officers, members, and riders who responded to the MMA’s Call to Action and attended the Motorcycle Bill hearings at the State House this morning. A very big thank you also goes out to all of you that contacted your respective legislators and members of the Joint Committee on Transportation via phone calls, faxes, emails, and letters. Thanks to each and every one of you; our collective voice was heard on Beacon Hill today and it was heard extremely loud.
More than one of the legislators present remarked, both privately and in public, about the amount of correspondence they received from all of us. This was a remarkable feat especially given the short notice we received informing us that these bills would be heard in a public hearing today. As one legislator put it; he was extremely impressed in our ability to mobilize so many riders in such a short period of time. He further stated we, as legislators very rarely see that. We all represented the bikers of this state in a very professional, respectful and courteous manner. It personally made me proud to be a member of the riding community.
It was mentioned that maybe the MMA was a slower in getting the Call to Action out to our membership and the general riding public. This is due to a very strict rule we have in place in regards to all correspondence being issued from the MMA. We adhere to a “3 eye” rule which means every item to be sent out by the MMA has to pass before at least 3 different people before it is sent out. We do this to insure absolute accuracy and to avoid us from having to issue any subsequent corrections or retractions. The downside is that it can slow us down sometimes, especially being an all-volunteer organization made up of people that for the most part still have full time jobs. We feel we are obligated (an obligation we take very serious) to our membership to provide information that is accurate and factually correct. Our commitment to our members and the riders of this state dictates this and holds us accountable to all of you.
Again big congratulations to all of you for a job very well done today. Please visit our web site at www.massmotorcycle.org or watch for future e mails, notices, and Calls To Action as we keep you informed while these bills move forward through the legislative process.
Respectfully,
Dave Condon
Chairman
Massachusetts Motorcycle Association