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Capitol Hill Update
Ground Game
Last week the MRF issued a call to action regarding H. Res 255 the Motorcycle profiling bill introduced by Congressmen Walberg (MI), Burgess (TX), Peterson (MN) and Pocan (WI). Since last week, MRF members have sent over 2,000 letters to their lawmakers. The resolution started with four cosponsors, and a week later we have doubled that number to eight cosponsors.
A great example of how reaching out to your lawmaker can lead to results comes to us from the motorcycle community in New York. Congressman Lee Zeldin of New York received the most letters of any member of Congress. His office received over 100 letters asking him to cosponsor H. Res 255. And wouldn’t you know it, Congressman Zeldin jumped on as a cosponsor within days of receiving those letters.
However, all members of Congress are not as receptive to their constituents as Congressman Zeldin. However, one thing is for certain, if a Member of Congress doesn’t know a bill or resolution exists, they will not be a co-sponsor.
Cosponsors by State
Illinois – 1
Michigan – 1
Minnesota – 1
Missouri – 1
New York – 1
Texas – 1
Washington – 1
Wisconsin – 1
States who have sent the Most letters
- New York
- Texas
- Louisiana
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- Pennsylvania
- Arizona
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- California
DC Game
While we ask our members to contact their lawmakers, we in D.C. have been hitting the pavement to meet with lawmakers about motorcycle issues. Below are brief summaries of some meetings we had this week:
Congressman Walberg (MI) – We met with Congressman Walberg to personally thank him for introducing the profiling resolution. He is excited about our membership’s enthusiasm and support for the resolution and said he would work on driving co-sponsors.
Congressman Rodney Davis (IL) – Congressman Davis is the Ranking Member of the Transportation Subcommittee on Highways. He was VERY aware of our concerns regarding autonomous vehicles and the safety issues surrounding the ability to read and react to motorcycles. The Congressman mentioned that in congressional hearings he would be willing to ask regulators about these concerns. He also said that in his sophomore year of college he was forced to sell his motorcycle to buy books but that he remains a fan of the motorcycle community. Congressman Davis joined the profiling resolution as a co-sponsor this week.
Congressman Ken Buck (CO) – Congressman Buck said that ABATE of Colorado has been very vocal in his district and he was happy to co-sponsor last year’s profiling resolution. He will again consider co-sponsoring this year’s version. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee which has jurisdiction over the resolution, Congressman Buck signing on would be an important win for the resolution.
MRF Events
Register for Bikers Inside the Beltway
As we approach May 21st and Bikers Inside the Beltway 2019, we are encouraging you to go online to www.mrf.org/events and register for the event so we can start planning for the event. If you signed up after last week’s update, we thank you for committing to joining us in Washington, D.C. for lobby day. If you are still on the fence, you can go check out the flyer or contact us if you have questions about the event.
Meeting of the Minds 2019
Meeting of the Minds 2019 registration is now live on the event page. ABATE of Minnesota will be hosting the event in Bloomington on September 19th-22nd. You can register and order an event t-shirt in advance of the conference. As a member of the MRF, you will receive a discounted registration rate for the event. To read more about the event and the hotel information, you can download the event flyer here.
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation Team in D.C.
Rocky & Tiffany
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RIDING FREE FROM DC
