RIDING FREE FROM DC: Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway

Mr. Speaker…

Last month, Sherman “Sherm” Packard was elected Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Sherm has been a state legislator in New Hampshire since 1990 and a long-time champion for motorcyclists. In recognition of his longtime work on behalf of the New Hampshire Motorcyclist Rights Organization and all riders across the country Sherm was inducted into the MRF Hall of Fame in 2018.

Sherm isn’t heading just any legislative body either, he’s heading one with a massive number of members. The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the largest lower chamber in any statehouse with 400 elected members. It’s also the 4th largest legislative body in the English-speaking world! It falls behind only the House of Commons in the United Kingdom (650 members), the Lok Shabha of India (543 members) and the United States House of Representatives (435 members).

Jay Jackson, MRF Vice President added, “Sherm Packard was among the first in the motorcyclist rights community to become the ultimate grassroots lobbyist by getting elected to office. Now he has ascended to the highest position in the chamber, Speaker of the House. He is not merely a biker that got elected, he is a highly respected legislative leader that is also a biker. The people of New Hampshire, and motorcyclists nationwide, are truly blessed to have Sherm Packard representing them.”

Congratulations to Speaker Packard on this fantastic accomplishment!

With the election of nearly 70 new lawmakers in the Senate and the House, congressional committee membership is directly impacted. Not only are freshman members assigned to new committees, but current members can also jump to new committees. While numerous committees can impact our work in Washington a few specific ones are always at the forefront.

Below is a list of lawmakers that will be added to these important committees. They will join other elected officials who have previously served on the committees.

Take a look and see if your Representative or Senator is a new member of these committees.

House Energy and Commerce Committee – Jurisdiction over issues including autonomous vehicles and ethanol.   New Committee Members:

• Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND)
• Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN)
• Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
• Rep. John Curtis (R-UT)
• Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL)
• Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX)
• Rep. John Joyce (R-PA)
• Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)
• Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL)
• Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN)
• Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY)
• Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA)
• Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA)

House Judiciary Committee – Jurisdiction over motorcyclist profiling resolution and potential police reform legislation. New Committee Members:

• Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR)
• Rep. Dan Bishop (NC)
• Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO)
• Rep. Michelle Fischbach (MN)
• Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI)
• Rep. Darrell Issa (CA)
• Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY)
• Rep. Thomas Massie (KY)
• Rep. Burgess Owens (UT)
• Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC)
• Rep. Chip Roy (TX)
• Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN)

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee – Jurisdiction over the 2021 highway bill. New Committee Members:

• Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA)
• Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA)
• Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL)
• Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX)
• Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA)
• Rep. Kaiali’l Kahele (D-HI)
• Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)
• Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
• Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA)
• Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL)
• Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA)
• Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA)
• Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX)
• Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA)

Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee – Joint jurisdiction over the 2021 Highway bill and jurisdiction over autonomous vehicles. New Committee Members:

• Sen. John Hickenlooper (D- CO)
• Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, (D-NM)
• Sen. Cynthia Lummis, (R-WY)
• Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

Senate Environment and Public Works – Joint jurisdiction over the 2021 highway bill and jurisdiction over ethanol issues. New Committee Members:

• Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
• Alex Padilla (D-CA)

Senate Judiciary Committee – Jurisdiction over potential police reform legislation. New Committee Members:

• Alex Padilla (D-CA)
• Jon Ossoff (D-GA)