Shit went nuts. Monday morning I pondered heading to the gym and kicking back, then the phone rang. Steve Klein called about the next Vintage cross country rally on 100-year-old bikes, called the American TransAm. It’s scheduled for next September and Bikernet will be a Sponsor. It’s carefully produced and orchestrated by the crew at Competition Distributing. Hang on for reports.
Then the phone rang and the Sturgis Mayor told me she resigned. This city is in disarray as staff quit, the budget is due and council members resigned. Then the hardworking mayor stepped away. The Redhead and I motored out of the winding canyon in the evening for the City meeting, when a senior member of the council resigned right in front of us. Plus, there are rumors of financial issues.
That’s not all. Some of you know I attempted to interview JD Vance regarding policies currently on the voting table. Chris Callen volunteered to produce the interview for Grease and Gears TV. I picked up the phone and dialed a number in Ohio. I didn’t expect a senior member of the Vance staff to answer, but Luke did and indicated some interest. I was blown away.
Shit, got crazy and Halloween was just around the corner. That’s not all…
REPORTS FROM THE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION JUST FLEW INTO THE OFFICE
The Evolving MAC
In 2015 Congress passed and President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The FAST Act was the “highway bill” that covered infrastructure spending and surface transportation related policies for a five-year period. Included in the legislation was the establishment of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC).
The language used to create the MAC was brief. It simply said, “The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, shall appoint a Motorcyclist Advisory Council to coordinate with and advise the Administrator on infrastructure issues of concern to motorcyclists, including— (1) barrier design; (2) road design, construction, and maintenance practices; and (3) the architecture and implementation of intelligent transportation system technologies.”
During its lifespan the first version of the MAC held five committee meetings and submitted a recommendation report on March 11, 2020. To read the 2020 report click here. Because the MAC was created as part of the FAST ACT its duration was limited to the five year period the bill covered. The MAC was officially terminated in October of 2020.
While the creation of the MAC was a good step forward, there were concerns regarding membership. As time passed it became apparent that the nine members of the original MAC could not completely capture the diverse set of voices in the motorcycling community. As such, efforts began to expand the MAC and include more voices creating a new and improved MAC.
In both 2019 and 2021 the MRF helped advance stand-alone bills that recreated the MAC with an expanded membership. Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Senator Gary Peters of Michigan all led the charge on creating the MAC 2.0 version. They were joined by over two dozen bipartisan cosponsors in this effort. While keeping the original directive, the MAC 2.0 added motorcycle and motorcyclist safety to its jurisdiction.
Perhaps most importantly, the MAC 2.0 version, advocated by the MRF and lawmakers, included an expanded 13-member council with mandated qualifications and backgrounds. The new proposal directed the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to seat the MAC with the following candidates:
• Five representatives of State or local government with expertise relating to highway engineering and safety issues
• One motorcyclist who serves as a State or local and safety or transportation design engineer;
• One representative of a national association of State transportation officials;
• One representative of a national motorcyclist association;
• One representative of a national motorcyclist foundation;
• One representative of a national motorcycle manufacturing association;
• One representative of a motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in the United States;
• One roadway safety data expert with expertise relating to crash testing and analysis;
• One member of a national safety organization that represents the traffic safety systems industry.
While the stand-alone bills stalled in Congress the message they sent did not go unnoticed. When it came time to pass a new highway bill and replace the FAST Act, the language set forth in the new MAC bills was dropped into the massive federal infrastructure bill. After a year delay, in November of 2021 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act became law. Included in that bill was the creation of a new and improved Motorcyclist Advisory Council.
However, while Congress created a new MAC, it still required the U.S. DOT to find, vet and seat the 13 members. After over 2 years of delays, in June of 2024 the new members of the MAC were announced. Included in that group was MRF Vice President Jay Jackson.
Soon the MAC 2.0 will hold its first meeting and begin its assigned task of making recommendations to develop federal policies that consider motorcyclists. It’s been a long journey to this point. The evolution of the MAC is a great case study in how sustained, targeted advocacy is needed to see results in Washington, D.C. For nearly a decade the MRF and its members fought for a seat at the table. One of our own will now be on the inside working hand and hand with federal policy makers ensuring the street rider has a voice in our nation’s capital.
–MRF
Join the MRF and find out more at www.mrf.org
