February 2004

 

AMA Government Relations News & Notes is a monthly service compiled and edited by the AMA Government Relations Staff to keep motorcyclists informed of happenings around the world. We welcome your news & views. Please submit all material to Terry Lee Cook, Government Relations Specialist, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147; fax 614-856-1920 or e-mail to tcook@ama-cycle.org.

 

 

AMA is hosting a Washington, D.C., seminar for motorcyclists who want to learn how to influence governmental decisions, whether in Congress or their local councils.

The seminar is March 6-9 at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, DC.  Participants will meet and learn from the AMA’s Washington staff, as well as other political experts. In addition to learning about state and federal issues facing motorcyclists today, participants will get tips on building relationships with government agency officials and lobbying elected officials.

Participants will also prepare to meet face-to-face with members of their congressional delegation.  But the seminar isn’t all work; there will be a welcome reception, as well as a luncheon and a banquet over the course of the seminar.

The seminar registration fee is $75. The registration deadline is February 11. AMA membership is required. For more information or to register, contact Sharon Titus at (614) 856-1900, ext. 1252 or by e-mail at stitus@ama-cycle.org.

 

 

The Environmental Protection Agency will require motorcycles nationwide to meet new strict emissions standards beginning with the 2006 models, under new rules issued December 23. But the new rules give small-volume motorcycle manufacturers a break in meeting the new standards, and provide for exemptions for certain motorcycles.

The EPA rules set new emissions standards that are the same as those adopted by the state of California, but will go into effect two years after California's standards. The first tier of the new national standards will go into effect in 2006 and a second tier in 2010.

The new national emissions standards are expected to result in an increased use of fuel injection and catalytic converters on new motorcycles. Some motorcycles sold in the United States already meet California's strict 2008 standards, which are the same as the planned federal EPA 2010 standard.

The California standard that begins with the current model year, 2004, and the federal standard that will take effect for the 2006 model year, require new motorcycles to emit no more than 1.4 grams per kilometer traveled of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, and 12 grams per kilometer of carbon monoxide.

Under the new rule, manufacturers who build fewer than 3,000 motorcycles a year, and who have fewer than 500 employees, don't need to meet the first-tier emissions standards until 2008. They also aren't required to meet the second-tier standards.

The EPA also provides certain exemptions for "kit" and custom motorcycles. Nothing in the new rules changes what owners may do legally to customize their motorcycles.

 

 

Maine House Bill 1241, pre-filed by Rep. Ronald Collins (R-Wells), would require the owner or the operator of an ATV to obtain liability insurance in an amount equal to the amount required for motor vehicles as a prerequisite to registration.  Riders wishing to comment on the Collins’s proposal should write to the Joint Committee on Insurance and Financial Services, 3 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.  

 

 

US Congressional Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) joined President Bush for the signing of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. This marks a key tenet of the Bush Administration's environmental policy.

“This is the strongest environmental protection bill signed into law since the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act," Chairman Pombo said.  "The seventy million acres of land classified by the US Forest Service as 'at extreme risk' of catastrophic fire represent one of the single greatest threats to our environment today."

“I commend the hard work of Chairman Pombo, and Representatives Goodlatte (R-VA-6) and McInnis (R-CO-3) in crafting a strong bi-partisan proposal that provides us with more tools to do a better job in managing our public lands and reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire to communities,” said Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton.

The Healthy Forests Restoration also creates a historic pattern shift in the way federal courts consider legal challenges to hazardous fuels reduction projects.

Chairman Pombo concluded with, “This will lessen the incidence of frivolous environmental litigation that keeps our experts behind desks dealing with paperwork instead of in the forests where we need them."  For more on Healthy Forests, visit  http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/.

 

 

Missouri State Representative John Cauthorn (R- Mexico) has pre-filed Senate Bill 744 for the 2004 session.  SB744 revises section 302.020 of the Missouri Revised Standards to allow persons 21 and older the choice whether or not to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle with a helmet. This bill is similar to House Bill 770 pre-filed by State Representative Dan Ward (D- St. Francois County) and supported by the Show-Me State’s MRO (Motorcyclist’s Rights Organization) Freedom Of Road Riders of Missouri, Inc.

Missouri riders in favor of this legislation need to contact their elected officials now to express their support. Contact your Representative or Senator at the State Capitol Building, 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101 or by phone at (573) 751-3659. To locate and/or email your representative go to AMA StateWatch at http://capwiz.com/amacycle/officials/state/?lvl=L&state=mo. 

 

 

CSX Transportation is urging sportsmen and off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts to "Use Trails, Not Rails" in promoting public safety along the thousands of miles of railroads nationwide. Railroad tracks are often a popular means of accessing hunting and OHV areas, but far too many people overlook the dangers.

Last year along all U.S. railroads, nearly 4,000 people were killed or injured while on railroad property without permission, according to statistics from the Federal Rail Administration.

"Hunters, ATV and snowmobile riders along with everyone else who enjoys the outdoors need to understand that rails and recreation do not mix," says Kathleen Burns, assistant vice president-safety for CSXT.  "A freight train traveling at even moderate speeds requires almost a mile to come to a stop. And, it's important to point out that railroads are private property. We can prevent a lot of needless tragedies if outdoors enthusiasts would remember to 'Use Trails, Not Rails' and stay off the railroad tracks." For more information go to www.OperationLifesaver.org.

 

 

Kentucky Representative Don Pasley (D - Winchester) has introduced BR 1012 to enable the issuance of special military-related license plates for motorcycles.  This requires proof that the person is associated (active, retired or veteran) with the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Kentucky National Guard, Merchant Marines (with service between December 7, 1941, and August 15, 1945), or Civil Air Patrol.

            Disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, and recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor licensed under this will not be charged any registration fees.

            Bluegrass State riders in favor of this legislation need to contact their elected officials now to express their support.  To locate and/or email your representative go to AMA StateWatch at

http://capwiz.com/amacycle/officials/state/?lvl=L&state=ky

 

 

The Ojito Wilderness Act (S. 1649/H.R. 3176) would designate the approximately 11,000-acre Ojito Wilderness Study Area northwest of Albuquerque, NM as Wilderness. Traditionally all off-highway vehicles are barred from access of designated wilderness.

The measure would also allow certain adjacent land managed by the BLM to be taken into trust for the Pueblo of Zia to be managed in perpetuity as open space and subject to a number of conservation measures. The bill is co-sponsored in the Senate by Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) and is sponsored by Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM) and co-sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) in the House. It has been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources Committee respectively.

 

 

Massachusetts’ New England Trail Rider Association (NETRA) is encouraging Massachusetts off-highway motorcycle and ATV riders to contact their state legislators in support of trail maintenance legislation that was introduced last year by Rep. Michael Rodrigues (D – Westport).  House bill 971, would require riders to purchase a “trails maintenance assessment” permit to use their vehicles on public lands. The bill and a sample letter of support can be found on the “Rights” page of www.AMADirectLink.com. 

 

 

New York motorcyclists are urged to express or renew their commitment to right-of-way legislation by contacting their Assemblymember in support of A-8095 and S-2178, both currently in the Assembly Transportation Committee. By clicking on the AMA “StateWatch” selection of the “Rights” page at www.AMADirectlink.com, riders can send a pre-written letter in support of these bills.

 

 

Vermont drivers who operate their vehicles without insurance or accumulate sufficient points to warrant a driver license or operating privilege suspension may face an additional one-year suspension if a death or serious bodily injury is involved. House Bill 496, prefiled by Representative Mary Morrissey (R-Bennington), seeks to hold motor vehicle operators more accountable for their actions. You can show your support for H-496 by writing the Honorable Mary Morrissey, 228 Dewey Street, Bennington, VT 05201, sending e-mail to mmorrissey@leg.state.vt.us, calling 802-442-2092, or composing and sending a letter of support in the “StateWatch” section on the “Rights” page at www.AMADirectlink.com.

 

 

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation says it will develop legislation to require ATVs to display a motorcycle-style registration plate. The Bureau claims that a visible ATV-registration number is necessary to identify ATV-mounted trespassers who damage farmlands. Once a bill has been introduced it will be posted to the “Rights” page of www.AMADirectLink.com.

 

 

The US Congress, in the next few weeks, will be considering legislation called The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003, SAFETEA. There is a provision in this legislation of particular interest and that is the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).

The RTP was established in 1991 as a part of ISTEA and improved through TEA-21. This program utilizes a portion of the federal tax receipts attributable to off-highway recreational activities including ATV riding, motorcycling, snowmobiling and 4x4s for purposes of maintaining and improving recreational trails throughout the country. Since its inception, literally millions of Americans have benefited from the recreational trails that have been developed and maintained in every state of the union with monies from this program. And, it is important to note that these trails are both motorized and non-motorized trails.

The Federal Highway Administration's most recent estimate of the amount of tax revenue generated by off-highway recreational activities is $286 million annually. The SAFETEA legislation has proposed that just 21% of this revenue contributed by off-highway recreationists be devoted to the RTP program.

Because of the importance of this program and the fact that every year more and more Americans seek to use recreational trails for a variety of activities, the AMA believes that a more appropriate figure should be 50% of the $286 million annual revenue figure. Investing more revenue from off-highway generated taxes to improve the safety of such activities by constructing and maintaining recreational trails is an appropriate use of these monies.

The bill and a sample letter of support can be found on the “Rights” page of www.AMADirectLink.com. 

 

 

South Carolina SB 418, and its companion bill, HB 3653, would increase the penalties for failure to yield the right-of-way. SB 418 and HB 3653 closely resemble the AMA Motorcyclists Matter initiative championed by many states.

Both bills are sitting in Judiciary committees, and need your support to get them moving.  By clicking on the AMA “StateWatch” selection of the “Rights” page at www.AMADirectlink.com you can send a pre-written letter in support of these bills.

 

 

Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT), in an attempt to bring more awareness to the consequences of driving while impaired, is unveiling a statewide campaign called "Open the Throttle, Not the Bottle."

The motorcycle rider impairment campaign begins at the 6th Annual Northeast Motorcycle Expo in Hartford Jan. 3 and 4 and continues until September with billboards, radio public service announcement and grass root events. It targets men between the ages of 25 to 40, the largest number of riders across the state.

            Partners in the program include American Motorcyclist Association, Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association and Connecticut Motorcycle Business Association.