MRF Reports - January/February 2008

Vol . 17, No. 7 The MRF does not endorse any products or serv ices other than i ts own product l ine. Th is does not apply to po l i t ica l endorsements. January/February 2008

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

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Phoenix, AZ

PERMIT NO. 495

Motorcycle Riders Foundation, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510 - Washington, DC 20002-4980

Photo by Ken Olash

Kirk “Hardtail” Willard

MRF President

I sewed a patch on my riding vest 20years ago now that simply but profound-ly states “EDUCATION NOT LEGIS-LATION”. Now those 20 years later dur-ing one of the finer hours and campaignsin the MRF’s history I see this patch andthese words come to life in our effortsonce again.

I am of course referring to theMotorcycle Riders Foundation and ourState Motorcycle Rights Organizationpartners’ recent actions to correct a verylarge missed opportunity by a wellrespected transportation safety authority,the National Transportation SafetyBoard. After meeting with the motorcy-cling community at length last year wewere optimistic that they had heard uswhen we spoke of the overwhelmingneeds to focus on crash avoidance andthe various tools and programs thatenable that goal and we certainly hopedwe would not see the same well worn andineffective theme of safer crashing as hasbeen the case with federal transporta-tion/safety organizations for many yearsnow. We spent time informing them ofthe benefits of the various programs inuse by motorcyclists to promote truemotorcycle safety such as rider education

and training, motorist awareness pro-grams (Share the Road, May isMotorcycle Awareness month), enhancedRight of Way/Distracted driver legisla-tion efforts, proper motorcycle licensingprograms, and impaired riding-ridestraight campaigns. Yet a year later whatwe saw from the NTSB were primarilyrecommendations for helmet laws and acall for states directly to enact helmetlaws and no attempt to even recognizethe successful efforts of the motorcyclingcommunity focusing on crash avoidance.Much has been written in the MRFLeaders Reports and sent out in the formof Press Release about this specific issueand can be researched on the MRF web-site www.mrf.org for additional informa-tion.

Our response was multi-tiered andfocused and based on our beliefs thateducation and political action are thebasic tenets and necessities of motorcy-cle rights. At our recent Board ofDirectors meeting we formed a statisticscommittee that was called into actionnearly immediately to develop a piececalled “Motorcycle Statistics Fact orFiction” (shown on page 12) that is serv-ing two purposes. The first is to callattention to the various motorcycle safe-ty programs in use today by motorcy-clists and the second is to call attention topossible errors in the statistics being usedin motorcycle safety discussions bymany of the federal agencies today. Italso highlights the fact that 12 states witha universal helmet law experienced anincrease in fatalities and 19 states with-out such laws recognized a decrease.Once again I return to education as thekey because these states having successin reducing motorcycle fatalities have

very active and effective safety programswith the elements noted in the secondparagraph. The real difference in motor-cycle fatalities is not helmet laws thathave proven statistically insignificantbetween states with them versus thosewithout them but rather in motorcycleeducation, training, and awareness.

We then did something we very seldomhave ever done and placed a call to actionto ask our SMRO partners to come toWashington D.C. in the fall as so manyhad already sent a team or two in thespring to lobby with us, in this case forthe express intent to educate our congres-sional delegations by widely distributingthe “Motorcycle Statistics Fact orFiction” piece and then asking them tospecifically write the Chairmen of theNTSB making them aware that we theyknew of the missed opportunity and ask-ing them to re-consider their position (afew examples are shown on page 12 andmany more can be found on the MRFwebsite). The response from our SMROpartners in coming to D.C. was excellentas we anticipated it would be with thelong history of our SMRO partners send-ing teams to D.C. when called. I canassure our presence so late in the yearand in such numbers was well noticed bythe members of Congress. Rememberthe truth that lies in the saying, “theworld is run by those that show up”.

The response from Congress was excel-lent as well, dozens of letters were sent into the NTSB and noteworthy was the factthe several influential committee chairssent letters on our behalf to the NTSB,something Committee Chairman seldomdo, obviously this issue and our cam-paign stuck a nerve with us and with

EDUCATION

NOT LEGISLATIONmany of our elected leaders. Severalstate SMRO’s have successfully conduct-ed similar campaigns in their StateCapitals in response to the NTSB direct-ly lobbying their State Governments andreceived favorable responses to thoseefforts (one of the first was Iowa, anexample of one of the letters theyreceived can be seen on page 9). And weare encouraging motorcyclists every-where to continue distributing the MRF’s“Motorcycle Statistics Fact or Fiction”piece each time the issue of motorcyclesafety and helmet laws come up.

The last part of the campaign was to holda press conference in D.C. in a House ofRepresentatives Office building withmembers of Congress addressing themedia on this issue. This contained somerisk since it had to be scheduled afterCongress was to have adjourned andmany times Congressional membersand/or the media may not show. In ourcase this day was a resounding successand will go down in history as a great dayin the history of the MRF, our SMROpartners, and for motorcycle rights ingeneral. We did have several elements ofthe media show, we had Congressmenattend to address the media and theNTSB, we had representatives from theNTSB present which is why we did muchof this in the first place, we had an over-whelming number of SMROs present,and we had representatives from othermotorcycle organizations present.

In the end this has resulted in a meetingbeing scheduled between the MotorcycleRiders Foundation, the NationalCoalition of Motorcyclists, and theNTSB Chairman to discuss this incredi-bly important issue and will give us thechance to once again offer up “Educationnot Legislation” as the real answer here.We will report on this meeting as itoccurs and hope to now continue aneffective dialogue with the NTSBbecause as I stated during the press con-ference, “no one cares about motorcyclesafety more than we do because we aremotorcyclists”.

Page 2 MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION January/February 2008

Michael Kerr

MRF Vice President

Riding the “EL” to the airport in the City ofChicago at four AM on a Wednesday morningis as much of an anthropological field trip as itis a means of transportation. Expecting thesubway to be empty at this time, one is some-what surprised that the train is almost full. Aquick look around reveals a quite eclecticgroup of passengers. Cockpit level airline employees are easy tospot. With their military officer bearing andpressed uniforms they seem oblivious to thedin of “rapid transit.” Most riders appear to beblue collar types, maintenance workersdressed for the job, construction guys in theirCarharts mixed in with seemingly a battalionof TSA employees talking shop with eachother. Not to be forgotten, are a large number ofhomeless people. Apparently, for a buck sev-enty five, one can buy a warm seat for theevening. If there was any question who theyare that is settled when the train arrives at thelast stop on the line - O’Hare airport. Manypassengers are already lining up at the doorwhen the train arrives. They elbow each otherto get off quickly. Some actually sprint to theescalator, nearly knocking over less agile indi-viduals. The homeless stay literally motion-less. Despite a prerecorded message that isrepeatedly played, announcing that this is theend of the line, and all passengers must leavethe train. They sit, unfazed by the authoritari-an voice barking at them. They hear the warn-ing that they must leave, but it means nothing

to them. They will make the long return tripsouth, through the “Loop” and the tough WestSide. Arriving at Reagan National with the legisla-tive coordinator of a large state motorcyclists’rights organization, he and this writer opt for acab for their trip to Capitol Hill. We pass manygrand buildings with marble facades, some ofwhich house the headquarters of federal agen-cies. Please forgive me for drawing an unflatteringparallel. In looking at these buildings mythoughts turn to those homeless souls on the

“EL” ignoring the announcement to leave thetrain. Often these agencies seem deaf to opin-ion of the public. They say they act for thegreater public good, just as it is in the bestinterests of the homeless to ignore the order toleave the train and have another hour of sleepin warm place, they often ignore the opinion ofthe general public and go about their missionof acting upon a higher authority to remold thecountry. Two Chicago cops with their night-sticks out would clear that train in short order.The homeless know very well the conse-quences of ignoring the men in blue. Whilefederal agencies may be loath to heed the callof citizens writing them letters, they know whosigns the paychecks. They too, know when it istime to listen and respond. Thus, lies the genesis of the MRF’s strategy ofgetting congressional support to ask theNational Transportation Safety Board toreconsider their recommendations on motorcy-cle safety. It is difficult, if not impossible forthe agencies to ignore an inquiry from a mem-ber of congress. So we ask our congressman towrite them, and hope to be surprised by theresponse. Even those with only a casual interest inmotorcyclists’ rights would be aware of thefact that the NTSB’s recommendations haveprovoked a tempest in the riding community.We can discuss insurance issues, share theroad efforts, or rights to make modifications toour motorcycles and remain fairly civil. Whenthe words “mandatory helmet laws” are men-tioned the gloves come off. That line in thesand was drawn decades ago. Addressing a proposed mandatory helmet lawat the state government level is fairly straight-forward. We present our side of the argumentto the legislators. They weigh the factorsinvolved and vote accordingly. After the issue

is decided we may act to vote for those whosupported our position and encourage others todo so as well. Or, we may look to defeat at theballot box, those who took the other side. Addressing an issue with a federal agency is ahorse of a different color. An independent fed-eral agency such as the NTSB is designed to beremoved from politics. The names of the mem-bers of their board of directors won’t appear onany ballot November 4, 2008. So we approachthe issue from a different angle. In the fall we saw an unprecedented effort byour State Motorcyclist Rights Organizationpartners to send activists to Washington. Theycame to express opposition to the recommen-dations on motorcycle safety issued by theNTSB. Those efforts have given a voice tothose who feel that federal agencies should notbe pressuring states into passing mandatoryhelmet laws. As more state organizations putinto practice the MRF’s strategic initiative tocounter the NTSB’s recommendations, thosevoices will be heard in an increasingly loudvolume. As we enter the New Year and begin to lobbyin the second session of the 110th congress theNTSB issue will be at the forefront. Just likethe two Chicago Cops with their nightsticksclearing the train of squatters, our voices arenot a recorded message, or internet basedpolemics. We are the real deal, personallywalking (and working) the halls of congress inour nation’s capitol. We have accepted thechallenge of altering the course of a federalagency’s recommendations. I believe we are up to the task.

Michael Kerr

MRF Vice President

Raising Our Voice

MRF has volunteer position open-ings for interested parties withexperience as Webmaster and inMarketing.

Webmaster candidates, pleasecontact Eric Hampton, Director ofCommunications [email protected].

Marketing candidates with a pro-fessional background in market-ing, please contact DeborahButitta at [email protected] for gener-al information, the qualificationswe seek, and the anticipated timecommitments these positions willrequire, and to submit yourresume for consideration.

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS

U.S. Senate:

You may phone the U.S. CapitolSwitchboard at (202) 224-3121. Aswitchboard operator will connect youdirectly with the Senate office yourequest.

U.S. House:

You may phone the U.S. CapitolSwitchboard at (202) 225-3121. Aswitchboard operator will connect youdirectly with the HouseRepresentative office you request.

Information about your Federal, State and Local Senate and Representatives isalso available from a link at the top of the MRF web site’s home page(www.mrf.org). You will need your Zip+4 number when running this search.

U.S. Traffic Infrastructure:

What’s Down the RoadBob Letourneau

MRF State Rep - New Hampshire

Hello everyone,

I made a recent trip to DC for a WhiteHouse conference on Transportation issues.This conference was hosted by our trans-portation Secretary, Mary Peters. Nothingto do with motorcycles, but much to doabout infrastructure financing... Look outfor this stuff in your state. Basically, thefeds are saying do not rely on us for $$$ aswe move forward on the next authorizationbill the states will need to come up with$$$ on their own as there is not enoughmoney to go around. In fact it was suggest-ed that the next authorization bill will benothing like the previous versions.

With highway/bridge maintenance costingmore money than ever before and the rev-enue side down because things like morefuel efficient cars, and the cost of fuel ris-ing people are traveling less, the result isthe highway fund is getting smaller.Because we are in a global economy andwe are competing for fuel and steel withthe emerging economies the feds havegiven the signal that the states need to con-sider alternative methods to fund their high-ways.

Just for reference a snap shot of cost, aver-age price for a contract per cu yard of exca-vation in 1972 was .72 in 2006 it was 6.43.

Surfacing cost for Bituminous concrete perton in 1972 was 9.23 in 2006 it was 59.59

Structural steel cost in 1972 was .34 in2006 it was 1.98 pr lb.

I do not think the gas tax has increased atthe same rate. We are fighting a losing bat-tle. Labor cost have increased, and cost ofmaterials in the past 3 years alone here inNH have increased by an average of 15% ayear a whopping 45% increase in threeyears. We have some real issues to dealwith and yet they still harp on us about hel-mets. We are getting less bang for our buckand bridges are beginning to fall.Something needs to be done to keep ourroads safe.

Some of the suggestions are PPP's PublicPrivate Partnerships, where you sell yourhighway or bridge to a private corp on along term lease (99 years) and they willmaintain the system and toll it. Anotheridea is VMT vehicle miles traveled, whereyou pay the state based upon the miles you

continued page 13

January/February 2008 MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION Page 3

Jeff Hennie

MRF VP of Government Relations

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) helda press conference in the Cannon House Officebuilding the morning of November 15, 2007.The Event was the capstone of a multi-weeklobbying effort to encourage members ofCongress to send letters to the NationalTransportation Safety Board (NTSB) to askthem to reconsider their recent recommendationsfor motorcycle safety. The intense lobbyingeffort brought over 25% of the MRF's sustaining

member organizations to Washington DC.Those organizations sent over 60 motorcyclelobbyists to attend over 100 individual meetingswith members of Congress and staff.

Results.

To date those meetings have yielded 12 lettersfrom Congressmen to the NTSB, and the MRFpredicts that number will continue to grow. Thelist of Congressmen sending letters so farincludes Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), RandyKuhl (R-NY), Chairman David Obey (D-WI),John Shimkus (R-IL), Tim Walberg (R-MI),Baron Hill (D-IN), Zach Wamp (R-TN), MarkKirk (R-IL),Walter Jones (R-NC), Peter Defazio(D-OR), John Duncan (R-TN) and LeonardBoswell (D-IA).

The purpose of the press conference was toinform the public of the MRF's position on theNTSB's recommendations and to express appre-ciation to the Congressmen sending letters onbehalf of motorcyclists. The event was also anopportunity for members of Congress to go onthe record in support of responsible and appro-priate motorcycle safety measures.

Highlights.

Congressman Zack Wamp (R-TN), in attendanceat the event, had this to say about owning, ridingand modifying motorcycles, "This is a slice of

American history. And I hope that in this day ofpolitical correctness, we don't forget that.Exactly what bikes mean in terms of Americanhistory and liberty and freedom and all thosethings that we hold dear. Because this is some-thing that the people around the rest of the worldlook at America and identify us with and it'simportant to preserve it."

Perhaps Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI),who was also in attendance, said it best when hesaid, "While we can debate the issue of thenecessity of a helmet or the lack of a necessityof a helmet, it would be better that we debatedthe issues and work together on putting some-thing between the ears as opposed to on ourhead. Those are the issues of concern that makea difference."

The MRF would like to extend sincere thanks toall of the Members of Congress who attendedthe press conference. In addition, the MRFwould like to thank the other organizations inattendance, including the Motorcycle IndustryCouncil (MIC), the Motorcycle SafetyFoundation (MSF) and the NTSB, as well as thenumerous reporters and photographers who cov-ered the event.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation would liketo thank everyone who came to DC to lobby this

important issue and also to those who workedon this issue from their home states. TheSMROS that sent representatives to Washingtonis long and distinguished. ConcernedMotorcyclists of Tennessee, ABATE of IL, WV,NC, SC, IA, MN, IN, WI, OR, AZ, OH, NJ, NY,TN, the Arizona Confederation of MotorcycleClubs, and one of the classiest little SMRO’s inthe country the St. Croix Valley Riders. (full dis-closure, I am a SCVR member, so I may bebiased)

MRF historians let me know that this is the firstevent of its type for the MRF. Thanks to theentire MRF team for making this event a suc-cess. Special thanks to ABATE of IN for beingintegral on putting together the “Fact or Fiction”one pager.

Next Steps.

We must give the NTSB adequate time torespond to the letters sent by Congress and theMRF. Once their response is sent we will formu-late the course of action. The MRF has a meet-ing scheduled with the Chairman and the ViceChairman of the NTSB as well as the lead PhDsand Chairmans General Counsel. This meetingwill also be attended by ABATE of FL andNCOM. Thanks to James “Doc” Reichenbachfor helping facilitate this meeting.

Motorcycle Riders Foundation holds successful

Washington DC Press Conference

HIPAA on Hold? Sort of…Jeff Hennie


)

Is HIPAA on hold? The definitive answer issort of. What I am referring to is the upcom-ing end of session. We are entering the sec-ond session of the 110th Congress. EachCongress is actually two one year long ses-sions. What does any of this have to do withensuring motorcyclists have health care cov-erage? Everything! Let me explain, thelooming end of the first session or thehalfway point of the 110th, is sure to besometime near the end of December, (mymoney is on December 21 if you are playingalong at home), so that puts the Democratlead Congress almost three months over theirown target adjournment of October 6th.

It’s easiest to describe what we don’t have todo when the second session of the USCongress convenes. We do not have to re-introduce any legislation. We don’t get newbill numbers and we certainly don’t lose anyco sponsors –except to god forbid naturalcauses or a political death- we also don’thave any regularly scheduled elections at thefederal level.

However at this point in the waning hours ofCongress any significant movement on HR1076 or S 616 is highly unlikely. We canhowever continue to ask for cosponsor-shipin these quiet hours. Gathering cosponsorsfor these bills is gas in the tank for the sec-ond session of the 110th.

Your elected officials will all be homearound the holidays and into January. I know

it’s not the post card perfect way to spendthis time of year but meeting with yourMembers of Congress in their home districtsis one of the most important things you cando. It’s not cocoa with kids but it will yieldresults. Meet with them to discuss HIPAA,the NTSB and what you are doing for motor-cycle safety.

A new group of co-sponors as we roll intothe Second session of the 110th Congresswill only improve our chances of passingthis important legislation this year. It’s a longroad ahead and adding more cosponsors iswhat we need to get down that road evenquicker.

The list of House HIPAA cosponsors:

Rep Allen, Thomas H. [ME-1] Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] Rep Baird, Brian [WA-3] Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] Rep Biggert, Judy [IL-13] Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] - Rep Boozman, John [AR-3] Rep Boswell, Leonard L. [IA-3] Rep Boucher, Rick [VA-9] Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1] Rep Butterfield, G. K. [NC-1] Rep Camp, Dave [MI-4] Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] Rep Costello, Jerry F. [IL-12] Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7]

Rep Davis, David [TN-1] Rep Deal, Nathan [GA-9] Rep Dicks, Norman D. [WA-6Rep Ehlers, Vernon J. [MI-3] Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] Rep English, Phil [PA-3] Rep Etheridge, Bob [NC-2] Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] Rep Fossella, Vito [NY-13] Rep Gerlach, Jim [PA-6] Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T. [MD-1] Rep Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY-20] Rep Gillmor, Paul E. [OH-5] Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] Rep Hayes, Robin [NC-8] Rep Hill, Baron P. [IN-9] Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] Rep Jindal, Bobby [LA-1] Rep Johnson, Timothy V. [IL-15] Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8]Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] Rep King, Steve [IA-5] Rep Kirk, Mark Steven [IL-10] Rep Kline, John [MN-2] Rep Kuhl, John R. "Randy", Jr. [NY-29] Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] Rep Latham, Tom [IA-4] Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] Rep Manzullo, Donald A. [IL-16] Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] Rep Miller, Brad [NC-13] Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10]

Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] Rep Moran, Jerry [KS-1] Rep Murphy, Tim [PA-18Rep Myrick, Sue Wilkins [NC-9] Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] Rep Obey, David R. [WI-7] Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [PA-16] Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] Rep Putnam, Adam H. [FL-12] Rep Ramstad, Jim [MN-3] Rep Roskam, Peter J. [IL-6] Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] Rep Ryan, Paul [WI-1] Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [WI-5] - Rep Shimkus, John [IL-19] - 3/20/2007Rep Simpson, Michael K. [ID-2] - Rep Smith, Adrian [NE-3] - Rep Space, Zachary T. [OH-18] Rep Stupak, Bart [MI-1] Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12] Rep Udall, Mark [CO-2] Rep Walberg, Timothy [MI-7] Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] Rep Weller, Jerry [IL-11] -Rep Young, Don [AK]

Senators: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] Sen Ensign, John [NV] Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI]


Cindy HodgesMember Representative

I KNOW you have heard this. Or perhapsyou have said this? What am I talkingabout?

I’m talking about L-O-B-B-Y-I-N-G.

Basics. I just want to talk about the basicshere.

Like most things, once you do it you real-ize “hah! I should have started doing this along time ago!” which is a feeling we haveall experienced in life in many differentarenas. If you know me (and I certainly dotry to meet as many MRF members as Ican) then you know that I’m not too shy.But what you might not know is that I usedto be. Painfully so. I can remember the firsttime I was appointed to an ABATE chapteroffice. I say appointed rather than electedbecause that is just the way it went. Thesecretary left the organization, I was one ofthe few females in the room, and that is justhow things worked in those days. I verymuch recall the butterflies in the stomachfeeling when I’d face my chapter to readthe minutes. Yikes! Just like riding, it getseasier and easier and then becomes secondnature, once you start doing it.

Visiting your elected representatives andgovernmental bureaucrats is the same way.And just like anything else you learn to do,there are no stupid questions about what todo, where to go, how to dress (a hotly con-tested subject at times but a questionnonetheless many folks will ask), how longto expect a meeting to go, you name it – ifyou are wondering – ask someone who has

done it before. If you do not personallyknow someone who has done it before,contact the leaders in your SMRO or any-one on the MRF board, or any other organi-zation you know of that is politically moti-vated. I am very happy to answer ques-tions and help where I can and you canreach me at [email protected].

Once you get past the hesitation of Can I?Should I? Will I die of mortification first?The real benefits become recognizable, fast.Even in the worst or most unproductive ofmeetings, you come back with information.It might be information about just how harda nut you have to crack with this legislatoror it might be information about thingshe/she find near and dear to them whereyou might have some common ground.You might get them to, or find that they,agree with you and that will absolutelymake your day

No matter what happens, you will comeaway from a meeting with these folksknowing something else. And if you aretrying to make changes, the more knowl-edge you get, the better your chances ofeffecting that change. Sometimes, you find that the legislator sit-ting at the table with you is someone youreally admire. You will encounter thismore than you might think. You will knowthat when this person runs for re-election,you want to do what you can to help thatcampaign.You will start to develop a work-ing relationship with these individuals; itwill happen naturally with a little bit ofcommunication between you and their staff.Once a mutual respect and admiration isstruck, it just grows. And each time you goback to see this legislator, they are glad tosee you or glad to see the people you sendin your place.

If you are answering a call to action to goto our nation’s capitol and lobby yourstate’s delegation of legislators, there aresome things that are hard. I won’t lie toyou about that. Let me lay it out here.

Travel and accommodations. You ain’t athome anymore. Driving or riding to thelegislative offices and parking is not possi-ble. You either pay through the nose for a“Hill” address hotel within walking dis-tance, or pay less and stay in Arlington orthe surrounding boroughs. You take cabsor learn to use the Metro (the subway

continued page 13

Oh No, That’s Just Not Me,

YOU Do It!

MRF Young Activist Scholarship Candidate Criteria:

1) Candidates must be between the ages of 18 and 30 with a valid motorcycleendorsement on their drivers license. 31st birthday must fall after MOTM that year.

2) Candidate must be a member in good standing of a State Motorcyclists' RightsOrganization (SMRO). Length of membership required in SMRO to be determined byits members if candidate is qualified.

3) Candidates must be nominated by their SMRO. Nominations will be acceptedfrom either state or local (District/Chapter/Local) SRMO groups, and must be submit-ted on an MRF-approved application form.

4) Nominations must be submitted between October 1st and July 15th and post-marked no late than July 1st of the year for which the application is submitted.

5) Candidates are to submit a minimum three hundred (300) word essay on whybiker's rights are important to them. An well-written essay is like a picture of who thecandidate is, and it gives the committee members a better perspective of the individual.

Winning candidates will be announced via an MRF e-mail news release on or aboutAugust 15th. All candidates will be notified with a letter of thanks and encouragementto re-submit their candidacy for the next year if they are not the selected winner.

What Do Winning Candidates Receive?

1) One year membership in the MRF effective the first full day of Meeting of theMinds during the year in which they are selected.

2) Round-trip airfare to MOTM or alternate travel expenses so long as those expens-es in total do not exceed the cost of traveling by air. If an alternate mode of transporta-tion is chosen, candidates will be required to provide receipts in order to be reimbursed(receipts will be accepted for tickets on other modes of transportation), hotel accommo-dations, and gasoline. If there is any question about acceptable travel expenditures, it isthe responsibility of the candidate to check with MRF prior to incurring said expense.

3) Hotel accommodations at MOTM. Accommodations will include room and taxesonly. Telephone, food, movie rentals, etc. will be the sole responsibility of candidates.

4) MOTM conference and banquet fees waived.5) Special recognition at MOTM. Recognition to include a plaque and presentation

of a one-year individual MRF membership.6) Winners are to submit one article to the MRF Reports and the Reps Blast telling

of their SMRO activities and their experiences on attending the MOTMs.

How Winning Candidates Are Chosen:

MRF Young Activist Scholarship Fund Committee will be responsible for:1) Promoting the program.2) Reviewing all applications and choosing winner(s)3) Chairman of MRF YAS Committee will notify all candidates of their decision.4) In conjunction with appropriate MRF personnel, ensuring that all financial, trav-

el, lodging and conference issues are addressed in a timely and professional manner.Projected Cost: Estimated not to exceed $750.00 per winning candidate. Number of

winners will in part be determined by available funds.

MRF Young Activist Scholarship Fund Nomination Form

Date: ___________________________________________________________

Candidate Name: _________________________________________________

Candidate Address: _______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Candidate Phone Number: __________________________________________

Candidate Date of Birth: ____________________________________________

Member of (SMRO): _______________________________________________

Please provide the following information on a separate piece of paper.

Candidate Qualifications:

1) Please explain why you feel this person should be selected.

2) Other considerations: Explain any circumstances you feel are appropriate.

Submitted by: ____________________________________________________

Signature / Position________________________________________________

(State / Local SMRO Presiding Officer)

Mail to: Miles France, 10795 CR 197A, Lot 255, Nathrop, CO 81236

719-395-0360; [email protected]

Kirk “Hardtail” Willardrelaxing with ABATE ofNebraska after avery productive ABATE ofNEBRASKA STEAM inNovember


Motorcycle Vehicle Miles Traveled Jeff Hennie


The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) held a unique event, theMotorcycle Travel Symposium, a three-daymeeting aimed at improving the data usedto calculate motorcycle vehicle miles trav-eled (VMT) on October 10th-12th inWashington DC. VMT numbers are used to calculate a num-ber of transportation data points. Mostnoteworthy is the Fatality AnalysisReporting System (FARS) used by NHTSAto determine the percentage of fatality ratesper miles traveled by any given mode oftransportation. Good data is important herebecause if the number of actual miles trav-eled is not accurate, then it makes that par-ticular form of transportation appear dead-lier than it really may be. You can listen toa detailed presentation on how motorcycleVMT numbers affect FARS data by visitingthe archives of the MRF's 2005 Meeting ofthe Minds athttp://www.inbradio.com/media/archives/mrf/motm2005.html. Up until now it has been optional for statesto report any VMT for motorcycles, butthat has changed. Starting in June 2008,motorcycle data is no longer optional forstates to report to the feds. Remember hear-ing that no motorcycles travel in South

Dakota? The MRF and SMROs have ques-tioned the inaccuracy of motorcycle VMTnumbers for several years, and the fedshave finally put a stop to that nonsense.You can read more about the MRF'sresearch into motorcycle VMT numbers onthe MRF's website athttp://www.mrf.org/articles/2005/05NR2105nr21nomotorcyclestravelinsouthdakota.htm. So why did the FHWA need to have athree-day meeting to address this issue?What is the real problem with collectingaccurate VMT numbers for motorcycles?Apparently everything. Let's start with the technological issues.The actual technology used to collect datawas designed for cars and trucks, notmotorcycles. The small signature of motor-cycles is difficult to capture using the tubeor hose capture methods. Often times thetubes are only stretched across half a lanegiving ample room for the motorcycle tosimply go around the foreign object in theroad. Some of the newer laser technologymay be promising, but it's expensive andeasily thrown off calibration by weeds,snow or curious animals. Some of the videocollection technology shows some promise,but it too is expensive and difficult to main-tain. With dwindling money at state DOTs,new purchases of pricey video cameras andlasers just is not a widespread option.

Then there's the human factor. It is com-mon knowledge that a large number ofmotorcyclists spend more time on the roadfrom Friday to Sunday. This intuition isbacked up by the National HouseholdTransportation Survey, a phone study con-ducted by the feds that surveys 20,000 plushouseholds on their respective travel habits.Questions include what type of vehiclesyou own, when and where are you usingthose vehicles, how many licensed driversare under your roof, and so on. This studyreported that almost 40 percent of allmotorcycle travel occurs on the weekends.That becomes a problem because most ofthe state employees hired to physically col-lect the data only work Monday throughThursday, so any weekend travel goesunmonitored. Seasons also skew the data,for most northern states see very fewmotorcycles during winter months and thestate DOTs don't adjust for that. Another major problem is where the VMTdata is collected. Most of the states collectdata on roads that see the most use by carsand trucks. Think of major interstates, mul-tilane highways and other heavily traveledroads, bridges and tunnels. Now think ofwhere most motorcycle rides occur, onback roads, scenic byways and other out-of-the-way streets. Most motorcyclists pur-posefully avoid the heavy congestion of anurban environment in favor of lesser-trav-

eled roads with less heavy truck traffic. Thestatistic commonly used by the states is thatthey survey just 23% of the roads and leavethe other 77% that are generally the respon-sibility of smaller entities such as town-ships and villages alone. That's a major dis-crepancy and a fatal flaw of the VMT datafor motorcycles. It's refreshing, to say the least, that the fed-eral government is finally taking a goodhard look at the validity of the motorcycleVMT data. Now the hard part, committingprecious resources toward improving thedata collection. Simply mandating that thedata be reported next year will not automat-ically ensure accurate numbers, and someargue just the opposite. Now that the stateshave to do more with the same amount ofresources, it may have the effect of ficti-tious numbers reported just to comply withanother federal directive.

A lot of serious research is occurring, butuntil that research is easily translatable toreal world situations it's doubtful that theVMT numbers for motorcycles will bebelievable. Much work remains, but this iswithout question a tremendous step for-ward, and the MRF will continue to moni-tor and report any progress.

Introducing: New MRF Board MembersEditor’s Note: There has recently been three additions to the MRF Board of Directors: Dave Anderson, Asst. Treasurer; Paulette Pinkham, Secretary; and myself, Eric Hampton,Dierctor of Communications. Though all were introduced at Meeting of the Minds in Cedar Rapids, here are some introductions for those of you that could not attend.

Dave Anderson

MRF Assistant Treasurer

I became the Assistant Treasurer of theMRF last April at the Beast of the East.

My initial contribution to motorcycle rightswas cooking chili for the St Croix ValleyRiders annual chili feed; fund raiser for adual-state MRO.

In late 2002 I moved from Minnesota toHudson, Wisconsin and accepted the posi-tion of WI Legislative Coordinator for theSCVR. This encompassed monthly reportsto the membership and trips to Madison WI(state capital) and Washington DC as an“amateur” lobbyist. I held this position forfour years.

In 2004 I was elected to the SCVR Board

of Directors as the Treasurer; I am currentlyin my forth term. This has groomed mewell to help with the MRF finances while Icontinue to meet with both, my state andfederal legislators when I can.

By the way…I still help cook 450 gallonsof chili every year for the SCVR.

Paulette Pinkham

MRF Corporate Secretary

I have been a member of ABATE of IL,Inc. too long to remember and have beenactive since the day I joined.I very good friend of mine talked me intojoining but didn’t tell me the plan; the day Ijoined I became the Newsletter Editor forthe Chapter. After doing this for a while Itook a great interest in the Safety andAwareness program put on by the state and

its chapter and became the chapter Safety& Education Coordinator. Also at thechapter level I was a temporary treasurerthen taking on the secretary position. I became the State Safety & EducationCoordinator for 7 years and developedmany friends and interests over the stateover the years.I worked quietly as the Assistant to JayJackson at the MRF level for the past 3years, then taking an interest in the secre-

tary position never thinking I would be in itnow.I have riding motorcycles almost my entirelife still. I also became an instructor about5 or 6 years ago.My current ride is a new Street Glide whichis patiently waiting to be gotten out soon.Think before you drinkRide safe, Ride freePaulette PinkhamMRF Corporate Secretary

Eric Hampton

MRF Director of Communications,

MRF Reports Editor

I’ve been riding off and on since I wasabout five years old - the first time solo ona Honda Trail 50 - but had never heard ofthe motorcycle rights movement until 2004.

The night that the Red Sox won the WorldSeries in 2004, I met ABATE of AZ’s State

President having a few cocktails, and afterhearing about a driver only being fined $60for killing a biker, I was completelyhooked.

Since then, I have been the Editor forABATE of AZ’s Masterlink and their web-master as well. I have held the office ofChapter Communications Officer and fornearly the last two years, StateCommunications Officer. I manage three

web sites for ABATE of AZ - www.abateo-faz.org, www.toobrokeforsturgis.com andwww.myspace.com/abateofaz.

I’m also currently acting as temporaryMRF webmaster until a qualified, motivat-ed someone can be found to relieve me.

I ride a ‘97 Kawasaki Vulcan and am in theprocess of covering all of the tins withdiamondback rattlesnake skin.


Miles France

MRF Director of Reps

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation rolledout the red carpet for the State Reps, Co-Reps, and Assistant Reps to converge onWashington DC for a press conference inNovember to address the issue dealing withthe NTSB and their damaging release for allstates to enact a Universal Helmet Law. Itseems the “Hill” was clad in leather for acouple of weeks and representatives frommany states were informed of the foolishtactics the NTSB were attempting. Not allSMRO’s could afford to send another groupof lobbyists a second time this year so theones who didn’t get to pay a personal visit toDC those folks were all encouraged to call,email or write a letter to there representa-tives. The NTSB may have dropped a stinkbomb on all the SMROs nationwide butlook who came in with the defensive fan toair things out, the “MRF”. Over the yearsyou’ve read in my articles how much youcan count on this organization and this isanother perfect example.

All the MRF Reps reacted to the call toWashington DC in one-way or another. The

action, which took place, could never ofhappened without the MRF Reps. Thesevolunteers take time and money from theirpersonal lives to bring the issues to not onlytheir members but also their personal Stateand DC Representatives. The job of work-ing as a MRF Representative takes a special

individual who is willing to devote a portionof their life to helping defend bikersFreedoms of Choice. It does on occasion wear you down but then you meet some newfolks that once again understand your spieland you then feel recharged again to carryon and work towards our common goal ofFreedom.

The cost of everything is going up so fastattempting to just stay even with life is morethan a struggle but an extremely rugged bat-tle. SMROs across the country all struggleto survive within their budgets but even thebest budgets get slapped around as the costof things keeps rising. This being the start ofa new year (2008) a very helpful way tobenefit the MRF is if your SMRO wouldplan one event with the proceeds going tothe MRF. Take this idea to yourDistricts/Chapters and see if you could helpplan something special. One perfect exam-ple is Vinny Newman’s History Tour. Everystate has special history and what a way toshare it with your brothers and sisters.

With this being the beginning of 2008 it’s

never too early to look at whom yourSMRO is going to send in as a Candidate for the YAS. Each District/Chapter needs tolook within their group and help that youngindividual to submit an application and tryand win a spot to the MOTM’s for 2008.Check out all the information dealing with this by going to the www.mrf.org web site. Speaking of the www.mrf.org web site, docheck it out and see how it has been updated and customized. The on line store isnow up and running and everything else hasbeen cleaned up and laid out so the site isvery easy to navigate. Don’t forget to go tothe INB site and listen to the MOTM’s thispast year or even farther back in thearchives.

The states Legislative page is still lacking soif you haven’t submitted your latest state’sinformation take the time and send it to meand I’ll forward it to Eric Hampton to loadon the web site. This information is vitallyimportant at this time of year for states tosee what and how other SMROs are han-dling threats to their “Freedom”.

A New Year, Though Our Mission Remains The Same

TORONTO PUBLIC WORKS VOTES TO

IMPROVE RIDER SAFETY

Toronto Public Works Votes to ImproveRider Safety Recommends Motorcycle andScooter access to City's HOVlanes::Toronto, Ontario, Canada November29, 2007It's about safety!!

Rider safety will be dramatically improvedif a Public Works Committee recommenda-tion is approved by Council. That recom-mendation is to allow motorcycles andscooters into the HOV lanes on CityStreets. The current requirement limitsaccess to vehicles with three (3) or moreoccupants.

"There is clear evidence in scientific reportsfrom around the world that motorcycles andscooters are safer in HOV lanes," saysPeter Jacobs, President of the MotorcyclistsConfederation of Canada. "We are pleasedthat Public Works in Toronto has recog-nized this." He added that those samereports point out that this does NOT add toHOV lane congestion, and helps improvetraffic flow.

"We applaud the City's leadership on thisissue" says Jacobs. "HOV lanes acrossNorth America allow single occupant

motorcycles and scooters access FORSAFETY PURPOSES. The Committeeclearly recognizes this issue, and has actedwith great vision and commitment."

MCC's deputation disputed the City's StaffReport, that said there was "no evidence tosuggest that motorcycle and scooter opera-tors would be safer." MCC presented threegovernment reports - one from Virginia andtwo from Great Britain - that disproved theCity's staff report. "The significant safetyenhancement is clear, documented, substan-tiated, unequivocal and undeniable," saysJacobs. "Anyone suggesting otherwise isoperating with a clear lack of factual infor-mation."

In addition, the industry, through theMotorcycle and Moped Industry Council(MMIC), presented up-to-date informationregarding vehicle emissions, again contra-dicting the information presented to theCommittee. That motorcycles and scootersoffer better fuel efficiency was accepted asa given by the committee members. Theyrejected blanket statements about emis-sions, noting that the issue is extremelycomplex and confusing. Assertions one wayor the other are misleading.

City staff were also worried that thischange would trigger requests from envi-ronmentally friendly vehicle operators,such as hybrids."This is a safety issue" says Jacobs. "Thoseoperators will not be safer in HOV lanes,whereas motorcyclist are. No argument can

trump the need for enhanced rider safety."

"This decision will enhance rider safety,

improve traffic flow, NOT add to HOV lanecongestion, and NOT add to pollution."

affirms Jacobs.


Carol Downs

MRF Conferences Director

Can you believe it is 2008 already? Iremember when I was young (last week Ithink) and it seemed time took forever topass. Christmas took forever to arrive,summer was never going to get here, evenanother hour in the car seemed like an eter-nity. And now, I’m trying to figure outwhat happened to 2007. It was a verygood year for Bruce and me. We did a lotof riding; I had the honor of teachingmotorcycle safety to our military men andwomen stationed at Ft. Carson; we wel-comed a new grandson into our lives(grandbaby number 7). In my opinion itwas also one of the best years for MRFConferences. We had good attendance,great workshops and motivating speakers. The problem with having a good year, evenby your own standards, is you have to con-tinue to improve upon it. This presents mewith quite a challenge for 2008. But I amfeeling up to it. With the assistance ofsome really great host SMRO’s we shoulddo just fine in 2008.I am calling this year the “Coast to CoastConference Season”. We will be travelingfrom Peabody, MA just outside Salem toVancouver, WA. While I haven’t laid outthe exact routes yet it should be about 7785miles by the time we arrive home after theBEST of the West Conference. And that isjust mileage for the Motorcycle RidersFoundation. Is it any wonder I love what Ido? MOTM (Meeting of the Minds) will bea short trip for us this year; 12 miles roundtrip just about covers it. Our host for BEAST of the East will be theMassachusetts Motorcycle Association(MMA). The Conference is scheduled forApril 18-20 at the Peabody Marriott.Room reservations must be made no laterthan March 26, 2008 to get our room rate of$99.00 single or double. March 26 is alsothe deadline for early registration for theConference itself. Once again Bruce and I are planning to rideto this Conference. Just 6 weeks ago Ibought a new bike (to me) to make ridingto the Conferences easier. Bruce wasalways complaining that I was using all ofthe storage space in his Ultra Glide so Iwent and bought myself a 2007 ElectricGlide Classic. Now I need to ride it. I surehope this is an early spring. Pray for earlysnow, quick warming and don’t letPunxsutawney Phil see his shadow. The middle of May will find me riding tothe Kansas City area for a MotorcycleRiders Foundation Board Meeting. We areno longer doing our Board Meetings inassociation with Conferences; we are doingstand alone meetings with the exception ofSeptember. While this does mean moretravel time it also means more saddle time.Please remember our Board Meetings are

open to all. IF you happen to be in the areastop in and see what it is we do. On June 13 we will be at the Red LionHotel on the Quay in Vancouver, WA forthe BEST of the West. This event will beco-hosted by Washington Road RidersAssociation (WRRA) and ABATE of OR.Room rates at the Red Lion are $89.95 sin-gle or double. For an additional $15.00you can get a room with a river view. Thedeadline for making room reservations isMay 12, 2008. The pre-registration dead-line for the Conference is just a few daysbehind. When registering for the Conference youmay go on-line and register via the MRFwebsite. Simply log on to www.mrf.organd click on Conference Info. From thereyou can register for any and allConferences, including MOTM which willbe in Denver in September. If you areplanning to register for one of the RegionalConferences (BEAST or BEST) as a chap-ter of district remember registration mustbe paid for by the pre-registration deadline.Names of attendees must also be submittedby that time. Any late registrations may besubject to a late fee. I am once again looking forward to somereally great Conferences in 2008. If youhave never made one I really want toencourage you to do so. There is a wealthof information to be gained by attendingthe sessions; and even more to acquire bynetworking in the hallways. We have somereally good minds in this organization thatare more than willing to share theirthoughts, ideas, successes and failures in aneffort to keep us all free. Come take advan-tage of what our membership has to offer. In an effort to keep our Conferences freshand timely I would also encourage anyonewho has ideas for workshops or speakers,or wishes to volunteer themselves, to con-tact me. My expertise is planning andcoordination; I don’t necessarily know allof the movers and shakers. Jump in andjoin us.

How Time Flies When You’re

Having Fun


MRFNEWS Mailing List

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation wouldlike you to take the time to go to our web-site, www.mrf.org, and sign up for ourAlerts.

Through 3 different Department Directorsand a server change we want to make cer-tain everyone is still on our list so please goto the following; www.mrf.org, to subscribeto our Alerts, press releases, and LeadersReports. It is critical with the recent nation-al helmet law push that everyone has themost current information possible.

When you get to the website you will findthe option to sign up on the left side of thehome page; Sign Up for the MRF NewsMailing List. Click this header and you willbe taken to page explaining the process.Click the link “here” and you will be takento the sign-up page. Follow the instructionsthere, return the email when it is sent toyou and you will be assured of getting thelatest Alerts.

Dave Dwyer

Congressman John Shimkus (IL)

Addresses the Chairman of the

NTSB in Support of the MRF

Vision Zero SwedenMaria Nordqvist

Sveriges MotorCyklister

I attended an international road safety confer-ence in Sweden in the beginning of September.The visitors from other countries encouragedSweden to continue the efforts to export VisionZero to other countries. When global road safe-ty was discussed and motorcycles, the use ofhelmets was discussed.

Mr Claes Tingvall said when the vision waslaunched that there is no room for motorcyclesin Vision Zero, which led to a debate/war withSwedish bikers. We are not enemies any longerbut – you never know what to exepct from thisguy. Mr Roger Johansson (rides a Honda SuperBlackbird) talked at the IPPC in Ohio and thenstated that Vision Zero must be defined inanother way to motorcyclists, since, a motorcy-clist can not afford to be involved in an acci-dent. To prevent injuries is not enough for us,we must try to prevent the accident itself. Thisis the way we’re going to work in Sweden andthe way SMC always has.

You can find more information about VisionZero in English at the National RoadAdministration website: http://www.vv.se/tem-plates/page3____13870.aspx

There are three big things in Sweden to mini-mize accidents; collision avoidance, not usingalcohol and drugs and lower speed/obey thespeed limits (and using seat belts).

If you drive/ride in Sweden you will see thatmany bigger roads are separated in a 2+1 sys-tem with a crash barrier in the middle to avoidcollisions. Well, SMC don’t disagree with this,but with the barrier they are using, mainly cablebarriers. After ten years, the National RoadAdministration is admitting that the cable barri-er is not the best solution for a motorcyclist. Weare going to develop a national standard.

When you look at fatalities – alcohol & drugs itis obvious that bikers are not under the influ-ence like car drivers are. In most cases when abiker is drunk, he’s stolen or borrowed the bike.

When it comes to speed, 800 speed camerashave been installed over the last years.Motorcycles can’t be caught in these since thephotos are taken from the front. At the moment,we’re fighting the most stupid proposal ever; anumber plate in front of motorcycles. A hugespeed test was done this summer with 900 000vehicles, 20 000 of them were motorcycles. 59% of the car drivers and 66 % of the bikerswere above the speed limit. There is a smallgroup of motorcyclists, less than 10 % of these,that is doing more than 30 km/h above thespeed limit.

In this document you’ll find the result of indepth studies of fatalities among Swedishmotorcyclists in English:http://www.vv.se/filer/27656/Mc-OLA%20-%20For%20safer%20motorcycle%20traffic.pdf


Meeting of the Minds Through

the Eyes of Youth

Sunrise Pitsch

2008 YAS Winner

My experience at Meeting of the Minds wasone I will never forget. The trip to the confer-ence was a milestone in itself, for it was thelongest I had ever ridden in one length oftime and the first time out of the state withthe bike.

Once I arrived, I was greeted by familiarfaces and welcomed by handshakes and openarms. Thursday night started with a "meet andgreet" in a rather large banquet hall. A micro-phone was passed around to those who want-ed to introduce themselves and what their cur-rent issues may be. Listening to some of themtalk, you could feel the electricity and passionin the air. I knew from the start that this wasgoing to be a great weekend.

Friday, there was a number of speakers fromaround the world. It really didn't dawn on meuntil later that there were that many peoplefrom all over the world fighting for a com-mon goal, "Freedom of the Road". I alsonever knew that the meeting was broadcastover the internet. What a great new age toolto use at our leisure.

Some good news also came from Harley-Davidson, who assured us that the new cloth-ing catalog no longer had the phrase "nogloves, no jacket, no helmet, no riding" in it,which I feel was an issue with most people.

The Kilts vs. Bibs Tug of War was one of themost comical traditions one could have.

Saturday I had the privelege to hear one ofthe most inspirational and motivating speak-ers of all times - "Slider" Gilmore. Once Iwas fully motivated from the speech, I talkedto a group of people who I consider my men-tors (the conference). I answered the ques-tions the best that I could have, given thelevel of pressure. I tried my hardest not tostumble on my words. The other award win-ners - I also felt - were right on the moneywhen their time came to speak.

When the Awards Banquet came, some verydeserved awards were given by "Hardtail"Willard. Next was a Freedom Fighters speechby Bill Salier. The emotions that filled theroom when he talked was enough to makeyou cry with pride.

The silent and live auction was one to be apart of. There were many unique and rareitems not found, made or that you can getanywhere in the world.

The MRF and the other SMROs will alwaysbe the crowd of people (graybeards) that Iwant to hang around.

In closing, I would like to thank the MRF.Your time and commitment is very appreciat-ed. To ABATE of Iowa, thank you for hostingthe conference. To ABATE of Wisconsin,thank you for inspiring and molding me intothe Freedom Fighter that I am today and willforever remain.

One last announcement, remember put youragenda, what your organization does or standsfor on the back of your tshirts. Use the num-ber of members you have to get the advertise-ment you want to the people of this free coun-try.

Sincerely,Sunrise Pitsch(Freedom's watchdog)

PRESS RELEASE:

From the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA)

30 November 2007

Daytime Running Lights:

Commission listens to the concerns of VRUs The European Commission (EC) has decidednot to call for the use of daytime dipped-beamheadlights in Europe. This means that the pointof view of motorcyclists and other vulnerableroad users (VRU) has finally been taken intoaccount.

As announced by Mr. Zoltan Kazatsay, DeputyDirector General of the DG TREN during the4th ACEM Annual Conference held onTuesday 20 November 2007, the EC proposalto harmonise the use of daytime dipped-beamheadlights in Europe has been abandoned.

Although the Commission still supports theview that daytime dipped-beam headlightscould increase the safety of car drivers andreduce the number of car accidents and fatali-ties, it recognized that too little information isyet available about the impact of this measureon other road users. This was one of the con-cerns raised by FEMA against this proposal.FEMA argued that clear evidence and reliablestatistics demonstrating the benefits of compul-sory use of dipped beam headlights during theday from countries where it had been intro-

duced were indeed lacking. FEMA furtherclaimed that there were sufficient doubts con-cerning the quality of some of the research towarrant its promotion as an issue for harmoni-sation2.

Aline Delhaye, FEMA’s General Secretary,says “While there may be a possibility ofimproving the safety of car drivers, harmonis-ing the use of dipped beam headlights duringthe day would have inevitably lead to a loss ofconspicuity for motorcyclists and other vulner-able road users. By declaring that measures

would not be implemented for the benefit ofsome road users at the expense of others, theEuropean Commission has not only taken theconcerns of motorcyclists into account, but hasalso sent out a positive message for theEuropean road safety debate.”

FEMA welcomes the EC decision and recog-nizes that this crucial dialogue between stake-holders has lead to positive results for motorcy-clists.

Iowa Governor Chester Culver’s

Response to ABATE of Iowa


SMROs Nationwide Make the Pilgrimage to Washington, D.C.

West Virginia

Steve Fumich of ABATE of WV tries on Senator Byrds desk for size.Could this be the next Senator from the Mountain State? Steve is theMRF Assistant Rep for WV.

ABATE of West Virginia and MRF meets with Senate President Pro TemporeSenator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) in his US Capitol Appropriations CommitteeChairman's Suite. Pictured are Steven Fumich, Deneen Fumich (MRF Rep forWV), Senator Byrd, Denyse Mogyoros and Jeff Hennie

Michigan

L-R Jeff Hennie, Jim Rhodes, Thaddeus McCotter, Fiz, Ellen Gwaltney L-R Fiz, Dave Camp, Jim Rhodes

Tennessee

L-R: Mike Hays, Carol Simpson, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp L-R: Jeff Hennie, Congresswoman Blackburn, Mike Hays

November/December 2007 MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION Page 11

More From Washington, D.C.

Jeff Hennie, Chairman of House Highway Subcomittee PeterDeFazio (D-OR) Heidi Disrud and Pat Ryan from ABATE of Oregon.

Jeff Hennie, Dave Anderson (St Croix Valley Riders and MRF),Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) and Dwight Smith (SCVR)

At the Press Conference in Washington, D.C.

Michael "Boz" Kerr MRF VP, Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), Kirk "Hardtail"Willard MRF president, Jeff Hennie and Congressman Zach Wamp at the MRF pressconference in Washington DC Nov. 15th to address the NTSB motorcycle safetyrecomendations.

MRF and our SMRO partners attendNTSB Press Conference

L-R: Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, Michael “Boz” Kerr, Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI),Jeff Hennie and Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN)


Motorcycle Statistics Fact Or Fiction?Analysis

A number of inaccuracies and inconsisten-cies have been uncovered in examiningdata related to motorcycle crashes, injuriesand fatalities. If the information is incorrectit can only lead to theories and conclusionsthat are also incorrect, or at the very leastsuspect.

Solution

Since much of the data is obviously flawedand most of the conclusions are thereforespeculative at best, the only true solutionsto motorcycle safety are proactive measureswhich prevent a collision from occurring atall rather than reactive steps that may offersome level of injury reduction only after acrash has already taken place. Rider educa-tion that prepares the motorcyclist to inter-act with other road-way users by learningand practicing the skills necessary for haz-ard avoidance and developing a strategy todeal with real world traffic is the primarycomponent of a comprehensive motorcyclesafety plan. Additionally, educating allmotor vehicle operators to be alert andfree of impairment as they share the roadwith others is critical in deterring crashescaused by inattention.

Training and Awareness are the Keys…

Examples of how the motorcycling commu-nity works to address and implement thesemeasures are as follows:

Lobby for state legislated rider educationprograms and work with state programcoordinator to develop and promote train-ing courses.

Present “Share the Road” programs todriver education classes, civic and socialorganizations and public meetings.

Introduce “Right of Way” legislation thatprovides prosecutors more opportunitiesin cases where a motorist’s negligencecauses injury or death to another.

Create Motorcycle Safety and AwarenessMonth to remind all motor vehicle opera-tors of motorcyclists’ presence on the road.

Deliver “Ride Straight” messages withinthe motorcycling culture encouragingeveryone to ride and drive free of impair-ments.

Possible Errors?

When errors, omissions or inaccuracies arediscovered in reports or statistics it makesany conclusions or recommendations based

on those findings suspect. Additionally,small numbers can be easily skewed byslight or seemingly insignificant variations.Furthermore, numbers may be exploited ifuncharacteristic highs or lows are used as abaseline. None of these facts are intendedto argue against helmet use, but rather todemonstrate that imposing a helmet law isnot the solution to motorcycle safety.Individual states need to maintain the abili-ty to determine what measures best addressthe needs of their residents as suggestedin the National Agenda for MotorcycleSafety (NAMS).

Virtually all current motorcycle fatalitycomparisons are referencing 1997 as abaseline. The 2,116 fatalities reported for1997 represents an all time low.

During one or more years from 1997-2003,20 states reported zero vehicle miles trav-eled (VMT) for motorcycles. Includedamong those states, South Dakota whichplays host to a half million motorcyclingenthusiasts in Sturgis each August.

The August 2007 “Traffic Safety Facts”from NHTSA points out that two of thestates with the highest increase in motorcy-cle fatalities were Alabama and California

which have universal helmet laws.

The same document advises that Alabamais also among the states with the highestpercentage increase in motorcycle fatalitiesat 69.4%.

The report shows that 12 states with univer-sal helmet laws experienced increased fatal-ities while at least 19 states without suchlaws recognized a decrease.

This statistical summary also lists 110 fatal-ities in Indiana for 2006 while informationmaintained by the Indiana State Police andpublished in the Indiana Criminal JusticeInstitute’s 2006 “Traffic Safety Facts” lists96 fatalities for the same period.

The Motorcycle Industry Council hasreported 14 consecutive years of increasedsales of new motorcycles. This obviouslyresults in increased exposure, a fact that isoften omitted.

For more information, contact Jeff Hennie,Motorcycle Riders Foundation, 202-546-0983, [email protected]

U.S. Rep. David Obey (WI)

Delivers His Opinion

to the NTSB

U.S. Rep. John R. “Randy” Kuhl

(NY) Offers His Support to

Motorcyclists Nationwide


travel. They suggest that each vehicle havea GPS that links to the state DOT forinvoicing. Nice huh! of course no represen-tatives were there from the auto makingstates or the western states. I do not thinkthis idea will fly at this time but as with allthings government we need to keep an eyeon this stuff... Additional mandates on man-ufactures will increase cost to consumers,and then there is the whole privacy issue.Can you imagine an attorney asking for therecords of where your vehicle traveled in adivorce case or a DUI case? It is alreadyhappening now with EZPASS.

Another idea that is probably more in linewhat may happen and has occurred in statesalready, most notably California, is the ideaof "toll pricing," this is where you baseyour toll on the time traveled, during com-muter travel the toll is higher or expresstolling where you toll express lanes forquicker travel times. These ideas are suitedto the wealthy but could help with conges-tion in major metro areas such as LA, and

NY. Not sure how this would help rural orwestern states.

As you can see there is a lot happening inthe transportation area that effects each ofus and I think we ought to keep an eye on itand be reasonable with our approch, all ofus want safe roads to travel on, it is whatmade our country what it is today the abili-ty to move people and products is impor-tant to the economy and we need to find away to pay for it that is fair while keepingin mind there are people out there that hatethe internal combustion engine and will usethis to further thier goals of strapping us onthe bus/train and taking away our freedomto move about freely.

Bob

PS while in DC I spent time at the officeand was entertained by our lovely officemanager and Jeff got caught up on the lat-est happenings and took a couple of photosfor your enjoyment. See the above photos...

U.S. Traffic Infrastructure (continued)

MRF Board Members Dave Dwyer and Hardtail receive ABATE of WISCONSIN'sFounders Award for Excellence from Tony "Pan" Sanfelipo at their Annual Meeting

Oh No, That’s Just Not Me, YOU

Do It! (continued)

system). Ok. Is this daunting? Forsomeone from a smaller town withoutsuch transportation systems in place, yesit is. Thankfully, Washington, DC is oneof the major tourist spots of our nationand the citizens are all used to seeingfolks dressed in every sort of way possi-ble, standing in front of a Metro ticketmachine with a befuddled look on theirface. People are friendly and will offerhelp. Metro staff will come right to youto offer help. I’ve seen it time and timeagain. There’s no shame in not knowinghow to work a system that is new toyou. And again, you can ask those whohave done this before. As for theexpense of hotel accommodations, whenI can afford it (not often) I prefer to stayon “the Hill” as I can hike around aftermy appointments and see things, take indinner, and have all sorts of things avail-able to me right there. It is an experi-ence worth doing at least once becausethis is the area where generations ofAmericans have walked. You can liter-ally feel it.

Walking. I did mention walking, didn’tI? This is getting much harder on me asI have some back issues, but still, withpatience, it can be done. You will walkmore than you ever have in your life.There is a formula for schedulingappointments that I use to cut down onthe “unnecessary” walking. In ournation’s capitol, the Capitol buildingfaces the offices of Congress and Senateon one side, and the White House on theother. Congressional offices are in threebuildings on one side of the Capitol andSenate offices are in three buildings onthe other side. I try to schedule all myU.S. Representative (congressmen)appointments with legislators in theRayburn building in succession, oneafter another, then appointments withlegislators in Longworth building in suc-cession, and Cannon building, the sameway. For appointments in the Senate, Iuse the same method for the Russell,Dirkson, and Hart buildings. I cannotalways get things scheduled as I wouldlike, but it often works very well and myfeet thank me. It is also a good way tomake sure you can see more folks in aday.

As a side note, some of these buildingswill turn 100 years old in 2008. We havea lot of history here. I never walkthrough these marbled halls, or walk upthe stairs with time-worn indentions inthe stone steps, that I do not think of thestrong Americans who have come beforeme.

Scheduling those appointments. I’m notgoing to go into a lot of detail herebecause I know it has been done beforebut basically, first you get the names andphone/fax numbers of the offices youwish to visit. Go to www.house.gov forthe Congressional offices and www.sen-ate.gov for the Senate offices. Every bitof info you need is there. Think aboutwhat you are going to talk to the legisla-tor (who you will find is referred to as“the Member because the U.S.Representative in question is a Memberof Congress) about, and realize that youmay not get to meet with the legislatorbut will get an appointment with thestaffer that handles issues that best coin-cide with yours. This person’s job is toget all information they can on subjects

pertaining to say, Health Care or perhapsTransportation so they can both report tothe Member and be an educated refer-ence for the Member. For instance, let’ssay you want the Member to sign on thebill in support of our HIPAA recommen-dations. You want to ask for 15 minutesof the Member’s time; or if he/she is notavailable, you’d like to speak to their“Health Care Aide” and who might thatbe? Perhaps you are going to talk aboutHIPAA, and request a letter to be sent tothe NTSB. That is a transportation issueso if the Member is scheduled for some-thing else that day already, you won’tmind meeting with either the HealthCare or the Transportation aide. Eitherone will pass the notes on to the otherand brief the Member. Craft a letter,make it short, outlining what day youwill be there and say you’d like to meetfor 15 minutes and give the office twotimes to choose from. If you fax in themorning, call that afternoon to ensurethe fax was received. You may be put intouch with the aide right then. If you donot get an answer by the middle of thethird day after your faxed request. Callback. Generally you will hear backpromptly. And quite often the aide willgive you their personal email address tofacilitate any further detail sharing.

This is very easy on the one hand (if youhave a fax or access to one) but hard inthat it is time consuming and you feellike you are doing a juggling act. I findscheduling to be the most difficult partof lobbying in DC. The rest is easy andenjoyable. Really. Honest. (other thanall the walking, that is - - be prepared!)

Once you get your schedule naileddown, email Jeff Hennie a copy [email protected]. He and Tiffany will havenice, professional packets of informationprepared for each of your visits and ifyou are not feeling very comfortableabout knowing all the information, Jeffwill help you with this. He will meetwith you and your team in the morningsand go with you to all the appointmentshe can. It could be that folks from otherstates are there at the same time doingthe same thing so he might have to gowith some of them on some appoint-ments. Rest assured, Jeff is fairly amaz-ing and can manage to get to your firstfew appointments so you get a comfyfeel for things before he goes off towork with someone else.

At the end of the day, you have daylightleft and if you are not totally exhausted,you might wish to meet at one of thelocal watering holes for a drink and/ordinner with the freedom fighters fromother states. This is always fun andinteresting. Not to mention, anothervaluable networking opportunity!

So. The MRF is going to be askingagain for citizen/biker/lobbyists to cometo DC to talk to their legislators. Areyou going to answer that call? It is a loteasier than you think, and more reward-ing than you can imagine.

We have a responsibility to take part inour own governance. That’s my belief.Don’t let fear of the unknown (a totallynormal human reaction and nothing tobe ashamed of) keep you from this trulyexhilarating experience!

ArkansasConnie ShepherdMRF State Representative

The 16th annual Mid-South MILE (MotorcyclistsImproving Legislative Effectiveness) was heldOctober 26-28th, 2007 in Ft Smith, Arkansas.This legislative seminar is put on each year byArkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas andMissouri.

This year Terry Cook, AMA, presented Issues-Local to Global and Justice for All, Ed Martinfrom Kansas and Charlie Williams fromOklahoma presented Avoid the Accident, MichaelMandelman, NCOM presented Bikers' Rightsand Liberties, Jeff Hennie, MRF, presentedFederal Legislation Impacting Motorcyclists,Connie Thompson, Texas, presented the Historyof Women in Motorcycling. Theo Beeldensalong with Bart and Glenn from Belgium present-ed Global Situations and passed out the mostdelicious chocolates during Saturday!! They alsopresented the Ladies on the committee with giftbaskets in appreciation for all they do for theMILE, Saturday evening during the banquet.This year Lynn Wesley, with help, presented BadMoon Rising. This was an overview of potentialthreats to the motorcycling community, primarilyfrom the federal level.

Saturday started with the opening introductionwith Dave Mann, Chairman for the MSM. Nextwas the open forum for the five states. Each gavelegislative updates for their home states. We alsoheard from Jeff Hennie, MRF, Terry Cook, AMAand Tiger Mike, Oklahoma spoke for NCOM.

The Legislative speaker was Honorable JohnPaul Wells, Arkansas House of Representatives.

ABATE of Arkansas District 22 served lunch.The break-out sessions started at 12:15 and endedat 5:00pm.

The banquet started at 7:00pm. There was a cos-tume contest as this was Halloween week.Awards were handed out. Dave Mann presentedus with a new game that came to him in a dream."Pissin' in the Dark" proved to be very entertain-ing and will make for a great game in the summertime when it's hot!! The evening ended with theState Basket Auction. Every year we see somegreat state baskets and this year was no different.Kansas' Giant Basket, Oklahoma's CampingGear, Texas' Bench, Missouri's Still andArkansas' Horseshoe Shaped Bar each filled withstate products and handmade items made espe-cially for the MILE were auctioned off.Oklahoma will host next year's MILE.

As of this print, Arkansas' Motorcycle SafetyProgram has not had a meeting to determine howto best use the 2010 monies.

ABATE of Arkansas was not able to send anyoneto Washington in Novemeber, but we wrote let-ters, made calls or sent faxes to our Senators andRepresentatives in Washington.

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe New Year!!

Ride Safe, Ride Free,Connie ShepherdArkansas MRF Rep

IllinoisJim "Legs" KorteMRF State Representative

ABATE of Illinois was successful in overriding aGovernors veto for the third time on October 11,when Senate Bill 627 passed both chambers ofthe IL General Assembly. It is now Public Act 95-0670. This legislation protects the Money fromthe Recreation Trails fund from being swept by

the Governor.

The Recreational Trails of Illinois Act created aspecial grant program to assist in the develop-ment and maintenance of Off Highway Vehicletrails by creating a title requirement for OHV’spurchased after January 1, 1998; and by creatinga public access sticker program required for useon grant funded trails.

On October 2nd, SB 627 passed the Senate on a52 to 0 vote to override the governors Veto.Senate President Emil Jones voted present.

On October 11th, SB 627 passed the House on a112 to 0 vote to override the governors Veto for acomplete victory.

ABATE of Illinois also had representatives at theMRF press release and are pleased to say that thefollowing Congressmen from Illinois have sent aletter to NTSB concerning their recommenda-tions for motorcycle safety. Congressman JohnShimkus & Congressman Mark Kirk.

Legs KorteIllinois

IndianaDuane Morgan "Bushhog"MRF State Co-Representative

January is a big month for us in Indiana.

Wed Jan 23, 2008 is ABATE Day at theStatehouse. We meet with legislators, lobby formotorcyclists' rights, tour the Statehouse (and1st-time attendees learn about the legislativeprocess).

The number one item on our legislative agendafor 2008 is getting House Bill 1813ammended/corrected to remove the discriminato-ry $10 tax that is charged ONLY to motorcycleregistrations. This represents an increase ofalmost 60%. This fee is not assessed equally to allmotor-vehicles and unfairly singles out motorcy-clists. (This bill was originally introduced to cre-ate the spinal cord and brain injury trust, and hadno reference to motorcycles whatsoever. It wasincluded after the Conference Committee met inthe final hours of the session and rushed thebudget bill to a vote to meet the midnight dead-line to end the session.)

We will also try to get our Right-of-Way bill re-introduced.

MichiganMichael “Fiz” PrzybyloMRF State Representative

A Call to Action, AnsweredOn September 11, 2007 the NationalTransportation Safety Board (NTSB) released arecommendation that all states should have, orreinstate motorcycle helmet laws. TheMotorcycle Riders Foundation put out a “Call toAction” asking people to come to WashingtonD.C. and talk to their legislators to get the NTSBto stop lobbying the States to reinstate helmetlaws. In Michigan the NTSB came to our Senatehearing and attempted to have them not pass onour bill out of committee.

At the October Board of Directors Meeting Italked about the “Call to Action” and asked forfunding to go to DC and lobby our case. Theboard voted unanimously to fund the trip toWashington D.C. It took about 40 hours of workto set up the meetings with all of Michigan’sLegislators; put together the notebooks thatwould be needed for the various meetings, set upthe hotel reservations, and arrange for transporta-

tion.

After asking a number of ABATE members tocome to DC, Jim Rhoades was the only one thatcould take the time off work to make the trip withme. We will be going to Washington D.C. againin February. If you think that you may be inter-ested in going, please give me a call.

We arrived in D.C. on Monday, November5th although our luggage missed the flight andarrived later in the day. Our first meeting beganat 9 AM on Tuesday with our last meeting start-ing at 4 PM. Most of those meetings were verypositive. On the first day we met with legislativeaides and not the Congressmen because of thebusy congressional schedule. Fortunately, weknew most of the aides because of our previousvisits to D.C.

The second day of meetings began at 9:30AM. Many of our federal legislators were awareof the issues we have with the NTSB and wereready to work with us. While going through thehouse office buildings, Jim and I ran in to mem-bers of ABATE of Indiana and Pennsylvania. Wetalked briefly between meetings then went on ourway. We met personally with our congressman,Thad McCotter and, as usual, he made us feelquite at home. We also met with Dave Camp whowas very happy to see us. The eighth and finalmeeting of the day was with Candice Miller. Shehas always tried to meet with us personally andthis time was no different. She is always veryreceptive to our requests for help.

Our final day of meetings began at 9:15 AMwith another of our long time champions TimothyWalberg. Tim is a biker from the 7th District thatroughly takes in the Jackson area. He has been onour side since he was in the Michigan Legislatureand continues to stay on top of our rights. Tim isso on top of Motorcycle issues that he had alreadysent a letter to NTSB asking them to reconsiderthere position on motorcycle helmet laws. Aftermeeting with Tim Walberg, the next two meetingswere with our Senators Carl Levin and DebbieStabenow.

Another subject that we brought up at ourmeetings was the HIPPA issue. For those thatdon’t remember what the HIPPA bill is all about, It currently allows employers to decide if theinsurance that employees pay for will coverinjuries caused by any type of activities likemotorcycling, snowmobiling, or skiing. Many ofour representatives have already signed on to HR1076 the house bill as a cosponsor. DebbieStabenow has sighed to S 616 as a cosponsor.

Jim and I arrived back in Michigan around6:30 PM on November 8th after 4 days of walk-ing between 5 and 10 miles a day and 19 meet-ings.

MinnesotaMike BergerAssistant State Representative

December in Minnesota is a time of preparation:we’re preparing our bikes for their winter naps,and we’re preparing for the 2008 Minnesota leg-islative session. Our big issue again this year isthe passing of our Failure-to-Yield bill. While itmay seem obvious to us that failure-to-yield is anissue that trandscends the motorcycling commu-nity – pedestrians, bicyclists and other four-wheeled vehicle operators all suffer from failure-to-yield violations – it has been a challenge topresent this issue to the public at large as some-thing more than a niche piece of motorcyclinglegislation. But we’ve made some great progressover the past two years thanks to the continuinglegislative efforts of Minnesota’s SMROs, andwe’ve now got some key legislative playersbehind this much-needed piece of legislation. The2008 Minnesota Biker Day at the Capitol is

planned for Wednesday, February 27th, andeveryone attending will be focusing their effortsto ensure that our legislators “get it” as far as fail-ure-to-yield goes.

On other fronts, Minnesota received its secondSafety Grant Award disbursement from the “2010Funds.” Our award amounted to $116, 293.00,which will be used to not only increase and main-tain Minnesota’s fleet of training motorcycles,but to help fund state-wide motorcycle visual-awareness campaigns as well. A big “Thank You”goes out to Bill Shaffer, State ProgramAdministrator for the Minnesota MotorcycleSafety Center, for his hard work in preparing,submitting and revising Minnesota’s grant appli-cation.

Finally, Minnesota’s Motorcycle Safety AdvisoryCommittee, a volunteer body appointed byMinnesota’s Commissioner of Public Safety thatprovides input and recommendations to theCommissioner concerning strategies to improvethe safety, training and licensing of Minnesota’smotorcycle riders, has recently appointed a fewnew members. Of the committee’s current make-up of 16 members and 6 advisors, 5 are activemembers of A.B.A.T.E. of MN, and we know thatthey will keep a close eye on ensuring thatMinnesota’s motorcycle safety agenda is directedin a fair, reasonable and equitable manner.

Keep the faith,Mike Berger

NevadaDale Andrus and John BlanCo- Representatives Nevada MRF

The wide open space of Northern Nevada offersunique riding opportunities, but it makes it a littlemore challenging to keep productive, active rela-tionships between our MRO’s and politicianshealthy.

Keeping these lines of communication availableand open is one of ABATE of Northern Nevada’sgoals. We have gained 100% support from ourlocal county commissioners, the chair and onemember of their board are ABATE of Nevadamembers.

For two consecutive legislative sessions now, ourcounty commissioners have written the trans-portation chairman a letter in support of our free-dom of choice, helmet bill. Dale and I haveworked as ABATE lobbyist now for two sessions.As many of you know, two legislative sessionswill teach new lobbyist a lot about how the sys-tem works and doesn’t work. Our governor, JimGibbons, rides a Harley and will sign a bill forfreedom of choice if we can get the bill to hisdesk, but the transportation chair, Dennis Nolan,is adamantly against it. The stunts Mr. Nolan haspulled to kill our helmet bill are unethical andunbelievable.

The majority of Nevada’s legislators, voters andconstitutes are located in Southern Nevada, theLas Vegas area. We have been instrumental instarting the ABATE of Southern Nevada this yearand their membership is growing rapidly. Thiswill give us the desperately needed ABATE voicein the south. We will now have Mr. Nolan’s con-stituents writing, talking and voting. ABATE ofNorthern Nevada was proud to host the Best ofthe West Conference this year. Twiggy wrote agreat article in EasyRiders Magazine about theevent and gave ABATE of Nevada kudos for hos-pitality and for our active role as freedom fight-ers.

We will be working with our state MRO’s to dis-cuss the upcoming 2009 legislative session andwhat our tactics will be. Dale, ABATE of Nevada,and I are very proud to be members of MRF.


Around the USA


Around the USAThank you for everything that you are doing. Ourbattles are many, but we are here, willing andready when you call on us for action.

John Bland - President, ABATE of NorthernNevadaNV Lobbyist, MRF, Co. Rep.

New MexicoBarbara AlvarMRF State Representative

The Holiday season is upon us and for many ofyou your bikes are now put away for the winter.Here in the Land of Enchantment we are stillenjoying riding weather, don’t get me wrong it iscold here but the days are warm so we ride.

Not much legislation to report for New Mexicoour legislative session starts on January 22, 2008,however, this is our short budget session (30days). As a result, we will not be able to presentany bills during this session. The only way tointroduce new legislation is to get the Governorto put it on his wish list. We have tried in the pastand have been pushed off the list, this year wewill invest our time working on the bills we wantto present in 2009.

There is some good news however, after aboutfour years of not being invited to the New MexicoMotorcycle Advisor Board Meetings we wereinvited to attend this year. We went into thismeeting with lots of questions and we prettymuch got the answers. We felt that they actuallylistened to our concerns and we were able tovoice how the federal grant money should bespent. We walked out of the meeting feeling likewe had accomplished something and that theyreally listened to us. We will wait and see if thisholds true but at least we are involved again.

We wish everyone a Happy Holidays and aHappy New Year.

Barbara Alvar

North CarolinaCindy Hodges & Thomas "Doc Ski" Wasileski

During the last three days of October, Thomas“Doc Ski” Wasileski, Ph.D., Legislative Directorfor the Concerned Bikers Association/ABATE ofNC and myself, visited Washington, DC to meetwith the NC delegation of Representatives andSenators to discuss topics concerning to ourorganization, chiefly to request a letter fromeach office go to Mark Rosenker, chairman ofthe National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) requesting more in depth study of traf-fic safety issues as regards to motorcycles. TheNTSB spent a year reviewing information andrecently issued its recommendations and motor-cyclists of the nation find the results lacking.We also used this trip as a follow up to ourspring trip in support of getting our delegationto sign on to H.R. 1076 and S.B. 616 which arebills that close the loophole in the currentHIPAA regulations that allow health careproviders to opt out of paying subscribers healthinsurance benefits on a per-incident basisdepending on how they were injured.

These meetings went well. The members whohad already signed on the health care bills werethanked profusely and, members who had notyet signed on, were urged again to do so. I’mhappy to report that most did agree to do so. Wealso had an excellent result in regards to theNTSB letter request. In fact, RepresentativeButterfield’s office issued a letter and sent it tomany of the other NC congressmen’s officesrequesting they sign on as members of the NCdelegation. Representative Walter Jones sent aseparate letter almost immediately. He has

always supported the motorcycling agendas.

Back here at home, the Helmet Citation DefenseProject has geared up and fully deployed a hand-ful of times. This team came to fruition due tothe recent passage of a bill mandating stricterhelmet standards in NC. Late in the legislativesession, a bill was moving through the normalcourse of committees, etc., and had wording in itto address many administrative changes, one ofwhich included ramping up our existing manda-tory helmet law to include requirement ofFMVSS-218 standards. Doc Ski shepherdedthis bill along, talking to committee chairs,members, and attending the meetings and testi-fying as to just why this is not only a bad idea,but an unenforceable idea. His facts and reason-ing won the day and during deliberations of theSenate judiciary Committee, the specific lan-guage mandating FMVSS 218 standards wasremoved from the bill. The bill was to go for itsfinal reading (vote) the next day. Sometime latein the evening the behind the scenes powers thatbe who originally got the wording in there, hadit slipped in there again, AFTER committee hadstripped it out. Yes, the good ole boy system isalive and well in NC.

The bill went to the floor and was passed beforewe even knew the wording had been put back inthere.

Of course the folks working to keep this fromhappening are being castigated by those whohold them responsible for “letting this happen”.This is a normal human reaction but sure doesnot make a person’s day any easier when theyare doing their best as it is.

The new law was to go into effect January first,yet CBA/ABATE of NC started getting calls forhelp in early August and tales of bikers beingticketed for not having a “DOT” or “FMVSS218” helmet on grew. Apparently in some coun-ties law enforcement officers are already outthere pulling folks over and issuing citations fora law which has not yet gone into effect.

In response to the passage of this bill,CBA/ABATE of NC started the Helmet CitationDefense Project, which is presently overseen bySusan Huttman. She works closely with DocSki and other team members to help support rid-ers who are going to court to fight these tickets.Susan meets with the riders and gives them thepacket of information she has compiled. Part ofthis information includes a customized legalbrief developed, in part, from the successfulbrief prepared by Fast Fred of South Carolina,who has been actively seeking helmet tickets inNorth Carolina for some months now. He hashad opportunity to hone his defense and we arevery glad to have his input here. Portions of thedefense arguments were lifted from the Barker vNC case (lifetime CBA member Jim Barker)that found NC’s current law lacking in specifici-ty. This lack of specificity is what prompted thesubmission of the changes that go into effect inJanuary 2008.

Susan tries to hook the defendant up with anHCDP Team coordinator near their home, andwe contact each ticketed rider periodically justto let them know we appreciate them fightingthe ticket and seeing if they have any qualms orquestions. When possible, we will send some-one to be with them on that day in court, shouldthey wish. If you or someone you know hasbeen ticketed for an improper helmet in NC andyou want some information on what to expect,please contact Susan at [email protected]

OhioBarb TittleMRF State Representative

Right-of-Way Legislation Moving in OhioBill calls for tougher penalties for those whoinjure or kill other roadway users.

Ohio Senate Bill 158 (SB-158), introduced bySenator Joy Padgett (R-Coshocton), wouldincrease penalties for those motor vehicle opera-tors convicted of or pleading guilty to an assuredclear distance ahead, marked lane, or right-of-way violation that results in death or serious harmto another person.

Cosponsored by Senators Jason Wilson (D-Columbiana), Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), andCapri Cafaro (D-Hubbard), SB-158 seeks tomake Ohio roadways safer by holding ALL motorvehicle operators more accountable for theiractions.

This bill is the direct result of an ad hoc group ofmotorcyclists and bicyclists, representing organi-zations from across Ohio, getting together towork on an issue of importance to all roadwayusers. The Ohio Right-of-Way Working Groupbegan meeting in December 2004 to seekchanges to the Ohio Revised Code for drivingactivities that seriously harm or kill others.

SB-158 had sponsor testimony before the SenateJudiciary - Criminal Justice Committee onOctober 17. Proponent testimony was held onOctober 31. John Gideon, Central Ohio BicycleAdvocacy Coalition and Steve Magas, OhioBicycle Federation offered testimony before theSenate Judiciary – Criminal Justice Committee.Steve came all the way from Cincinnati to assist.We had an unexpected supporter, SharonMontgomery of The Partnership for Safe Driving.Her riveting testimony was as personal as it gets– she was severely injured and her husband killedin a 'failure to maintain an assured clear distanceahead' crash seven years ago. They were in their1988 Lincoln Town Car when they were hit byanother car that had been rear-ended by a thirdcar, whose driver was talking on a cell phone.

Stay tuned for at least one more hearing on SB-158 – we're hoping for "opponent" or "propo-nent/opponent/interested party" testimony soon.

If your state senator is already a sponsor of SB-158, contact him/her to say "thank you." If yourstate senator is a member of the Senate Judiciary- Criminal Justice Committee, contact him/her toencourage his/her support when the bill comes upfor a vote in committee. Members of the commit-tee are:Senator Timothy J. Grendell; Chair, Senator BillSeitz; Vice Chair, Senator Steve Austria; SenatorKeith Faber; Senator Tim Schaffer; Senator SteveStivers; Senator Lance T. Mason; RankingMinority Member, Senator Tom Sawyer andSenator Shirley Smith. (Find contact informationat the AMA Rapid Response section of its web-site http://www.ama-cycle.org).

When contacting your senator or a committeemember, use the following points to reinforcewhy you feel SB-158 is needed in Ohio:• An assured clear distance, marked lane, or right-of-way violation is currently considered a minormisdemeanor, regardless of the outcome to any-one involved in a traffic crash.• Vulnerable roadway users, such as motorcy-clists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, often pay a ter-rible price for the distracted, careless, reckless, ornegligent actions of motor vehicle operators.• The bill applies equally to ALL motor vehicleoperators; it does not create a special class of vic-tims.• A portion of the fines collected under this billwould be used by the Ohio Department of PublicSafety to fund educational activities related tohighway safety.• The bill provides the courts with tougher sen-tencing tools to use when someone is convictedof or pleads guilty to a violation of one of thecovered sections of the Ohio Revised Code.

continued page 19

PRE-REGISTER ONLINE WWW.MRF.ORG


Sustaining MembersAs of 10 November 2007

ALASKA

ABATE of AKKenai Penninsula ABATE of AKJuneau ABATE of AKBikers of AmericaJames Max KitchensScott HamannMina DouglasMike SeamanFrank MarineauCraig BreshearsKen BrewerBoyd & Debbie McFailSuezanne CoffeyDan Coffey

ARIZONA

AZ Confederation of MCState Office MMA-AZAZ Rider M/C NewsLaw Tigers of AmericaAmon Builders Inc.State office ABATE of AZModified Motorcycle Assoc. of AZINB CommunicationsMountain Motorcycles AssocDeborah ButittaLouis Schwitzer IIIWarren Levenbaum

ARKANSAS

USA PromotionsDist 1 ABATE of ARState Office ABATE of ARDist 13 ABATE of ARDist 22 ABATE of ARABATE of AR Dist. 14Dist 17 ABATE of ARShepherd's Window CleaningDist 26 ABATE of AR13 Rebels MC Chapter 5Allen WinnRusty LeewrightPhillip Barnett

CALIFORNIA

Local 15 ABATE of CANew York Myke San Diego H DLocal 19 ABATE of CALocal 6 ABATE of CAState Office ABATE of CAValley V-TwinFix My Hog, Inc.Hank HallmarkDonald L WoodsonJean HughesTony SidlowskiMark ThomsRuby WeberBob WhiteByron SandsJess SorelKelvin MartinJim BrownRichard Mansfield

CANADA

Comite' D'action Politique M/CFed. Motocycliste du QuebecMotorcyclists Confed. of Canada

COLORADO

Dist 8 ABATE of CONat. Assoc. of SMSALafore's IncDist 17 ABATE of CORider Ed ABATE of CODist 11 ABATE of CODist 5 ABATE of CODist 6 ABATE of CO

Dist 13 ABATE of CODist 15 ABATE of CODist 16 ABATE of CODist 18 ABATE of COState Office ABATE of CODist 14 ABATE of CORiders For JusticeDist 22 ABATE of CODist 2 ABATE of COJB Janitorial, Inc.Dist 1 ABATE of CODistrict 21 ABATE of COMaggot Mike & Linda NiesSue & Torch BarrJim JonesDave ChristyScot & Trish LockeErik EriksonDeb LowerMiles FranceJim ClarkGrant H GobleRenee Clark

CONNECTICUT

William OgonowskiRay Holbrook

DELAWARE

Kent County Chap. ABATE of DENewcastle Cnty ABATE of DE

FLORIDA

State Office ABATE of FLEstero River ABATE of FLSouthwest Chapter ABATE of FLROARSBruce ArnoldDouglas MacCoyClaude Hamelink

GEORGIA

Dist 1 ABATE of GADist 8 ABATE of GADist 6 ABATE of GADist 5 ABATE of GAState Office ABATE of GADist 4W ABATE of GADist 6 Chapt 2 ABATE of GAR Campbell

HAWAII

Street Bikers United HawaiiWarren & Josee WoodwardJack Wallace

IDAHO

NW Classic M/C Glen WesselICMSFeatherberry FarmHoodoo Chap ABATE of N IDABATE of North IdahoJoel ArnoldiFrank J DanielsCharles D Coulter

ILLINOIS

Blackhawk ABATE of ILChicago ABATE of ILN IL Chap ABATE of ILHeritage Trail ABATE of ILTwin Rivers ABATE of ILStarved Rock ABATE of ILSteel Justice M/CKishwaukee Valley ABATE of ILPeo Taz Chap ABATE of ILWill Cnty ABATE of ILLincoln Land ABATE of ILBlack Diamond ABATE of ILShawnee Hills ABATE of ILSo. Dupage Chapt. ABATE of ILFord Cnty ABATE of IL

American Harley Express M/CFreeport Chap. ABATE of ILMidstate ABATE of ILABATE of IL Open Roads Chp.Piasa Gateway ABATE of ILNW Suburban ABATE of ILCrossroads ABATE of ILFreedom Valley ABATE of ILFreedom By Choice ABATE of ILBarak's Truck RepairChap. 12 Freedom RidersEastern IL Chap. ABATE of ILSt Clair County ABATE of ILDuKane ABATE of ILKelly's Chicagoland Law TigersFulton Cnty ABATE of ILBarrio Riders Illinois M/CLaw Office of Daniel GoodmanCrawford County ABATE of ILRobert Myers Kathleen SkeltonDonald J LopatkiewiczRobert "Gopher" GoffinskiLawrence SchabPib KnebelVernon GottelJim & Marilyn ViveritoRich & Barb AmlingKathy & Dave ConnerDave & Lee MartinRandy ScottVince & Sue StarkoShar SonnenbergKorg & Pauli Ward

INDIANA

Laporte Cnty ABATE of ININ MC Operators Safety ProgramRegion 9 ABATE of INRegion 0 ABATE of INState Office ABATE of INRegion 6 ABATE of INRegion 4 ABATE of INRegion 11 ABATE of INRegion 13 ABATE of INElkhart Cnty ABATE of INHendricks County ABATE of INRegion 2 ABATE of INRegion 1 ABATE of INPulaski Cnty ABATE of INLake County ABATE of INStarke County ABATE of INRegion 3 ABATE of INCh. 423 American Legion RidersPit Bull Leather Co, IncRod TaylorMorris & Dee KintnerBig ChuckBill CreightonRobert D MaasGino JohnsonJames San PietroR.P. MorrisAl "Putt" PutmanFrank D Hernly

IOWA

Dist 4 ABATE of IADist 6 ABATE of IADist 16 ABATE of IAJ & P CyclesState Office ABATE of IADist 12 ABATE of IADist 15 ABATE of IADist 14 ABATE of IADist 11 ABATE of IADist 10 ABATE of IADist 25 ABATE of IADist 9 ABATE of IADist 20 ABATE of IAChosen Few M/CDist 5 ABATE of IASons of Silence

Second Chance MotorcycleMark MaxwellCharlie & Norma CannyMark & MJ WinslowRonald D BraaksmaJames & Roxana WestDave & Kathy Warren SrMcCubbins TrophysJohn BarberMike CmelikMad DogLady Kitty

KANSAS

Graveyard Custom CyclesDist 15 ABATE of KSDist 3 ABATE of KSDist 10 ABATE of KSDist 1 ABATE of KSDist 4 ABATE of KSDist 7 ABATE of KSDist 9 ABATE of KSDist 12 ABATE of KSState Office ABATE of KSDist 11 ABATE of KSDist 8 ABATE of KSDist 2 ABATE of KSCAMM Enterprise, LLCSledge Hammer Repair, Inc.Dist 5 ABATE of KSChris & Carol Maurich

KENTUCKY

State Office KMA/KBAEd Matheny

LOUISIANA

State Office ABATE of LA, Inc.

MAINE

Sagadahoc Cnty UBMHancock Cnty UBMKnox County UBMPenobscot County UBM

MARYLAND

Baltimore County ABATE of MDCarroll County ABATE of MDWashington County ABATE of MDState Office ABATE of MDSt. Marys County ABATE of MDMid Shore Cnty ABATE of MD

Calvert County ABATE of MDPc.hlp/Henry S WinokurJay Irwin BlockTom Greenbank

MASSACHUSETTS

State Office MMA-MAPaul W CoteDavid L EliasWalter Polchlopek

MICHIGAN

Region 7 ABATE of MIRegion 18 ABATE of MIRegion 19 ABATE of MIRegion 6 ABATE of MIRegion 20 ABATE of MIRegion 13 ABATE of MIRegion 12 ABATE of MIRegion 1 ABATE of MIRegion 5 ABATE of MIRegion 17 ABATE of MITown & Country Sports CntrRegion 11 ABATE of MIRegion 9 ABATE of MIRegion 4 ABATE of MIRegion 15 ABATE of MIRegion 16 ABATE of MIRay C's Cycle & SportsProud Veterans Motorcycle Club


Sustaining MembersXtreme LeatherFarmer's TavernTecumseh Harley Davidson ShopThe Mystic Bar & GrillRT Boring, Inc.Shady Shores InnRegion 8 ABATE of MIThomas & Patricia RahnDaniel SagatawDavid & Wendy RamirezState Office ABATE of MIRobert Rogers Last Chance CyclesGary Lee SlawterEd SteinkampfPam & Vince PiacentiRon FinchVince PiacentiPam Piacenti

MINNESOTA

Metro Chap ABATE of MNSth Cntrl Chap ABATE of MNNorthwest Chap ABATE of MNCentral Chap ABATE of MNRiver Valley ABATE of MNHeart Of The Lakes ABATE of MNE Cntrl Chap ABATE of MNGlacial Ridge Chap ABATE of MNBorderland ABATE of MNState Office ABATE of MNNortheast ABATE of MNSand Dunes ABATE of MNLake Chapter ABATE of MNSt. Croix Valley RidersStraight River ABATE of MNBuffalo Ridge ABATE of MNTri-County Chapter ABATE of MNFlatlanders ABATE of MNAssoc. of Independent RidersRolling Prairie Chp ABATE of MNJohn SullivanMichelle & Mack BacklundDavid "Too Tall" CarlsonBuzz Plante & Karen MayKevin ToddJon KrapuTodd RibaMichael BergerDawn RibaMary Berger

MISSISSIPPI

ABATE of MS

MISSOURI

Central Committee FORRLocal 33 FORRLocal 29 FORRLocal 4 FORRMid-America Freedom RallySteve "Wildman" HowardStephen M Morris

MONTANA

State Office ABATE of MT

NEBRASKA

State Office ABATE of NELarry & Penny Schutt

NEVADA

Cecil's Custom Cycle AccessoriesConfed. of Clubs Southern NVHigh Rollers Riders Assoc.ABATE of Northern NevadaRed Riderz of Las VegasIroncrossmen Motorcycle ClubBud Evans

NEW HAMPSHIRE

State Office NHMROGary A Delong

Victor Sweren

NEW JERSEY

Rider Education of New JerseyABATE of the Garden StateRichard F Bogert

NEW MEXICO

State Office NMMROState Office ABATE of NMFirst Mountain ABATE of NMSouthern N.M. Bikers CoalitionChuck & Carolyn Ryder

NEW YORK

Orleans Cnty ABATE of NYColumbia Cnty ABATE of NYMonroe Cnty ABATE of NYDist 3 Road Div AMAOntario Cnty Chap ABATE of NYGreene Co ABATE of NYOnondaga Chap. ABATE of NYN Ulster Chapter ABATE of NYNew York Freedom RidersNiagara ABATE of NYLong Island Chap ABATE of NYMelchizedeks MCJames (Jeddy) TranquillCorky EdwardsRobert B BancroftSusan BuckProspector- MRF RepRobert FriedrichJames Schuyler

NORTH CAROLINA

Chatham Cnty CBA/ABATE of NCRandolph Cnty CBA of NCCarteret/Craven CBA of NCState Office CBA of NCBrunswick Cnty CBA of NCRaleigh Chapter CBA of NCCBA Abate-NC Buncombe CoTar River Basin CBA/ABATECarolina Custom Products, Inc.Triad CBA/ABATE of NCGaston County CBAVinny NeumannBruce W HarrisLarry & Gail RumlerJames TuthillDavid GoreDonald Hampton

NORTH DAKOTA

FM Crusaders MCFreedom Riders M/CState Office ABATE of ND

OHIO

State Office ABATE of OHRegion 1 CMRORegion 4 ABATE of OHRegion 9 ABATE of OHRegion 8 CMRORegion 1 ABATE of OHRegion 7 ABATE of OHRegion 16 CMROConcerned M/C Riders of OHSteel HorsepowerJoe & Robin PickensJim BownNorma & Keith FletcherMichael J Zaciewski SrRoland "Buzz" UdeLarry Belford

OKLAHOMA

Muskogee Chap ABATE of OKState Office ABATE of OKLakes Area Ch. 13 ABATE of OKDaniel L Hill

OREGON

Jerry's Custom Cycle RepairBikePAC of OregonCentral Or Chap ABATE of ORSalem ABATE of ORRiver City ABATE of ORSE Portland ABATE of ORWashington Cnty ABATE of ORState Office ABATE of ORJosephine Chapter ABATE of ORJoy HooverKen RayEd VaughnBrian StovallTed TracyJill Tracy

PENNSYLVANIA

Chester Cnty ABATE of PAFreedom Riders PCOMClarion Cnty ABATE of PAAllegheny Cnty ABATE of PAFayette Cnty ABATE of PALancaster HD c/o Randy TexterIndiana Cnty ABATE of PAGod's Country ABATE of PASouth Mountain ABATE of PAState Office PCOM-Wm LaberPhiladelphia Ch.62 ABATE of PAMon Valley ABATE of PABald Eagle Mtn ABATE of PASusquehanna Motorcycle ClubDelaware Valley ABATE of PAKeystone Chap. ABATE of PAChap. 69 Liberty Rider ABATE of PALawrence Cnty ABATE of PAButler County ABATE of PABlair Cnty IHRR ABATE of PACambria Summit ABATE of PADavid LydickRobert A. YohnWilliam S. HolmesJohn Garner

RHODE ISLAND

RI Motorcycle AssociationJohn Sullivan

SOUTH CAROLINA

Low Country ABATE of SCState Office ABATE of SCGreenville Cnty ABATE of SCSwamp Fox Chap ABATE of SCPee Dee Chapter ABATE of SCJasper County ABATE of SCSC Motorcycle Rights Assoc.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Sioux Falls ABATE of SDSioux River ABATE of SDThose Guys ABATE of SDWindriders ABATE of SDBlack Hills ABATE of SDRushmore ABATE of SDState Office ABATE of SDNortheast ABATE of SDAberdeen ABATES. F & GJoseph L. EnglerWayne & Susan Lettau

TENNESSEE

Upper Cumberland CMT/ABATEWheels of Thunder CMT/ABATEState Office CMT/ABATE

TEXAS

Dad & Bag LadyBrenda SheaAndy Stoody

UTAH

Brian (B-Y) HepworthMichael LythgoeBob & Sue Addams

VERMONT

United Mcists of VTSouthwest Freedom Riders, Inc.

VIRGINIA

Lonesome Pine ABATE of VAVA Freedom Riders RACECoalfield Riders of ABATERiver City ABATE of VAJ Thomas McgrathKen SwartzTommy CoatsScott BlankenshipDouglas Findlay

WASHINGTON

S King Cnty ABATE of WACowlitz Cnty ABATEPacific Cnty ABATE of WAState Office ABATE of WAWashington Road Riders Assoc.North Kitsap Chapter ABATE WARat City ABATE WATacoma Chapter ABATE of WAJo Breneman & Mark CollingIan KingJohn BolinRoy E FisherGinger MaguresVern JenkinsCindy Burger

WEST VIRGINIA

Upper OH Valley ABATE of WV

WISCONSIN

Region 2F ABATE of WIRegion 2H ABATE of WIHeartland STEAM C/O ABATE WIOzaukee Cnty ABATE of WIRegion 3A ABATE of WIRegion 2E ABATE of WIState Office ABATE of WIRegion 1H ABATE of WIRegion 7B ABATE of WIRegion 2B ABATE of WIRegion 1J ABATE of WIRegion 2J ABATE of WIRegion 1I ABATE of WIRegion 1A ABATE of WICapital City Riders M.C.Region 4C ABATE of WIABATE of WI Region 1EDavid & Susan DwyerDan & Barbara BatkerJesse James KittredgeJohn HagerDonnie LiegeoisKirk "Hardtail" WillardBill "Wild Bill" CarrickWeigel, Carlson Blau & ClemensGrant WilkinsonDave (Chubby) CharleboisMichael HupyDonna & Wayne Pingel

WYOMING

ABATE of CodyState Office ABATE of WYAlbany Cnty ABATE of WYGraydon L Wheeler

For your convenience, we

can accept memberships,

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registrations and product

orders by phone or fax, or

via our website, using

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or American Express.

MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATIONJanuary/February 2008

This newsletter is an official publication of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510, Washington, D.C. 20002-4980; phone (202)546-0983; fax (202) 546-0986. All rights reserved. Portions may be reprinted with proper attribution. MRF Reports is published six times a year and distributed nationwide.Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent those of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, its officers or representatives. TheMotorcycle Riders Foundation will not knowingly contract with or do business with any entity that discriminates against motorcyclists in any way, shape or form.

PRESIDENTKirk “Hardtail” [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENT Michael “Boz” [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT OFGOV’T RELATIONSJeff [email protected]

SECRETARYPaulette [email protected]

TREASURERChuc Coulter208-343-7452fax [email protected]

Eric HamptonCommunications [email protected]

Carol DownsConference [email protected]

Dave DwyerSSMRO Board [email protected]

Cindy HodgesMember [email protected]

Jay JacksonMotorcycle Safety/Rider [email protected]

Steve ZimmerMRFPAC [email protected]

Miles FranceState Reps Program [email protected]

Products DirectorOPEN

John PierceMembership [email protected]

Todd RibaState Reps Board [email protected]

Member RepresentativeVacant, TBA

Steve ZimmerSupporting SMRO Board [email protected]

Tiffany LatimerDC Office [email protected]

MAIL TO BOARDMEMBERSmay be sent to the MRF officeand will be forwarded. If youmust mail time-sensitive mate-rial to a board member, contactthat person by phone or emailfirst to make arrangements.

Board Assistants

David AndersonAsst. [email protected]

Justin DownsAssist. Communications [email protected]

Helen WessonAssist. [email protected]

Polly SchoellerAssist. [email protected]

Sarah MuckenhouptAssist. [email protected]

Todd SudaAssist. [email protected]

WebmasterVacant, Accepting Applications

Ex-Officio Board

Mark Buckner, [email protected]

Deborah Butitta, Arizona928-308-1117 [email protected]

MRF Reports

EDITOR

Eric [email protected]

Send all submissions

for publication to:

[email protected]

DEADLINE

The FIRST of everyeven-numbered month

ADDRESS CHANGE

Please send in writing to:Motorcycle

Riders Foundation

236 Massachusetts Ave. NESuite 510Washington, DC [email protected]

MRF Office236 Massachusetts Ave. NESuite 510Washington, DC 20002-4980Phone: 202-546-0983Fax: [email protected]

Website

http://www.mrf.org

Mission

StatementTo continue developing

an aggressive, independ-

ent national advocacy for

the advancement of motor-

cycling and its associated

lifestyle, which is finan-

cially stable and exceeds

the needs of motorcycling

enthusiasts.

Mission

GoalsMaintain and improve

our ability to act as an

advocate before national,

state and local legislative,

executive and judicial bod-

ies, and with private or

public entities, regarding

issues affecting motorcy-

cles, motorcyclists or

motorcycling.

Maintain and improve

our financial base and

ensure financial stability.


our capability to meet and

exceed the needs of our

membership base and all

state motorcyclists’ rights

organizations.


our capability to be the

national information cen-

ter for motorcyclists’ rights

information.

Enhance the training of

national, state and local

motorcyclists’ rights

activists.

Board of Directors


We are there… watching.

Support Your Voice in

Washington, DC

Help Build MRFPAC!Contributions of $5 and $10

can go a long way to make

our voices heard in DC

and coast-to-coast

Send to:

Motorcycle Riders Foundation,

236 Massachusetts Ave. NE,

Suite 510,

Washington, DC 20002

Please make checks payable to

MRFPAC

Donations to MRFPAC are not Tax Deductible

We cannot accept corporate checks

Around the USA (continued)

• The bill would require anyone issued acitation for a covered violation that result-ed serious injury or death to appear incourt to answer the charge; the citationwould be "non-waiverable".• Ohio joins with 28 other states in consid-ering legislation to toughen penalties fortraffic violations that kill or injury thou-sands of people each year. To date, 12states have toughened their penalties forfailure to yield the right-of-way, resultingin injury, serious injury, or death.• The bill is consistent with the AMAJustice for All campaign to hold all motorvehicle operators more accountable fortheir actions on our roadways.

You are also encouraged to send a letter insupport of SB-158 to your senator at theOhio General Assembly, Senate Building,Columbus, Ohio 43215. You may alsocall or fax your message of support.

Barb Tittle, Ohio MRF Rep

TennesseeMike HaysLegislative DirectorCMT/ABATE, Inc.

Tuesday October 23rd dawned with a heavyrain across Middle Tennessee and theprospect of rain for days. The MRF hadissued a call to action for bikers from acrossthe nation to come to DC and meet withCongressmen and Senators regarding therecent short sighted NTSB recommenda-tions of mandatory helmet laws for allstates and, while there, to ask for sponsor-ship of the HIPAA Recreational InjuryTechnical Corrections Act. I had just spenta lot of time making appointments with theTennessee Congressional delegation andthe trip was set!

It’s about 600 miles to DC from Nolensvilleand after picking up my lady Carol at 2PM,we set off for an all night drive, arriving atmy brother’s place on Capitol Hill around3AM. Straight to bed for a few hours thentime to start making the rounds.

Jeff Hennie, VP of Government Relationsand Lobbyist for the Motorcycle RidersFoundation was waiting for us at our firstmeeting with TN Congressman ZackWamp. After a few minutes of small talk wegot down to the business at hand and gar-nered a new co-sponsor for the HIPAA bill.

Next stop was Senator Corker’s office anda meeting with his staff. As is often thecase, a planned meeting with aCongressman or Senator changes to a sitdown with staff as votes are called on thefloor of the House or Senate and this wasthe case here. The staff are often the key tomaking sure an issue gets the attention itdeserves and we were pleased to meet withthe Senator’s Transportation assistant. Withso many issues in play at any given time inDC, these staffers are the engine that keepsthe wheels turning and the legislatorsinformed.

Senator Lamar Alexander’s office was nextand with more votes on the Senate Floor weonce again met with staff. While waiting,we were surprised to see recent NashvilleMayoral candidate Bob Clement come infor a meeting with other staffers. Fromthere we hoofed it back over to the Houseoffice buildings where we took a quicklunch break before heading off to a meetingwith Congressman John Duncan’s staff and

the transportation assistant forCongressman Steve Cohen of Memphis. Itseems Wednesday in DC is a lot likeWednesday in the Tennessee Legislature,the busiest day of the week. The final stopof the day was with Congressman DavidDavis. He, too, was in the middle of a floorvote so we met with staff then we wereescorted by TN State Rep Matt Hill’s broth-er Timothy to the Rayburn room in theCapitol and a quick photo op with theCongressman.

A quick cab ride had me back in the com-fortable surroundings of my brother’splace. There’s nothing quite like havingfamily 12 blocks from the Capitol. Weenjoyed a nice evening of dinner, drinksand great conversation with my brother, hiswife and Carol’s friend Howard Segermark,an early leader in the history of the MRFwho has known my brother and his wife forover 40 years. Sometimes it really is a smallworld.

After a good seven hours of sleep it wastime to hit the concrete again and Thursdaymorning’s first meeting was with noneother than TN Congressman Jim Cooper,the same guy who introduced a nationalmandatory helmet bill which became law inthe early 1990’s only to see it go down inflames as bikers from across the countrylobbied Washington to repeal that law andwere successful in 1995.

Jeff Hennie had a conflicting meeting so Ihandled this one solo. Congressman Cooperwas quite receptive to the issues and prom-ised full consideration. He also took theopportunity to defend his position on hel-mets but took the time to listen to the otherside of the story. I believe we opened a newline of communication that may be effec-tive when we deal with the various issuesbikers will face in the coming years. Myimpression is that Jim Cooper won’t besponsoring any new helmet legislation inthe near future.

With a short break in the schedule, I set offto see the Library of Congress and I highlyrecommend the tour for anyone visitingDC. Next up was my Congressman and cur-rent HIPAA bill co-sponsor MarshaBlackburn. After meeting with herTransportation aide we got a quick picturejust as Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracyarrived in Marsha’s office. I’m not surewho was more surprised to see the other inDC, me or him. Senator Tracy is a long timesupporter of our “Tennessee Freedom”efforts.

A quick meeting with John Duncan’sTransportation aide and a friendly sit downwith Congressman Bart Gordon, also aHIPAA co-sponsor thanks to the effort ofCMT/ABATE’s Robert “Johann” Forbus,concluded a great couple of days visitingthe Tennessee delegation and building rela-tionships that hopefully will serve us wellin the future.

By the time it was all said and done mydogs were barking from all the walking butI felt like much was accomplished. I urgeall freedom fighters to make the trip andhelp secure freedom and a safer riding envi-ronment for future generations of motorcy-clists.

Mike HaysLegislative DirectorCMT/ABATE, Inc.

In Memorium

15 November 2007

This morning just prior to the MRFPress Conference I received a callnone of us wish to ever get. Withheavy heart I must inform each of youthat Mike Hays, CMT-ABATE ofTennessee Legislative Director andsignificant other to MRF BoardMember Carol Simpson, passed awayyesterday. Those of you whoattended the Meeting of the Mindsshould remember Mike, he acceptedLegislative Awards from both theMRF and the AMA representingCMT-ABATE (shown on page 23 ofthe November/December issue of the

MRF Reports).

One of the highlights of today's PressConference in Washington D.C. wasthe speech given by CongresmanWamp in support of the MRF. DuringMike's visit earlier this month he convinced the Congressman to support our NTSB inititiative. In areal way this is a very fitting tributeto a citizen lobbyist that made a difference.

Our deepest sympathies go out to thefamily and to our own CarolSimpson.

Mike Hays

Denver Tech Center Marriott, 4900 South Syracuse, Denver, CO 80237Room reservations, call 800-228-9290. Room rate,* $89 single or double. (Hotel amenities include

refrigerators, hair dryer, coffee maker, iron, indoor and outdoor pools, workout room – Italian restaurant on-site.) *indicate that you are with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation for group rate

Conference Information Pre-register for conference through the MRF, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20002. (Pre-registration must be received by August 18, 2008). $60 Current, individual MRF member. $70 Current, individual

MRF member (after Aug. 18th). $70 Non-MRF member. $80 Non-MRF member (after Aug. 18th). Registration includes all workshops, workshop materials, and Saturday banquet. Registration questions call the MRF at 202-546-0983 or Carol Downs at 303-204-6939,

[email protected]. Hosted by ABATE of Colorado, 4725 Paris St., Denver, CO 80239, 303-789-3264

Motorcycle Riders Foundation is proud to present their annual conferencefor politically motivated motorcyclists!

Spend the weekend with some of motorcycling’s most educated and dedicated activists. Learn what issues will impact bikers today and in the future!

September 25th–28th, 2008Denver Tech Center Marriott, Denver, Colorado

• Hosted by ABATE of Colorado •

MRF Committees

By-Laws: Michael “Boz” Kerr (Chair), Carol

Downs, Kirk Willard, Paulette Pinkham

Communications: Eric Hampton (Chair), Jeff

Hennie, John Pierce, Michael “Boz” Kerr, Paulette

Pinkham

Conferences & Meetings: Carol Downs (Chair),

Kirk Willard, Jeff Hennie, Cindy Hodges, Carol

Simpson, Todd Riba, Steve Zimmer, Lynn

Oldenburg

Elections: Miles France (Chair), Chuc Coulter,

Dave Dwyer, Cindy Hodges, Dave Anderson

Finance: Carol Downs (Chair), Kirk Willard, Chuc

Coulter, John Pierce, Dave Anderson

MRFAE: Michael “Boz” Kerr (Chair), Kirk

Willard, Chuc Coulter, Susan Huttman, Todd Suda,

Dave Dwyer, Jeff Hennie, Deborah Butitta, Paulette

Pinkham, Jay Jackson, Dave Anderson, Carol

Downs

Marketing: Paulette Pinkham (Chair), John Pierce,

Cindy Hodges, Todd Riba, Deborah Butitta, Tiffany

Latimer

Membership: John Pierce (Chair), Miles France,

Tiffany Latimer, Sarah Muckenhoupt, Cindy

Hodges, Polly Schoeller, Todd Riba

MRF PAC: Steve Zimmer (Chair), Chuc Coulter,

Dave Dwyer, Jeff Hennie, Michael “Boz” Kerr,

Dave Anderson

Products: Carol Downs (Chair), Chuc Coulter,

Lynn Oldenburg, Polly Schoeller, Helen Wesson,

Dave Anderson, Michael “Boz” Kerr

Reps Growth Group: Miles France (Chair), Cindy

Hodges, Carol Simpson, Todd Riba, Polly Schoeller

YAS Fund: Miles France (Chair), Cindy Hodges,

Carol Downs, Jeff Hennie, Steve Eggleston, Susan

Huttman

Farmer's Award: Kirk Willard, Mark Buckner,

Deborah Butitta

Federal Leg. Awards: Dave Dwyer (Chair),

Michael Kerr, Steve Zimmer, Jeff Hennie, Todd

Riba

Lifetime Achievement Award: Kirk Willard,

Deborah Butitta

Reps Awards: Miles France (Chair), Polly

Schoeller, Todd Riba

Safety Recognition: Jay Jackson (Chair), Carol

Downs, John Pierce, Chuc Coulter, Paulette

Pinkham

State Leg. Awards: Dave Dwyer (Chair), Cindy

Hodges, Steve Zimmer, Todd Riba

Alcohol Awareness: Jay Jackson (Chair), Steve

Zimmer, Jeff Hennie, Dave Dwyer, Lynn Oldenburg,

Susan Huttman, Carol Simpson, Paulette Pinkham

Outside Conferences: Carol Downs (chair), Jeff

Hennie, Steve Zimmer, Carol Simpson, Kirk

Willard, Lynn Oldenburg

Statistics Committee: Jay Jackson (Chair),

Paulette Pinkham, Jeff Hennie, John Pierce, Kirk

Willard, Doc Ski, David Tuschel

Funds Steering Committee: Kirk Willard (Chair),

Cindy Hodges, Todd Riba, Jay Jackson, Dave

Anderson, Mark Buckner

MRF Reports - January/February 2008

Documents

various motorcycle safe

truemotorcycle safety

various programs inuse

i t ica

profoundly states education

effective safety programswith

programs thatenable

helmet laws