Congressional Motorcycle & OHV Issues

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Courtesy of American Motorcyclist Association

Congress is in recess this month and many of your elected officials will be working in their home state offices. This is a great opportunity to meet them and discuss issues important to you. Some current topics to discuss with your elected officials are access to public lands, the future of youth motorcycles and ATVs, health care and the transportation bill.

If you are interested in meeting your Member of Congress you can call their home office closest to you and request the time, date and location of their next public meeting or to schedule a meeting of your own. You can access your elected officials and their contact information by clicking here, and entering your zip code.

To view the AMA's current scorecard for the 111th Congress, please click here for the U.S. House or click here for the U.S. Senate.

If you are able to attend a public meeting with your Member of Congress and would like some ideas on current issues affecting the riding community, we have included some suggested talking points below.

1) The AMA supports active management of off-highway vehicle (OHV) areas. Additionally, the AMA supports responsible recreational access to public lands for the use of OHVs, including off-highway motorcycles, dual-sport motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

2) The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted to stay enforcement of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) that currently bans the sale of youth-model motorcycles and ATVs. The stay, which extends through May 1, 2011, follows a unanimous vote by the Acting Chairman Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas Moore.

• This does not solve the real issue, which is the law itself. Despite the stay, it is unclear whether state attorneys general will also decline to enforce the CPSIA. To contact your state attorneys general to voice your opinion, please click here.
• In order to assure continued availability and access to youth OHVs, the CPSIA must be amended to exclude youth-model OHVs from the lead content standard. The AMA is supporting H.R. 1587, which will exempt youth-model OHVs from the CPSIA.
• For more information on what the AMA is doing to fight the CPSIA, please click here.

3) When Congress begins to deliberate the many health care plans under consideration after the August recess, the AMA encourages our elected officials to keep motorcyclists and everyone else who enjoys an active lifestyle in mind. Since our members cherish personal freedom and responsibility, ask your elected official for assurances that the health care plan considered by Congress will guarantee the freedoms of millions of motorcyclists and that it will not be adversely impacted with mandates from Washington.

4) With Congress currently considering the reauthorization of the Surface Transportation legislation, the AMA is asking that our elected officials recognize the benefits of supporting motorcycles in the on-road transportation mix and off-road trail systems.

Promote the fact that motorcycles are positive for our communities because they:

• Reduce traffic and parking congestion
• Increase fuel economy
• Reduce impacts on our roads and bridges compared with automobiles and light duty trucks

Let us know how the town hall went, share your story by clicking here. For more information on these issues, please visit our web site at www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

Thank you for taking an active role in helping promote and protect the future of motorcycling and the motorcycle lifestyle. If you would like more information on meeting with your Member of Congress, please contact Rick Podliska at rpodliska@ama-cycle.org.