AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST MARCH 2019
New Congress, New Legislatures
AMA Reaching Out To Officeholders
The November 2018 elections brought 100 non-incumbent legislators to Congress and nearly 1,700 new faces to state legislatures across the country.
The AMA is contacting the new lawmakers to bring them up to speed on the issues important to motorcyclists and to set the stage for future lobbying efforts.
“More than 23 percent of the seats in the states will be filled by new legislators, including record numbers of women,” said Greg Pecoraro, AMA director of government relations. “We will be in touch with elected officials across the nation from both parties with our message.”
That message includes the federal issues in the box below.
Key federal issues in 2019
Automated vehicles
The AMA is working to ensure the motorcycling community is represented and recognized as an important stakeholder.
Ethanol
The Renewable Fuel Standard expires in 2022. The AMA is supporting bills pending in Congress to revise the current law before then, capping ethanol in vehicle fuels at 9.7 percent. We also are fighting to maintain the availability of fuel with no ethanol.
Recreational Trails Program
The AMA supports legislation to fully fund the program, which currently receives about $84 million of an estimated $270 million revenue stream. The AMA also would like to eliminate the ability of states to opt out of the program or to create a provision for the money from opt-out states to be redistributed to participating states.
State issues on the agenda include lane splitting, landowner liability exemptions for recreational riding, motorcyclist profiling by law enforcement, Vision Zero initiatives, and motorcycle-rider education.
“We have our work cut out for us in educating lawmakers and winning support,” Pecoraro said. “We will call on AMA members throughout the year to help.”
