The American Motorcyclist Association honored 59 U.S. lawmakers for their support of motorcyclists in the recently concluded 112th Congress.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), and former Representatives Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) and Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) in particular were honored with “Hero” awards by the AMA Government Relations Department for their efforts during the congressional session running from Jan. 3, 2011 to Jan. 3, 2013.

Klobuchar and Rehberg played important roles in getting youth dirt bikes and ATVs exempted from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act “lead ban”. Bartlett helped work out a compromise over the expansion of a U.S. Marine base that could have encroached on the popular Johnson Valley off-highway riding area in California. Sensenbrenner introduced legislation banning federal funding for motorcycle-only checkpoints. Continue Reading »

Lawmakers in California and Illinois have enacted new legislation working against police checkpoints that only target motorcycles. The two states join New Hampshire, North Carolina and Virginia in adopting new laws against the practice many motorcyclists call discriminatory.

The controversial practice is described by some law enforcement agencies as a safety measure but motorcyclists say they are being unfairly targeted and stopped so law enforcement agents can check for safety violations. Continue Reading »

A bill that would ban funding of motorcycle-only checkpoints is gaining momentum with 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signing on as sponsors..

H.R. 904, introduced by Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, would bar the U.S. transportation secretary from providing funding to any state, county, town, township, Indian tribe, municipality or other local government for use in checkpoints that single out motorcycles. The bill is now in the hands of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Authorities have been using checkpoints to stop motorcyclists, ostensibly to promote motorcycle safety. Critics argue however they are discriminatory and an inefficient way to addressing the issue of safety. Continue Reading »

Louisiana state lawmakers have approved a bill that would change the maximum height of motorcycle handlebars.

Current state law restricts handlebar height to no more than 15 inches above the seat, a somewhat arbitrary level, but a common choice with 17 other states. The House has voted 87-0 in favor of Senate Bill 582 to change the maximum height to the rider’s shoulder level, as measured while sitting on the seat. SB 582 was introduced by Democrat senators Rick Gallot and Gary Smith.

The shoulder-level limit is used by 12 other states, with Louisiana joining their ranks upon the approval of Governor Bobby Jindal. The new law makes the limit relative to the rider’s body whereas the existing limit affected all riders regardless of body size. Continue Reading »

In the wake of last week’s amendment to Michigan’s helmet laws, we take a look at another recently enacted piece of motorcycle-related legislation. Virginia has now joined 48 other states in allowing two motorcycles to travel side-by-side in the same lane.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell actually signed House Bill 97, on Feb. 28 but the legislation won’t go into effect until July 1, well into the riding season. The Bill amends section 46.2-857, removing motorcycles from the text designating lane sharing between two vehicles as “reckless driving”. It also adds text to state the section does not restrict motorcycles from sharing the same lane. Continue Reading »

“Loud pipes save lives” is one of the more contentious philosophies among motorcyclists. Advocates argue louder exhausts make drivers notice motorcyclists better while detractors say the noise pollution leads to stricter anti-motorcycle legislation.

This probably wasn’t what those critics had in mind.

Prosecutors in northern Mexico have charged two motorcyclists with terrorism after their exhaust pipes backfired, causing a crowd of people to panic thinking the sound was gunfire. In a country with serious drug violence issues, this was a valid fear for the crowd. Continue Reading »

Sabater helped organize the May 26 AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb which brought families to Washington D.C. to lobby in favor of overturning the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act’s ban on youth motorcycles containing trace amounts of lead. Sabater also produced a number of videos featuring racers and industry personalities speaking out against the ban.

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President Barack Obama has signed H.R. 2715, enacting a law that will make it legal to sell youth off-highway vehicles again.

The bill amends the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 which barred the sale of items with lead components, a ban which had unintentionally included off-highway vehicles. The amendment, which was approved by both the House and the Senate on Aug. 1, exempts off-highway vehicles and allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to grant exemptions to other products on a case-by-case basis.

“Federal legislators deserve a lot of thanks for their tireless efforts, especially U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and all the other lawmakers who supported an exemption,” says Rob Dingman, AMA president and chief executive officer. “Hundreds of thousands of parents, kids and motorcycling club members responded to AMA calls for action to contact their elected officials and their efforts, along with all those volunteers who circulated petitions and took other actions, brought this issue to the attention of Congress and turned the tide in our favor.”

The Motorcycle Industry Council, which represents manufacturers and distributors, echoed Dingman’s response.

“For more than two years, the powersports industry and its riders have urged Congress to categorically exclude youth dirtbikes and ATVs from the CPSIA’s lead content provisions,” says Larry Little, chairman of the Motorcycle Industry Council Board of Directors.  “We are gratified that our community’s passion and perseverance have paid off and the ban on youth model OHVs is finally over.”

Related Reading
Lead Ban Exemption for Youth OHV Passes House and Senate
Malcolm Smith to Defy Lead Bike Ban

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Finally, some legislative news out of Washington that doesn’t involve the phrase “debt ceiling”. The U.S. House and the Senate have passed a bill that would exempt youth off-highway vehicles from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, also known as the “lead ban”.

The House approved the bill, H.R. 2715, which amends the CPSIA to exempt off-highway vehicles and gives the Consumer Product Safety Commission the discretion to allow other exemptions.

The bill, introduced by Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), was approved by a 421-2 vote on Aug. 1, and later that day passed unanimously through the Senate. The bill now awaits the signature of President Barack Obama before it becomes law.

Enacted in 2008, the CPSIA was designed to prohibit the sale of products containing certain levels of substances such as lead. As a result, the CPSIA banned the sale of youth OHVs because of traces of lead. The CPSC, which enforces the CPSIA, put a stay on enforcement of the act when it comes to OHVs, as various groups lobbied for an amendment.

[Source: AMA, MIC]

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Representatives from off-highway riding groups testified before a congressional subcommittee in support of a bill that would open 43 million acres for recreational riding.

The groups support H.R. 1581, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011, which would free land deemed not suitable for wilderness designation, opening them up for off-highway riding. The land includes seven million acres designated as Wilderness Study Areas by the Bureau of Land Management and 36 million acres designated as Inventoried Roadless Areas by the  National Forest System.

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