US House Committee Targets Federal Funding of Motorcycle Only Roadside Checkpoints

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12NR01 - MRF News Release - US House Committee Targets Federal Funding of Motorcycle Only Roadside Checkpoints
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
01 February 2012
Contact:Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Ralations and Public Affairs


US House Committee Targets Federal Funding of Motorcycle Only Roadside Checkpoints

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports that Wednesday, February 1st, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure rolled out the latest version of the highway bill. The bill is the long term funding bill for road construction and highway programs.

This version of the bill takes aim at a controversial practice of the Department of Transportation which funded motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints with taxpayer dollars.

The checkpoints have drawn much criticism from the motorcycle community at large. So much so, that longtime motorcycle champion Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) had introduced legislation to end the program by prohibiting any future Federal funding of any motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints. That bill is HR 904. The mammoth highway bill includes the same language as contained in HR 904.

Representative Sensenbrenner had this to say, "We need to focus on proven methods of motorcycle safety, including crash prevention, rider education, and training and proper licensing. Motorcycle-only checkpoints are an intrusive governmental overreach that place an undue burden on riders while doing little to actually improve safety," He added, "It is encouraging to see that the transportation reauthorization bill will encourage more efficient use of taxpayer dollars and smart motorcycle safety policy."

Representative Tom Petri (R-WI), a staunch defender of the motorcyclists, had this comment on the issue, “Motorcycle riders are right to be outraged at being singled out for safety inspections," Petri said. "Nobody is suggesting flagging cars down for unscheduled inspections, and there's no good reason why motorcycles should be treated differently. It's unnecessarily intrusive, and not a smart way to use limited police resources."

We at the MRF could not agree more. While swift passage into law is not likely, this is certainly an encouraging step.

The MRF will keep you updated on this issue.
-------------------------
Feb. 1, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: James Holter
Phone: (614) 856-1900, ext. 1280
E-mail: jholter@ama-cycle.org

U.S. House bill has trails funding, no money for motorcycle checkpoints

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Renewed funding for motorized trails and a ban on
funding for motorcycle-only checkpoints are included in a major federal
transportation bill being considered by a key U.S. House committee, the
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to vote
Feb. 2 on a transportation funding authorization bill -- H.R. 7, the
"American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012." If approved, the
measure would go to the full House for a vote before moving to the Senate
for consideration.

Since the Senate has its own version of the bill, the spending plan would
eventually end up in a House-Senate conference committee where differences
would be worked out before going back to both chambers for final approval.

The House measure includes $85 million a year through fiscal year 2016 for
the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which provides money to states to
develop and maintain trails. Federal lawmakers had been looking at
eliminating the dedicated funding for the program, which threatened to end
the RTP.

"Motorcyclists and all-terrain vehicle riders by the thousands spoke, and
federal lawmakers listened," said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for
government relations. "We want to thank the members of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for their hard work in putting
together this massive transportation bill, and for including provisions that
benefit our members."

Funds for the RTP come from the federal Highway Trust Fund and represent a
portion of the federal motor fuel excise tax collected from non-highway
recreational fuel use. In other words, taxes generated by fuel used for
off-highway vehicle recreation -- by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles
(ATVs), off-highway motorcycles and off-highway light trucks -- fund the
RTP.

The RTP provides funds to the states to develop and maintain recreational
trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized
recreational trail uses. The RTP is an assistance program of the U.S.
Transportation Department's Federal Highway Administration. The RTP program
benefits hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, equestrian use, cross-country
skiing, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling, ATV riding, four-wheel driving,
or using other off-road motorized vehicles.

Besides including RTP funding, the House measure bars the U.S.
transportation secretary from providing grants to states and local
governments for motorcycle-only checkpoints, which are opposed by the AMA.
The AMA has been tracking the disturbing development of motorcycle-only
checkpoints since they first appeared in New York several years ago.

"The AMA believes that strategies to promote motorcycle safety must be
rooted in motorcycle crash prevention, and don't include arbitrarily pulling
over riders and randomly subjecting them to roadside inspections," Allard
said.

The House bill also provides funding for state motorcycle safety programs.
The AMA has long promoted motorcycle rider education and motorist awareness
programs as essential strategies to prevent motorcycle crashes.

To stay on top of motorcycling-related issues, go to
AmericanMotorcyclist.com.