[Mrfnews] 08NR11 - MRF News Release - US House Holds Highway Safety Hearing

[mrfnews at mrf.org]

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
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For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Relations
Email: jeff at mrf.org

July 17, 2008

US House Holds Highway Safety Hearing

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports that the US House of
Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee
on Highways and Transit held a hearing Wednesday July 16th regarding the
status of all of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
(NHTSA) highway safety programs including motorcycle safety and the
importance of federal funding in supporting safety education across the
country.  The hearing also focused on van and tire safety, impaired
driving, and strategic safety plans amongst others. Testifying on behalf
of the MRF was Senator Robert Letourneau. Others who testified included
NHTSA official Jim Ports, Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA),
AAA, and MADD.

New Hampshire State Senator Letourneau is chairman of the New Hampshire
Senate Transportation Committee, a member of the state Motorcycle Rider
Education Advisory Board, the Governor's Motorcycle Safety Task Force of
the New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency, as well as an MRF Charter Member.

Letourneau thanked Congress for appropriating approximately $25 million
from SAFETEA-LU, the most recent transportation appropriations law, for
motorcycle safety education efforts across the country, and encouraged
Congress to continue to fund motorcycle safety and driver awareness
programs around the country.  He said the explosion of motorcycle sales
from 356,000 in 1997 to 1.1 million today is crippling many rider
education programs across the country, and that Congress needs to invest
more money in motorcycle rider education.

Letourneau said other directives established in SAFETEA-LU, including
encouraging motorcycle transportation as a means to conserve energy,
opening High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to motorcycles and establishing
a Motorcycle Advisory Council to work with the U.S. Secretary of
Transportation, have been beneficial to both motorcycle riders and the
nation.

"In New Hampshire, during the first 10 years of our motorcycle education
program, over 23,000 riders have completed the education course and only
one of those riders was involved in a fatality," said Letourneau. 
"Clearly, education is the key to successfully reducing motorcycle
fatalities, and New Hampshire's experience is proof positive."

During the hearing while questioning NHTSA, GHSA and Government
Accountability Office (GAO) Ranking Member Duncan (R-TN) mentioned that if
motorcycle fatalities are growing then we (congress) should consider
enlarging the 2010 funds exponentially.

There was plenty of talk about helmets and helmet laws. All of the
government panelists advocated for helmet law. The acting chairwoman at
that point of the hearing Grace Napolitano (D-CA) seemed to nod along in
agreement with the helmet advocates. So it's a good thing the actual
Chairman is Peter DeFazio (D-OR) who staunchly opposes mandatory helmet
laws.

"There was talk of helmet laws from the usual suspects and we expected
that, I feel the motorcyclists were well represented with the MRF, AMA,
MIC and ABATE of MD in the room today" said Motorcycle Riders Foundation
Vice President of Government Relations Jeff Hennie. "There was also as
much talk, if not more, about funding proper rider education so that's the
direction we want to keep going in" he added.

In Other Committee News

The Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that states that
insurers must provide coverage to students who downgrade to part-time
status as a result of a serious illness or injury. It would continue
coverage for up to 12 months.

Although the bill is non controversial, the markup hit a hiccup after
Texas Republican Michael C. Burgess offered a bill of his (HR 1076) as an
amendment to bar insurers from denying coverage for injuries sustained
from legal recreational activities. Burgess said that current law allows
plans to deny benefits if an injury results for some high-risk activities
such as use of a motorcycle or snowboarding.

While Chairman John D. Dingell, (D-MI), said he believed the law should be
changed to prohibit those denials, he ruled the amendment was not germane
to the underlying bill.  Some Members including ranking member Joe L.
Barton (R-TX), countered that the amendment would change the same section
of law as the college student bill, but after some debate, agreed to abide
by the chair's ruling.  John Shimkus(R-IL) and John Shadegg (R-AZ) voted
present on the measure's final passage as a procedural protest to the
germaneness ruling.

The amendment may have failed but a favorable view from the Chairman could
be promising down the road.




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(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.