MRF News 02/16/08

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)

16 February 2008

MRF Strongly Opposes US DOT Attack on Training Funds

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has learned that United States
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters sent letters to Capitol Hill with
draft legislation outlining her intention to raid the 2010 motorcycle
training and awareness funds set aside by Congress in the last Highway
Bill (PL 109-59). Peters announced on Thursday, February 14 that she
would like to see the earmarked training and awareness funds made
available to promote the use of helmets in individual states.

"The MRF is extremely disappointed that Mrs. Peters would choose this
small, yet critical, grant program to raid. We understand her desire to
encourage helmet use, but couldn't the Secretary of Transportation find a
more suitable program to fund her personal helmet hunt?" said Jeff Hennie,
Vice President of Government Relations for the MRF.

The 2010 funds were a direct result of years of intense lobbying by state
motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMROs) and individual motorcyclists
from across this country, and were intended for two very specific aspects
of motorcycle safety - motorcycle rider education and motorist awareness
of motorcycles. These two aspects of motorcycle safety have been grossly
under-funded at the state level for years, often solely at the direct
expense of motorcyclists themselves through licensing and registration
fees.

The 2010 funding program, in its second year, is a way for the
motorcyclists of this country to get a little help from the feds to save
lives. The fact is that helmet use has always been a major plank in the
platform at the US Department of Transportation (DOT). So why now take
away funds desperately needed for other areas of motorcycle safety? The
training and awareness programs in statewide operation now are in jeopardy
of reduced or zero funding every year. This federal program was designed
to allow a trickle of cash to the states to at least keep current programs
running. Should Peters get her way, that trickle becomes nothing but a
drip. In addition, the current 2010 grant program is not funding failing
programs. In order to qualify for the grant, each state has to demonstrate
success in its programs by reducing fatalities.

Secretary Peters narrowly skates around an existing law that bans the
federal government from lobbying states to enact statewide legislation.
She does this by not asking that the money be used for helmet LAW
advocacy, but by asking the money be used for helmet USE advocacy.

What's actually happened and how concerned do we need to be? You may be
asking yourself that very question about now. Here is the real world
scenario: Mary Peters has sent two letters to Congress - one to Speaker
Pelosi and the other to Senate President Cheney. The letters include draft
legislation that would amend section 2010 to allow funds to be used for
the promotion of helmet use. At this point there is no actual legislation
- just an idea. If and when legislation results, the MRF will be issuing
a call to action strongly opposing Peters' proposal, and will work
tirelessly to convince every Senator and Member of Congress not to support
this raid on the 2010 funds. At this point, however, the funds
appropriated for your state are safe.

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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.