2019 American Motorcyclist Association Annual Report — Rights
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. The AMA Government Relations Department takes the lead in representing motorcyclists’ rights in the halls of government, from towns and cities to state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
Government Relations Department staff members assist AMA members and other motorcyclists and organizations in efforts that align with the AMA mission statement and official position statements on specific topics.
Here is a summary of the GRD efforts in 2019.
Q – How many legislative alerts and bulletins did the AMA send out in 2019?
A – The AMA issued 222 AMA Action Alerts and advocacy-oriented press releases in 2019.
Q – How many individual advocacy messages were sent to AMA Action Alerts subscribers and elected officials in 2019?
A – In 2019, the AMA sent AMA Action Alerts subscribers and elected officials a total of:
• 37,552 emails to officials
• 4,831 petition signatures
• 5,292 comments to regulatory agencies
Q – How many people subscribe to AMA Action Alerts?
A – The AMA advocacy engagement tool recorded 3,339 new subscribers in 2019, bringing the total to 164,861.
Q – How can I keep up to date on the issues facing motorcyclists?
A – To stay abreast of rapidly changing developments and news affecting the motorcycling community, subscribe to AMA Action Alerts and the monthly AMA News & Notes.
Q – How can I become more involved in motorcycle advocacy?
A – To learn more about political activism and what you can do to make a difference, click to get involved.
Among the specific issues the AMA addressed in 2019 are:
Safe Fuels
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking public input to help with the creation of the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, a new program that will expand the availability of domestic ethanol and biodiesel by providing incentives for the expansion of sales of renewable fuels. This effort attempts to expand the availability of E15 and E85 infrastructure to make available higher ethanol blends at retail gas stations around the country. The AMA opposes additional E15 in the marketplace, because it increases the risk of inadvertent misfueling by motorcyclists whose machines are not EPA-certified for fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol.
RPM Act
The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act, H.R. 5434) was reintroduced in 2019, but the AMA—along with SEMA and other groups—has been involved with this issue for several years. The latest version of this bipartisan bill is a culmination of the collective efforts of a coalition of motorsports organizations and would ensure that converting motor vehicles, including motorcycles, into competition-only vehicles remains legal. The RPM Act states that it was the clear intent of Congress when passing and amending the Clean Air Act that motor vehicles, including motorcycles, used solely for competition, would be exempt from the Clean Air Act’s prohibitions against modifying emission control devices.
Lane splitting
Following the formal recognition of lane splitting by California in 2016, a number of states are again considering whether to allow the practice. We are seeing an interest in this issue, including a bill that was passed in Utah in 2019, H.B. 149, which allows motorcycles to split (filter) in certain traffic conditions on roads where traffic is stopped and the posted speed limit is 45 mph or less. A bill to allow shoulder riding under certain heavy traffic conditions was also passed in Hawaii in 2019.
Autonomous vehicles
The AMA Board of Directors has adopted a position statement on autonomous vehicles technology. The American Motorcyclist Association has adopted an official position statement on automated vehicles that calls on government agencies and elected officials to include motorcyclists in the ongoing discussion, planning and implementation of the policies and regulations governing the rollout of automated vehicles.