October 26, 2005
#05NR29 - MRF Endorses HR 2048
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation has formally committed to Support HR 2048 The Right to Repair Act of 2005.
The Motor Vehicle Right to Repair Act of 2005 (HR 2048) was introduced this past May by Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY), five months later the bill has over fifty bipartisan supporters. The legislative intent of this measure is to offer protections for the American motor vehicle owner by making it illegal for the manufacturer of the motor vehicle to withhold information necessary to diagnose service or repair the motor vehicle.
We have formally committed to support HR 2048 because we believe that safeguarding individual ownership rights is an absolute must. Access to accurate information when it comes to repair or upkeep of a vehicle is essential to the safety and well being of the entire American motoring public. HR 2048 aims to guarantee that individual owners and repair shops have access to aftermarket parts and the same tools and training offered to those within the dealership network.
“The fact is that consumers are entitled to the right to chose how their motor vehicle is maintained or upgraded” Said Jeff Hennie vice president of government relations for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. Hennie continued, “One should not be confined to the dealership network; instead we as Americans should be able to choose our method of maintenance, be it in your driveway or at your local mechanic.”
While the term motor vehicle is often used to describe four wheeled vehicles, the federal government describes motor vehicles as “any vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power and manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways” which of course includes motorcycles. In turn this legislation will directly affect the motorcycling community. In fact the term automotive is largely paired with four wheeled vehicles but the expression actually refers to any self-propelled vehicle.
The point is that while this legislation has been generated out of the car and light truck community it also covers all two and three wheeled vehicles. MRF will continue to support this legislation as long it continues to encompass the motorcycle community. The point of this legislation is not to discourage vehicle owners from using the dealership for service, but to protect the freedom of the American consumer to choose who and how the vehicle taken care of.
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is encouraging its members to contact their federal representatives and ask them to please support HR 2048 by adding their name to the growing list of cosponsors. Motorcycle repair facilities and individual owners should openly support this much-needed legislation through letters to Members of Congress, local media outlets and websites. Many in the automotive industry are already doing this, Motorcyclists need to follow suit in order to see that motorcycles are continued to be included. Shops and individuals who have questions about this important legislation can call the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Washington, DC office.
Passage of this legislation is imperative to the American way of life. The individual’s right to choose is one of the most significant pieces of the American lifestyle. Removing this building block of American freedom could have adverse ripple effects across industry and the economy.
Currently the US Senate does not have any companion legislation and no committee action has occurred as of press time.
Below is a list of the current co sponsors. Please review the list and then call the US Congress at 202-224-8601, or email your Representatives to ask them to co sponsor or thank them if they have already committed to support HR 2048, The Motor Vehicle Right to Repair Act of 2005.
Current co-sponsors are:
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 6/8/2005 Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] - 9/7/2005
Rep Bilirakis, Michael [FL-9] - 9/20/2005 Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU] - 7/27/2005
Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] - 5/26/2005 Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 7/14/2005
Rep Clyburn, James E. [SC-6] - 6/24/2005 Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 9/7/2005
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 9/20/2005 Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] - 6/24/2005
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - 9/20/2005 Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 6/29/2005
Rep Fitzpatrick, Michael G. [PA-8] - 9/20/2005 Rep Foley, Mark [FL-16] - 6/30/2005
Rep Fortuno, Luis G. [PR] - 6/24/2005 Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 6/8/2005
Rep Gerlach, Jim [PA-6] - 6/24/2005 Rep Gibbons, Jim [NV-2] - 6/30/2005
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] - 9/7/2005 Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 6/29/2005
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] - 9/20/2005 Rep Herseth, Stephanie [SD] - 6/24/2005
Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] - 10/17/2005 Rep Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49] - 5/3/2005
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs [OH-11] - 6/30/2005 Rep LaHood, Ray [IL-18] - 7/14/2005
Rep Lantos, Tom [CA-12] - 9/29/2005 Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 10/18/2005
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - 6/8/2005 Rep Manzullo, Donald A. [IL-16] - 5/26/2005
Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] - 7/14/2005 Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 7/14/2005
Rep Meek, Kendrick B. [FL-17] - 10/7/2005 Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 5/26/2005
Rep Miller, Gary G. [CA-42] - 5/26/2005 Rep Moore, Dennis [KS-3] - 5/26/2005
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 7/26/2005 Rep Moran, Jerry [KS-1] - 9/29/2005
Rep Myrick, Sue [NC-9] - 9/20/2005 Rep Owens, Major R. [NY-11] - 7/26/2005
Rep Peterson, John E. [PA-5] - 9/20/2005 Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 5/26/2005
Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] - 10/18/2005 Rep Radanovich, George [CA-19] - 7/14/2005
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 10/17/2005 Rep Renzi, Rick [AZ-1] - 10/18/2005
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 9/7/2005 Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] - 9/20/2005
Rep Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 6/24/2005 Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [WI-5] - 5/26/2005
Rep Shaw, E. Clay, Jr. [FL-22] - 10/7/2005 Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] - 7/26/2005
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] - 9/7/2005 Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 7/27/2005
Rep Strickland, Ted [OH-6] - 9/20/2005 Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 5/3/2005
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] - 9/22/2005 Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] - 6/8/2005
Rep Wicker, Roger F. [MS-1] - 7/14/2005 Rep Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4] - 9/7/2005
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