Legislative Update

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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Early voting started Monday Oct 24th.

Here is a listing of numbers to call in each county where you can find out where the early voting polls are located. Also remember your Voter Registration card has the phone numbers on it also.

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/county.shtml

http://www.inbradio.com/mrf/motm2005/

This is the link to the MOTM 2005.
Some of you have asked how to reference this site.
You can send this along to others to tune into the only internet broadcastof Global MC politics!

Deborah Butitta
MRF Corporate Secretary
www.mrf.org

They are looking for ideas to better our country. SOLR has submitted the Workfare not Welfare program.If you agree with this idea go to the address below, register to vote (registration is free) and let them know you support this idea. Do it soon before time runs out. Thanks for your effort.

Sputnik

http://www.sinceslicedbread.com/node/1381

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Sputnik
State Chair

One of the new Supreme Court decisions will be on Oregon's state law allowing doctor assisted suicide. The administration is seeking federal intervention saying that goes against everything a doctor is supposed to stand for Now I don't take sides either way on abortion except to say I believe government has no moral authority in the issue any more than they do in the assisted suicide issue. If the Supreme Court rules against Oregon then doesn't that mean they will overturn Roe V Wade? The webs politicians weave to get what they want.
Speaking of webs, State Rep Mike Krusee in one of the best at spinning them Last session he sponsored and passed a Bill to allow the Regional Mobility Authority board members to serve six year terms instead of the two year terms laid out in the constitution. The law was challenged on constitutional grounds and overturned.
This year he sponsored and passed a Bill to change it back to two year terms. He then introduced and passed a House Joint Resolution to amend the constitution to allow the change to six year terms. Despite this being against all reason as well the choice of the people it will pass as a constitutional amendment because people don't even know what they are voting on when they mark the ballot. Like the rest of the nine constitutional amendments proposed on the ballot they mainly serve only to help political allies who make large donations to campaigns.
To read the proposed amendments go to www.tmra2.org scroll down to Constitutional Amendments and click on the site. All nine of these proposals will draw a loud NO from this old man. Remember they wouldn't consider Emminent Domain Protection or Recorded Vote requirements to be sent to the public for a vote. That should help you to understand their line of thinking. Big money wanted the nine that got passed to be voted on. The average working man wanted the two that didn't make it.

We'll be in Denton this weekend for the Mid South Mile. Hope to see some of you up there. The last weekend of this month we will be in Charleston SC for the Southern Cross Conference. This Conference will be an attempt by bikers to bring the Southern Congressional delegates into a voting block for Bikers Rights. Pretty lofty goal but it will bring heavy ramifications if we can make it work.

We in Texas are fortunate to have three political organizations working together to make things happen politically. It is time for all of us to give it our best shot during the upcoming election.
Being in the military takes away a person's right to get politically involved in campaigns or be a member of a political oeganization. Unfortunately we have just run into the only commander I have ever heard of that has chosen to enforce this rule. The Commander at Ft. Bliss in El Paso has told those stationed there that they can not be members of TMRA 2 or take part in any of our activities. Anyone caught disobeying this order would pay the price.
We contacted Senator Hutchison's office and spoke with our frien Christy whop is in charge of military affairs in that office. She said they could attend our Chapter meetings to be informed but could not take part in the meeting or any other of our activities.
We shall follow up on this rule in the next few days. They can fight and die to give those in foreign countries the right to be politically involved and can not take part in the process in their own country? Something seems mighty wrong here. Think about it.
Catch you later
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Sputnik
State Chair

PLEASE tune to http://www.inbradio.com and click on the 2005 MEETING OF THE MINDS
(MOTM) CONFERENCE internet broadcast archives of the general sessions and
workshops.

You will find there is great material there for you. You can listen to the
workshops that you missed.
WMTC (World-harmonized Motorcycle Test Cycle) has pages you can print out
for notes while you listen or take to your meetings.
The general sessions are a must for those of you who did not make MOTM 2005.

Please tune in and be educated as to the current issues facing us as street
bike riders.
Pass this information along to the rest of the people who ride and are
unaware of the issues MRF addresses in Washington DC on behalf of all street
bike riders.

Thank you,

Deborah Butitta
MRF Corporate Secretary

Please post on your website. If you don't have a website then just let it be known that we are having this raffle.

More info to come. Here is a link to the flyer.

http://www.tmra2.org/images/dirtbikeraffle.jpg


Thanks,
Mama Blue
Ride Safe & Free !!
Wood & Mama Blue

Indian motorcycle has been bought by Chris Craft and plans to renew production in the SE United States. Cut and paste this address for full story.

http://motorcyclecruiser.com/newsandupdates/indianq305/

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SputnikState Chair