S.T.E.A.M. 2021

I was extremely pleased to see the nice turnout of Motorcyclist Rights Advocates in Brookfield this year for S.T.E.A.M. The excitement level was high and there was a lot of energy from the attendees. After S.T.E.A.M. was cancelled last year because of COVID, many of those folks were very happy to see old and new friends. Friday evening focused on what was going on in the Legislatures in the participating States.
Saturday morning Hardtail filled us in on what is happening in Washington D. C. The Capitol is still “off limits” to the American Citizens. Some of the House and Senate buildings are expected to be open on a limited basis soon. It is a very sad state of affairs when, We the People, are denied access to our elected representatives to, as the First Amendment says, “redress our grievances”. The main bill for us to watch is the huge Infrastructure package that will eventually become the Highway Reauthorization bill. This is where we will mainly need to spend our efforts. This bill will be the vehicle for the majority of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Legislative Agenda items.
The Highway Funding Reauthorization bill will include all of our language that was in the 2020 bill that died when the 2019-20 session of Congress expired. These include reestablishing the Motorcycle Advisory Council, a 35% increase in Motorcycle Safety funds, including motorcycle detection and prioritizing in autonomous vehicle technology and including Mode of Transportation as one of the data collection points in tracking profiling by police in traffic stops. The bill also retains the ban on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) lobbying state legislatures for helmet laws.
Just prior to the S.T.E.A.M. Conference, Wisconsin House member Rep. Mike Gallagher along with Rep Gwen Moore and others introduced a standalone bill, H.R. 2141, to bring back the Motorcycle Advisory Council. Rep Gallagher has been a great supporter for Motorcyclists in his short time in Congress. A huge thank you to Rep. Moore for signing on and making this a truly bipartisan bill. This is the first time in several years the Rep. Moore has signed on to a motorcycle specific bill and we truly appreciate her involvement.
The most significant breakout session I attended was Principles of Leadership. Highlights included the use of us, our and we, not I, my or me. That shows your intent to include the entire group in the success of the organization. What logos are on the clothes you wear? Are you advertising for a specific motorcycle brand or your SMRO? Work on your image to be a truly effective leader, be the example you want others to follow, you are person the members look to for leadership. Your actions will be put under a microscope, get used to it, and don’t take everything personally. If you delegate responsibility for an event to others, participate in that event. You are “that person”. You are somebody they want to impress. Always recognize their efforts. Look at others when they are speaking and let them finish, don’t shut them down. You never know when someone will come up with a novel way to overcome a problem. Being a leader means you will most likely lose a few friends, but you will gain many more. Finally, a truly great leader does not create followers; they create and nurture new leaders.

Dave Dwyer