MRF Rep Report

By the time you read this, we will be back from the Heartland STEAM conference full of energy and motivation. We hope to share this passion with you in the coming months so we can continue the fight to ride and to ride free. The upcoming Summit on April 24th will be a great chance for us to convene and share ideas.

Right off the backs of all the knowledge and motivation, we will ride out to DC for the annual federal lobby day known as Bikers in the Beltway. The MRF board meeting will be held on Monday, May 16th, followed by our descent on Congress on the 17th.

Here are the main topics we will be discussing with our federal legislators this year:

Profiling: Sustain lobbying efforts for the passage of resolutions or legislation that promotes awareness and prohibition of motorcyclists profiling.

Renewable Fuels: Advocate for targeted changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Support the universal availability of approved fuel blends, containing no more than 10 percent ethanol by volume. Ensure that consumers are educated on proper fuel usage.

Autonomous Vehicles: Advocate and monitor any legislation or regulations related to motorcycles concerning connected and autonomous vehicles (AV) including endorsing rulemaking to set new standards specific to seeing, detecting, and properly reacting to motorcycles. Ensure motorcycles are part of all testing and development procedure.

Steven Panten, myself, and the rest of the Board of Directors are putting the final touches on who will receive ABATE of WI scholarships to attend Bikers in the Beltway. Any member is welcome to attend on his/her own dime, just let us know you will be attending so we can share accommodations and keep you informed of the agenda. There are eight Congressional Districts that represent Wisconsin in Washington DC, and we intend to speak to all of them.

We already have six of our eight legislators signed onto HR366, the federal anti-motorcyclist profiling resolution. We are still working on Congressman Fitzgerald and Congresswoman Moore. If you live in either of their districts, give them a call or send them an email asking for their support. And you can remind them we will be there in person asking again in May. We are not going away. Freedom in not quiet! Shout out to Congressmen Steil, Pocan, Kind, Grothman, Tiffany, and Gallagher for already signing the resolution.

Also, the MRF Awareness & Education is seeking nominations for their Young Activist Award. The award includes a scholarship to the Meeting of the Minds Conference in Iowa September 22-25th. See below for more information on what the A&E Young Activist Award is all about. ABATE of WI has had several recipients in the past. There are also tremendous resources on their website at www.mrfae.org, including training videos and many articles.

If you are still reading this, thank you! All of our officers and board members put a lot of effort into writing articles that are informative and educational for you. I’m just adding a personal note of thanks for all the support from my ABATE family over last two years. You might have noticed my last name has changed. If you know me, you know why.

As always, stay vigilant, my friends!

Jennifer Abraham

ABATE of WI

Board of Directors

MRF State Rep