It’s here!

by Steve Panten

Lobby Day 2023 is on March 21st and the bikers are ready! Will you be joining us? Since the Annual Meeting last October, we have been working on what our legislative agenda items are and how best to present them. There were many things that came up at the Annual Meeting that are important issues for motorcyclists, and we are going to be working on them throughout the year, but our focus at Lobby Day is down to 2 things. Protecting motorcyclists while testing autonomous technology on Wisconsin roads and protecting our combustion engines. These are all about protecting motorcycling as we know it and protecting it from becoming extinct.

I travel quite a bit and speak to many different groups about the future of motorcycling. The attendees that I am speaking to have a hard time believing that motorcycling is in jeopardy, but once they see the forecast of the “new” transportation system they realize it is not that far away. In many cases, motorcycles are not even part of the discussions. ABATE members worked hard to get the State Department of Transportation to accept that motorcycles are a big part of the transportation system, so they rewrote their Connect 2050 Plan to include us. Now we need the State Legislators to recognize the importance of motorcycling to the State’s popularity and economy, especially small business.

At Lobby Day we are going to present a plan to make sure motorcyclists are protected while groups test autonomous technology, and we are going to present an opportunity for residents of this state to choose the best engines to put in their purchases. How can you help? We need you to be with us in Madison on March 21st. Look at the bus schedule elsewhere in this newsletter and enjoy a free ride to Madison or drive yourself and park for free at the CC Riders Clubhouse. From there we will have a shuttle to take you up to the Park Hotel where we will be all set up. There we will have people to help you find which meeting has your elected official in it. We will have people to present the information so if you do not want to speak, you can make an impact by just being there. Show your elected official this is important to you. ABATE of Wisconsin’s Lobby Day is the most important day for motorcyclists in Wisconsin so please plan on being there.

For the past four years ABATE has been trying to get a meeting with Governor Evers and his Legislative staff with no success. I am sure he is very busy and has a lot going on, but every meeting request we submitted was denied because they did not have time. We asked for alternate dates and time, but nothing has been offered. We are hoping that the Call to Action that was sent out will show that the motorcyclists in the state feel that there is value in listening to each other’s thoughts on the topics that are important to the motorcyclists in the state. I am excited to see how many people responded to our call to action but there is still time for you if you haven’t. Tell your Governor that you are part of the over 525,000 motorcyclists in the state and you would like your voice heard.

Last month, motorcyclists in the state were also represented in Washington DC as Hardtail and I made the trip to introduce our newest Congress Member to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. Congressman Van Orden was excited to have the motorcyclists from the state show up and he is looking forward to working with our voice in the Nation’s Capital, the MRF. Congressman Van Orden was selected to be on the Traffic and Infrastructure Committee which oversees transportation on roads. We are excited to have a true motorcyclist watching out for all motorcycles across the nation.

I would like to take up space in the newsletter this month to thank everyone who came to Officers Training last month. I have been to quite a few of these and I was very excited to see how engaged our Regional Officers are. I want to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us for this important training. ABATE of Wisconsin is one of the strongest Motorcycle Rights Organizations in the country and from what I saw at OT, we are not letting up! Thank you! Lobby  Day is on March 21st and that is where the work begins. I will see you there!

That’s it.

Steve