There’s more news about motorcycle-only checkpoints. The AMA tells us some 50 U.S. House members have signed onto a bill that would bar the U.S. transportation secretary from providing funds for motorcycle-only checkpoints. Ron Paul is the sole House member representing Texas who has signed on.
The measure, H.R. 904 authored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), would prohibit the transportation secretary from providing grants or any funds to a state, county, town, township, Indian tribe, municipality or other local government for use by any program to check safety equipment use or create arbitrary checkpoints for motorcycle riders or passengers.
At the same time, Sensenbrenner and Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), along with 29 other members of Congress, have sent a letter to the leadership of the House-Senate Surface Transportation Reauthorization Conference Committee requesting the inclusion of language in the conference report that would prohibit the transportation secretary from providing funds for motorcycle-only checkpoints.
Responding to a nationwide appeal issued by the AMA on May 29, AMA members and concerned motorcyclists contacted their elected representatives and urged them to sign on to the Sensenbrenner-Petri letter. As a result, a bipartisan group of legislators now seeks to overturn a controversial federal program that unfairly discriminates against motorcyclists.
The AMA began tracking motorcycle-only checkpoints when they first appeared in New York in 2007. In 2011, using funds provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the state of Georgia conducted roadside motorcycle-only checkpoints as thousands of motorcyclists rode through the state on their way to Daytona Beach, Fla., for Bike Week, March 4-13. Another motorcycle-only checkpoint was conducted in northern Virginia during one of the nation’s most visible motorcycle rallies — Rolling Thunder — over the 2011 Memorial Day weekend. Motorcycle-only checkpoints were also conducted in Utah when thousands of riders attended a world-class roadracing event.
Three states have since outlawed the practice — Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire — and legislation to prohibit them has been introduced in Illinois, California, Missouri and New Jersey.
The letter stated: “MOCs [motorcycle-only checkpoints] are a controversial and unproven method of addressing motorcyclist safety and have not been an efficient use of limited federal dollars. The very existence of this program essentially profiles a group of citizens — the motorcycling community — for operating a legal mode of transportation.”
The letter added: “The DOT should focus on programs to instruct motorcyclists on the importance of proper licensing, rider education, and motorcycle awareness campaigns.”
– SOURCE AMA
Here’s a link to the US Government legislation tracking page.
As of post date theses are the 50 signers. It looks to have bi-partisan support.
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Rep. Sean Duffy [R-WI7]
Rep. Thomas “Tom” Petri [R-WI6]
Rep. Paul Ryan [R-WI1]
Rep. Jerry Costello [D-IL12] (joined Mar 08, 2011)
Rep. Ronald “Ron” Paul [R-TX14] (joined Mar 08, 2011)
Rep. Reid Ribble [R-WI8] (joined Mar 08, 2011)
Rep. Allen West [R-FL22] (joined Mar 08, 2011)
Rep. Aaron Schock [R-IL18] (joined Mar 11, 2011)
Rep. Timothy Walberg [R-MI7] (joined Mar 11, 2011)
Rep. Ken Calvert [R-CA44] (joined Mar 29, 2011)
Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC3] (joined Mar 29, 2011)
Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA1] (joined Mar 29, 2011)
Rep. Michael “Mike” Rogers [R-MI8] (joined Mar 29, 2011)
Rep. Mike Ross [D-AR4] (joined Mar 29, 2011)
Rep. Addison “Joe” Wilson [R-SC2] (joined Mar 29, 2011)
Rep. Jeff Denham [R-CA19] (joined Apr 05, 2011)
Rep. Randy Forbes [R-VA4] (joined Apr 05, 2011)
Rep. John Kline [R-MN2] (joined Apr 05, 2011)
Rep. John Shimkus [R-IL19] (joined Apr 05, 2011)
Rep. Joe Walsh [R-IL8] (joined Apr 05, 2011)
Rep. Tim Griffin [R-AR2] (joined Apr 08, 2011)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger [R-IL11] (joined Apr 08, 2011)
Rep. Bob Filner [D-CA51] (joined Apr 13, 2011)
Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA4] (joined Apr 13, 2011)
Rep. Thaddeus “Thad” McCotter [R-MI11] (joined Apr 13, 2011)
Rep. Jason Altmire [D-PA4] (joined May 05, 2011)
Rep. Randy Hultgren [R-IL14] (joined May 06, 2011)
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R-MD6] (joined May 13, 2011)
Rep. Leonard Boswell [D-IA3] (joined May 13, 2011)
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler [R-WA3] (joined May 24, 2011)
Rep. Jon Runyan [R-NJ3] (joined Jun 01, 2011)
Rep. Jeff Duncan [R-SC3] (joined Jul 12, 2011)
Rep. Robert “Bobby” Schilling [R-IL17] (joined Sep 13, 2011)
Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN7] (joined Sep 22, 2011)
Rep. Andy Harris [R-MD1] (joined Nov 02, 2011)
Rep. Donald Manzullo [R-IL16] (joined Jan 27, 2012)
Rep. Cory Gardner [R-CO4] (joined Mar 29, 2012)
Rep. Erik Paulsen [R-MN3] (joined Apr 18, 2012)
Rep. Michele Bachmann [R-MN6] (joined May 16, 2012)
Rep. Kathleen Hochul [D-NY26] (joined May 17, 2012)
Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1] (joined May 17, 2012)
Rep. Sandy Adams [R-FL24] (joined May 31, 2012)
Rep. Lee Terry [R-NE2] (joined Jun 01, 2012)
Rep. Mark Critz [D-PA12] (joined Jun 06, 2012)
Rep. Joe Donnelly [D-IN2] (joined Jun 06, 2012)
Rep. Bill Huizenga [R-MI2] (joined Jun 06, 2012)
Rep. Candice Miller [R-MI10] (joined Jun 06, 2012)
Rep. Peter DeFazio [D-OR4] (joined Jun 19, 2012)
Rep. Patrick Meehan [R-PA7] (joined Jun 19, 2012)
Rep. Chris Gibson [R-NY20] (joined Jun 20, 2012)
