Recent Entries

• Heartland STEAM

  by RevBigJohn Apr 11
  Last weekend, ABATE of Iowa hosted the 35th Annual Heartland STEAM event in Bettendorf, IA. Riders from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin gathered to share information about how the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) and state motorcyclist rights ...

• H.R. 1566 - The REPAIR Act

  by RevBigJohn Apr 4
  H.R. 1566 - The REPAIR ActRight To Equitable And ProfessionalAuto Industry Repair Should you have the choice of where to bring your motorcycle for repairs or to do the work yourself? Should you have access to the parts, tools a...

• Road Show Update

  by RevBigJohn Mar 28
  The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) “Road Show” continues to march on. In the last few weeks, MRF board members have been meeting bikers across the country to share what we are up to in Washington, D.C. and learn what you care about back home. MRF President Kirk “H...

• Mark Buckner March 30, 1954 - March 15, 2025

  by RevBigJohn Mar 27
  The Motorcycle Riders Foundation and in fact, the entire motorcycling community worldwide, have lost a leader, a mentor and a friend. Mark Buckner ended a long and hard battle with cancer on March 15, 2025. This is perhaps the only battle he ever lost.Mark served in countless capacities in the motor...

• Reining In California

  by RevBigJohn Mar 21
  In recent years, California has implemented policies that require rapid growth in market share for electric vehicles and threaten the survival of the internal combustion engine.  These plans and others threatening older and classic cars have begun to face increased pushbacks in Washington, D.C....

• Support H.R. 2165

  by RevBigJohn Mar 19
  Support H.R. 2165 - The Choice In Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) ActOf 2025 Congress is currently on a one-week recess, but before they left town, Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan introduced the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act of 2025. This bill is similar to legislation Mr. Walberg introd...

• NHTSA Administrator Selection

  by RevBigJohn Mar 14
  In February, President Trump nominated Jonathan Morrison as the next National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator. He previously served as the chief counsel at NHTSA during the first Trump administration. His resume includes time at Apple and with the California New C...

• Prepping For May

  by RevBigJohn Mar 7
  While our main D.C. lobbying day, Bikers Inside the Beltway, is still a couple of months away, over the last few weeks we’ve had some motorcyclist advocates from across the country make the trip to Capitol Hill. Last week, ABATE of Iowa had a group of riders in town to meet with the six member...

• It's Almost Spring Advocates Soon Flocking To DC

  by RevBigJohn Mar 1
  There are two clear signs that springtime is coming to Washington, D.C. The first is busloads of school kids making the trip to our nation’s capital to learn about how the government works and visit museums and monuments. The second sign is long lines of people trying to enter the U.S. Capitol...

• Dunn Reintroducing REPAIR Act

  by RevBigJohn Feb 26
  Tuesday, Congressman Neal Dunn of Florida announced the introduction of the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act or the “REPAIR Act,” a bill that would ensure vehicle owners have access to important repair and diagnostic data. Congressman Dunn introduced a previou...

• 2025 MRF Roadshow Aims To Surpass 2024

  by RevBigJohn Feb 21
  A little over a month into the new year, the 2025 Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) Road Show is off to a fantastic start! As part of our mission to meet bikers across the county, MRF Board Members have been engaged in various events from coast to coast. MRF Board Members h...

• Congressional Motorcycle Caucus

  by RevBigJohn Feb 14
  This week, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation participated in a reception for the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus. The event played host to several lawmakers, including the Co-Chairs of the House Motorcycle Caucus: Rep. Tim Walberg (Michigan), Rep. Troy Balderson (Ohio) and Rep. Derrick Van Or...

• Slowing The EV Train

  by RevBigJohn Jan 31
  Duffy Memo To Help Protect Internal Combustion Engine Just hours after being confirmed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary Sean Duffy issued a memo phrased to protect the internal combustion engine. The memo directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NH...

• Duffy Confirmed By Senate

  by RevBigJohn Jan 29
  January 29, 2025 - Washington DC Sean Duffy was confirmed on Tuesday as U.S. Secretary of Transportation by a bipartisan 77-22 vote in the Senate. Before resigning his seat in 2019, Representative Duffy was elected five (5) tim...

• House Transportation And Infrastructure

  by RevBigJohn Jan 24
  Source For The Next Highway Bill This week, the House of Representatives finalized some of its organizational structure by announcing committee assignments for the 119th Congress. Of note for motorcyclists, the House Transporta...

• Executive Orders

  by RevBigJohn Jan 22
  January 23, 2025 - Washington DC Hours after being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump issued several executive orders. An executive order is a directive by the President of the United States that ...

• Unintended Consequence: Invisibility

  by RevBigJohn Jan 17
  An important study was released last week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) regarding high-visibility clothing. According to the IIHS, “clothing that makes pedestrians stand out to human drivers may make them invisible to automated crash prevention systems.” You read t...

• Unintended Consequence: Invisibility

  by RevBigJohn Jan 17
  An important study was released last week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) regarding high-visibility clothing. According to the IIHS, “clothing that makes pedestrians stand out to human drivers may make them invisible to automated crash prevention sy...

• Oregon ICE

  by RevBigJohn Jan 15
  January 15, 2025 - Washington DC The changing landscape in Washington, D.C., will have a trickle-down impact on policies and regulations state governments implement. One area where we will likely see friction between the federal government and state governments will center on electric vehicles and ...

• 119th Congress Is Here

  by RevBigJohn Jan 11
  Last week, the 119th Congress took the oath of office to begin a new two-year term. While we often focus on who lives in the White House, it is also critical to understand what a new Congress means and how it impacts the issues we care about as bikers. First and foremost, a new Congress means new l...

• Happy New Year!

  by RevBigJohn Jan 1
  This week the 119th U.S. Congress will be sworn into office and later this month a new Administration will assume power. The next two years will be a critical time to advance the legislative priorities of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF). The power of the MRF comes from our membership. Wi...

• Coming In 2025

  by RevBigJohn December 20, 2024
  In September, at the 2024 Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s (MRF) 40th Annual Meeting of the Minds Conference, held in St. Louis, Missouri, a legislative strategy session was hosted by the MRF’s Legislative Committee. The purpose of the session was to establish and prioritize the MR...

• California Receives 2023 Waiver

  by RevBigJohn December 19, 2024
  December 19, 2024 - Washington DC Wednesday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted California a requested waiver to implement new emissions standards on some vehicles. With this decision, California has the ...

• Graves Retains Key Chair

  by RevBigJohn December 13, 2024
  This week, House Republicans selected Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri to lead the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Representative Graves is not new to the committee, he previously served 3 terms and 6 years as both the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committee. However, Rep. Grave...

• New Faces In New Places

  by RevBigJohn December 6, 2024
  It has been four and a half weeks since election day and the last race for Congress has been called. The final breakdown of the U.S. Senate will be 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. The U.S. House of Representatives will also have a slim margin, with 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats. Complicating th...

• Road To Zero Grants

  by RevBigJohn November 23, 2024
  The Road to Zero Coalition recently announced it will accept grant applications for its traffic safety program. The deadline to apply is January 17th, 2025. The funds, totaling $750,000, are geared toward finding solutions to lower the number of deaths on our nation’s r...

• New PA.Bill Allowing Year-round Motorcycle Inspections Now Law

  by RevBigJohn November 22, 2024
  Legislation giving people who are trying to take safety precautions more convenience is now law after receiving unanimous Senate and House support. It allows year-round motorcycle safety inspections in Pennsylvania. Even though motorcycles can be purchased and driven on Pennsylvania roadways thro...

• Former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy

  by RevBigJohn November 19, 2024
  Former Wisconsin Congressman Sean DuffyNominated Transportation Secretary November 19, 2024 - Washington DC Monday evening President-elect Donald Trump named former Congress...

• MRF Election Scorecard

  by RevBigJohn November 15, 2024
  As the dust begins to settle after last week’s election, here is a look at how some Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) Legislative Champions and allies fared on election day.  MRF Legislative Champions: Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa) – Not up for reelection in 2024Senator Ron Johnson (...

• Past MRF Champion Recipient

  by RevBigJohn November 13, 2024
  Past MRF Champion Recipient Senator John ThuneElected Senate Majority Leader November 13, 2024 - Washington DC This afternoon Senate Republicans elected Senator John Thune o...