Transportation bill includes motorcycle-friendly provisions

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved four amendments at a June hearing that the AMA lobbied for, in conjunction with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.

In addition to the amendments, the committee approved a $1.48 million increase in funding for the Motorcyclist Safety grant program for fiscal 2022.

The amendments include provisions for:

• A revitalization of the America’s Byways program (more information about the program is available at fhwa.dot.gov/byways).
• The reauthorization the Motorcycle Advisory Committee, which advises the secretary of Transportation on road issues, such as construction and safety barriers.
• U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson’s (R-Ohio) provision to require motorcycles to be included in a safety study on the deployment of autonomous vehicles.
• Balderson also introduced an amendment to prohibit states and local governments from using federal money for profiling and stopping motorcyclists. (the AMA position statement on motorcyclist profiling can be found at americanmotorcyclist.com/motorcyclist-profiling).

“The American Motorcyclist Association thanks Congressman Balderson for his work supporting motorcyclists while Congress considers the next highway funding bill,” Michael Sayre, AMA director of government relations, said. “From working to ensure motorcyclists are included in a proposed study on the interaction between automated vehicles and other road users to continuing the important work of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council, Rep. Balderson—a lifelong motorcyclist—is ensuring motorcyclists have a voice during the legislative process.”