PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Fifty congressmen and five senators have signed on to sponsor or cosponsor bills that would end federal funding for motorcycle-only checkpoints, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.
During the past two years, federal, state and local governments spent more than a half million dollars on motorcycle-only checkpoints.
The AMA believes that money could have been better spent on programs to curb distracted driving or expand rider education programs.
“The AMA is grateful for these legislators, who understand that the rights of motorcyclists are the same as the rights of every other U.S. citizen,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president of government relations. “We hope to see laws enacted to end the discriminatory and harmful law enforcement practice of targeting motorcyclists for stops that do nothing to improve the safety of our roads.”
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) became the 50th cosponsor of H.R. 1861, the Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act, which was introduced by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) on May 7, 2013.
The Senate bill is S. 2078, introduced by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) on March 5. The original cosponsors are Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also has signed on as a cosponsor.
The AMA thanks all 55 lawmakers for supporting motorcyclists’ rights.
In addition, the AMA is conducting a petition drive to end motorcycle-only checkpoints.
Visit this site to read and sign the AMA petition: https://cqrcengage.com/amacycle/app/sign-petition?6&engagementId=47742.
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.