NEWS BYTES
THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is
brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored
by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or
visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH IS NOT PLANNING TO PROTEST 2016 BIKER RALLIES
A few weeks ago, a purported news story made the rounds
about the federal government instituting a curfew on all
bikers, and now the latest trending UNTRUE story claims the
“Westboro Baptist Church Announces Plans To Protest 2016
Motorcycle Rallies.”
Citing a long list of major bike events, the article says a
church spokesperson “confirmed that arrangements have
been made for Westboro Baptist Church members to attend
and protest multiple motorcycle rallies throughout 2016.”
This spam is sourced from a known hoax website, but many
have unknowingly forwarded and shared the “news” across
the Internet.
WBC has no such planned interactions with bikers,
although the group’s vile protests at soldier’s funerals were
themselves the catalyst for bikers to come together to shield
funeral-goers from the hateful signs and chants, and forming
the Patriot Guard Riders.
While you obviously can’t trust everything you read on the
Internet, the National Coalition of Motorcyclists has been a
proven source of timely, reliable and valuable motorcycling
information for more than thirty years, and NCOM encourages
you to confidently share NCOM Biker Newsbytes with fellow
concerned riders via print and social media.
ANTI-PROFILING MEASURE APPROVED BY
MARYLAND LEGISLATURE
Maryland is set to become the second state in the country
behind Washington to pass a law restricting police from profiling
motorcyclists. Companion bills HB 785 (passed 136-0) and SB
233 (passed 47-0) call for a statement condemning motorcycle
profiling to be included in police policies and require training of
officers on “motorcycle profiling,” defined in the legislation as
“The arbitrary use of the fact that an individual rides a motorcycle
or wears motorcycle-related clothing or paraphernalia as a
factor in deciding to stop, question, take enforcement action,
arrest, or search the individual.”
The motorcycle anti-profiling legislation passed unanimously
through committees and both chambers of the Maryland
legislature, without a single no vote and without opposition from
law enforcement, and heads to Governor Larry Hogan who is
expected to sign it into law.
“Having the Police Training Commission add information
on motorcycle profiling in their current training materials
can only benefit everyone, by helping to raise awareness of
any implicit bias officers may have against those who ride
motorcycles or wear clothing associated with those who ride
motorcycles,” stated the ACLU in written testimony in support
of the measure, and drawing comparisons to racial profiling.
WHITE HOUSE REPSONDS TO RACING PETITION
The White House has been flooded with nearly 170,000
signatures from racing enthusiast s and race industry
stakeholders concerned over an over-reaching regulation
from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would
prohibit street-legal vehicles, including motorcycles, from
being modified for racing, and the Obama Administrations
“We The People Team” recently responded, noting that the
EPA is still considering the proposed standards and the issue
is still in review.
The EPA has reopened the proposed regulation for further
public comment, with final approval expected this summer.
While the battle over the EPA proposal continues, the U.S.
Congress has introduced the bi-partisan Recognizing the
Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act (HR 4715) which would
ensure that street vehicles can continue to be modified
for the track. Regardless of whether the EPA removes the
onerous provision to prohibit racing conversions from its
regulation, the RPM Act would guarantee that the longtime
practice of modifying street vehicles into dedicated racetrack
competitors is continued today, and protected for future
generations of race fans as well.
CONGRESSIONAL BILL WOULD
PROMOTE USE OF E15 GAS
Despite controversy over the proliferation of E15 fuel, which is
not approved for use by any motorcycle manufacturer and can
invalidate warranties, Congress will consider a bill to expand
existing infrastructure utilized in the “process of dispensing fuel
containing covered renewable or alternative energy.”
HR 4673, the “Renewable Fuel Utilization, Expansion,
and Leadership Act” (REFUEL Act) would provide federal
grant money to subsidize the installation of blender pumps
and equipment necessary to expand the availability of E15
gasoline, a fuel blend containing 15% ethanol.
The measure directly conflicts with earlier Congressional
action taken in the FARM bill to prohibit funding for ethanol
blender pumps, in an effort to restrict E15 expansion in the
U.S. marketplace.
Thunder Roads Magazine® Oregon 30