The United States House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved H.R. 3550, "The Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users" (TEA
LU). The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is pleased to announce that all of our motorcycle safety initiatives are included in this 6-year surface transport bill passed by the
House today.
"This is a significant victory for the MRF, as well as the state motorcyclists' rights organisations (SMROs) and motorcyclists nationwide who have
worked hand in hand with us on our motorcycle safety initiatives for the better part of two years," said MRF President Karen Bolin. "We still have work to do, but this
is definitely a step in the right direction."
Passage of the $284 billion TEA LU bill sends a resounding message to the White House that both the Senate and House
favour significant increases in highway and transit spending, despite a veto threat from the Bush administration if the final package exceeds $256 billion.
The Senate
passed a $318 billion surface transport measure a few weeks ago, and the final vote today of 357-56 in favour of TEA LU signals enough support in the House to override a veto.
The next step will be a House and Senate conference to combine the two bills and develop a compromise bill for passage by the full House and Senate and then presentation to
the White House. It is possible that conferees may begin pre-conferencing by the end of next week, but significant progress is not anticipated until after Congress re-convenes on
April 19 following their Spring break.
The MRF would like to thank everyone who took the time to contact their Congressmen to solicit support for our motorcycle safety
initiatives.
May is Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month
Senate Resolution 168 designates May 2004 as "Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month".
The first ever in the history of the United States Senate!
Thank you Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and his Legislative Director, Larry Vigil
