u p t o s p eed
Roundup What’s trending in government relations and legislative affairs
BY KALI KOTOSKI
Marsh Rights Returned
he American Motorcyclist Association’s Sound Test Kit Program is officially open for 2022 applications. The program is administered by the AMA’s Government Relations Department and provides kits to AMA Districts, club members, race organizers and others who educate riders about sound levels. The kit contains a Type 2 sound meter, a tachometer, training materials, a spark-arrestor probe, personal protective equipment and a storage case. The goal of the sound meter project is to educate riders about acceptable sound levels according to AMA guidelines, while being able to show quantitative data to complainants about levels that fall within acceptable legal ranges. With the AMA’s mission to keep both off- and on-road riding areas open to the public, the program aims to help prevent the implementation of laws and regulations that specifically target riders. For more information on how you can apply, please contact Erin Reda, AMA Grassroots Coordinator, at grassroots@ama-cycle.org.
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ce riders can now return to New Hampshire’s Hoit Road Marsh this winter after Governor Sununu officially put to rest an issue that had pitted some property owners against motorcyclists that have enjoyed ice riding for generations. The passage of H.B. 517 repeals a 2019 ban that was underhandedly snuck in as a budget item. Correction: In last month’s edition (June 2022) we mistakenly referred to the recreational ice riding at Hoit Road Marsh as ice racing, which, to be clear, it is not. 20
A M E R I C A N M O T O R C Y C L I S T • J U LY 2 0 2 2
CHRIS REAL
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America’s Outdoor Recreation Act Receives Unanimous Committee Vote merica’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2022 sailed through the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources without a single dissenting partisan vote. Introduced by committee chairman Joe Manchin of West Virginia and John Barrasso of Wyoming, the landmark legislation comes with a bevy AMA-supported acts. The Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy Act, the Simplifying Access to Outdoor Recreation Act, the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act, the Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act, the Federal Interior Lands Media Act, and the Biking on Long Distance Trails Act are all included. “The last time outdoor recreation legislation of this size and scale was enacted was 1963,” said Senator Manchin. The act aims to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities on land managed by the federal government. Specific provisions in the act include streamlining the permitting processes for guides operating on federal lands, expanding broadband internet connectivity at recreation sites, and supporting public-private partnerships to expand parking facilities. The legislation also seeks to promote collaboration between federal agencies while working with gateway communities grappling with an unprecedented surge in tourism. The act now goes to the Senate floor before heading to the House of Representatives.
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JEFF KARDAS
RIGHTS
AMA Sound Meter Program Open for 2022