ATVA Rapid Response helps members fight congressional fast-tracking

By Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations

Life, it’s said, used to move slower. That seems especially true when it comes to how laws were made in Washington.

There once was a time in the not-too-distant past when legislation was introduced, referred to the rules committee, sent to the proper full committee, then to a subcommittee where it was scheduled for public debate, and once a decision was made, it reversed course. It went back up through committee for a full vote, to the House or Senate for a full vote, then to a bicameral conference committee, then final passage in both houses, and then—if it survived at all —it was finally considered by the president. 

Even though the process took months, sometimes years, there was a big advantage for organizations like ours: It allowed us to spread the word and shape the legislation.

Not anymore. These days legislation seems to happen at warp speed. Legislators work out the details behind closed doors, coordinate with their friends in the other chamber and negotiate the vote—often before the details have even been finalized. Additionally, they often resort to byzantine parliamentary procedures to further veil their intentions from the public and restrict meaningful public consideration.

For those of us in the business of fighting anti-ATV laws, the shift has fundamentally changed the way we work—and the way ATVA members can have an impact on the issues that are important to us. Nowadays, we must be prepared to mobilize the troops within days—sometimes hours—of an important issue becoming public.

Thankfully, your ATVA has been adapting and speeding up. We’re working closely with our partners and sharing more information, shortening the time it takes to tell you that an issue is happening, and using technology to allow our membership to stay informed. We’re also upgrading our systems, training staff and utilizing tools that weren’t even a possibility a few years ago.

One of the biggest changes we’ve made is the addition in 2009 of more staff in the Washington, D.C., office to help us monitor all the creative ways Congress has devised to keep you from your favorite pastime. Equally important, we provide online tools that allow you to receive instant information or research an issue.

The "Rapid Response Center" on this website helps those who want to become active in promoting and protecting the ATV lifestyle. New items like “Key Votes,” “Current Legislation” (federal and state), and congressional scorecards show you how your elected representatives voted on important ATV-related issues. We have expanded congressional biographies, enhanced our Action Alerts, and even use the American Motorcyclist Association (our larger sister organization) Facebook page to spread the word in cyberspace.

As a result, ATVA and AMA members have become more engaged—and more effective—than ever. In fact, in the past year alone we’ve been able to increase the number of messages sent to elected officials by 665 percent.

There’s a lot we need to do—and time, it’s said, waits for no one.