The Senate transportation bill, entitled “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century,” or MAP-21, contains a revision of current law that would essentially end the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). However, a bipartisan list of seven senators, led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), have introduced an amendment to modify the revision and preserve the RTP.
Klobuchar amendment No. 1661, as it is commonly referred to, would re-establish dedicated funding for RTP and maintain the programs structure on state and federal levels. Some are under the mistaken impression that a different amendment offered by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) helps the RTP, but it does not.
According to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), only the Klobuchar amendment No. 1661 can restore the RTP, which was created on a bipartisan basis in 1991 to provide funds to the states to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. Funds for the RTP come from taxes generated by fuel used for off-highway vehicle recreation – by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles and off-highway light trucks.
The AMA says the best way for the Klobuchar amendment No. 1661 to be accepted and passed is for enthusiasts to ask their senators to speak to the leaders of MAP-21, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.).
The motorcycle community is urged to call your senators immediately and ask them to speak with Sens. Boxer and Inhofe about accepting and passing Klobuchar amendment No. 1661 to save the RTP.
For more information about how to take action, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
