MRF Rep Report - January 2026

As we navigate the heart of the holiday season, the federal legislators are primarily concentrating on booking their flights home to spend time with their families. Of course, some things are still moving forward and the MRF is making sure we keep a finger on the pulse of each of these upcoming topics:

1) Highway Bill: 2026 will bring a new federal Highway Bill. This bill is expected to address funding for highways, which has traditionally come from the gasoline tax. As EVs expand their market segment and fuel economy improves, this is expected to be addressed with new and possibly creative ways to tax consumers. The MRF is already reviewing some of the proposed verbiage to ensure that motorcyclists are treated fairly in whatever new

revenue source results.

2) RoboTaxi Expansion: There is expected to be significant expansion of RoboTaxi use, particularly with Waymo announcing expansion into more than a dozen cities. At this time, Wisconsin is not on the published target list for any companies, but the MRF is monitoring these rollouts nationwide and is prepared to address any impacts on motorcycling.

3) CAFE Standards: President Trump is proposing a major rewrite of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. His proposal would return the standards to focusing on fuel efficiency among gasoline-powered vehicles, rather than using them as a tool to force the end of the internal combustion engine.

5) HB Strategies Recognition: The Hill magazine published its annual list of top lobbyists, those it calls the “industry’s savviest, most influential and well-connected advocates”. For 2025, that list includes MRF lobbyist Rocky Fox and three other principals from HB Strategies, which is also a consultant to ABATE of Wisconsin!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and that we can grow the movement in 2026.

Cathy Dial

ABATE of Wisconsin MRF State Rep

414-552-4026