Press Release | January 18, 2024
California State Senator Brian Jones recently visited KTM North America headquarters to talk about the powersports business and fixing the red sticker registration rules.
KTM CEO and MIC Vice Chair John Hinz with state Senator Brian Jones at KTM North America headquarters in Murrieta, California. Photo Courtesy of MIC
This is a press release from the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC)…
California State Senator Brian Jones, a longtime motorcycle advocate and rider himself, recently visited KTM North America headquarters to talk about the powersports business and fixing the red sticker registration rules that could jeopardize the use of competition OHVs on public lands across much of the West Coast.
“On behalf of the motorcycle industry, we were honored to have Senator Jones visit our facility to discuss the importance of critical issues facing motorcycle dealers and our industry in the state of California,” said John Hinz, CEO of KTM North America, Inc., and MIC vice chair. “In particular, the senator has led California in finding a resolution to the red sticker competition motorcycle registration issue through his sponsored bill SB-708, and has our support to pass this legislation in 2024.”
Authored by the senator, SB-708 would create “sanctioned event permits”—starting on January 1, 2025—that would allow California residents to operate competition OHVs at sanctioned events. The new event permit will help facility staff and law enforcement to quickly identify such vehicles at these sanctioned events held on public lands. SB-708 would also restore funds historically slated for important conservation and law enforcement efforts that were lost with the termination of the Red Sticker Program.
Last year, the Motorcycle Industry Council called on all powersports companies to add their names, on their letterhead, to an MIC-drafted letter in support of legislation to allow continued use of competition-model OHVs on public lands in California.
“Without the passage of California Senate Bill 708 in the state assembly, the use of competition OHVs on public land in the state will be in jeopardy,” said Scott Schloegel, senior vice president at the MIC Government Relations Office. “We’re facing this threat because the state’s Red Sticker Program for competition OHVs was terminated by the California Air Resources Board in 2021. We’ve been able to send dozens of letters from across the powersports industry to the committee to try to advance the senator’s important legislation and keep access open for these popular competition machines.”
Learn more about the Motorcycle Industry Councilat https://www.mic.org/#/
