Ride in Freedom Act Aims to Repeal D.C. Motorcycle Helmet Law
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Two members of Congress who ride want Washington, D.C. to drop its motorcycle helmet requirement, and they have introduced bills to make it happen.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin introduced the Ride in Freedom Act in the House on August 6, 2026. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana introduced a companion bill in the Senate the same day. The House bill, numbered HR 10067, has been sent to the House Oversight Committee.
The bills would bar the District of Columbia from requiring anyone to wear a protective helmet while operating or riding on a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, and would repeal the existing local law. Nothing has changed for riders yet. The D.C. helmet requirement remains in effect while the bills sit in committee.
Current D.C. law requires every motorcycle operator and passenger to wear a helmet, with no age exemption, along with eye protection. D.C. is one of 17 states plus the District with a universal helmet law. Wisconsin and Montana, the sponsors home states, require helmets only for riders under 18.
Van Orden is a retired Navy SEAL Senior Chief who served 26 years in the Navy. He serves on the House Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and Armed Services committees, co-chairs the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, and rides a Harley-Davidson. He has said a motorcycle is a symbol of freedom and that riders should have the choice to wear a helmet or not. His office has described D.C. as a starting point for a broader conversation about the federal role in helmet mandates across the country, and Van Orden has said he aims to repeal helmet laws nationwide.
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation supports the bills, arguing that riders visiting the capital should have freedom of choice, especially when their home states do not impose the same requirement.
The proposal has drawn pushback in D.C. The office of Council Member Charles Allen, who chairs the Council Transportation Committee, dismissed it as an unserious and unsafe proposal. Safety researchers warn that weakening universal helmet laws leads to more deaths, and local reports note six people have died in D.C. motorcycle crashes this year, up from two last year.
The fight is also about home rule. Congress holds legislative authority over the District, so a federal bill can override a D.C. law even though neither sponsor represents District residents. That tension is why the bill has drawn attention beyond the helmet question itself.
Biker Nation will follow the Ride in Freedom Act as it moves through committee.
