SB QST @ ARL $ARLB003
ARLB003 New Amateur Radio Bill Introduced in Congress

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QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 3  ARLB003
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  January 11, 2011
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB003
ARLB003 New Amateur Radio Bill Introduced in Congress

The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act, which
died at the end of the 111th Congress, has been reintroduced in the
112th Congress as HR 81. The sponsor is Representative Sheila
Jackson Lee (D-TX-18). The new bill -- which was introduced on
January 5 -- has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and
Commerce.

Rep Jackson Lee first introduced the bill -- HR 2160 -- in the 111th
Congress in April 2009. It gained an additional 41 co-sponsors but
did not progress out of the committee of jurisdiction. A similar
bill introduced in the Senate -- S 1755 -- made it all the way
through that body in December 2009, but likewise was not taken up by
the House.

The objective of the bill -- which is supported by the ARRL -- is
for the Secretary of Homeland Security to study the uses and
capabilities of Amateur Radio communications in emergencies and
disaster relief and to identify and make recommendations regarding
impediments to Amateur Radio communications, such as the effects of
private land use regulations on residential antenna installations.

"We are hopeful that this early start will lead to success in the
new Congress," commented ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner,
K1ZZ.

HR 81 can be found on the web in PDF format at,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr81ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr81ih.pdf.
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