SB QST @ ARL $ARLB044
ARLB044 ARRL Issues Urgent Last Call to Press for Senate Passage of
Amateur Radio Parity Act

ZCZC AG44
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 44  ARLB044
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 1, 2016
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB044
ARLB044 ARRL Issues Urgent Last Call to Press for Senate Passage of
Amateur Radio Parity Act

It's now down to the wire: ARRL has issued a last call for members
to urge their US Senators to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act
(H.R. 1301) when it comes up during the "lame duck" session of
Congress that adjourns in a couple of weeks. The House of
Representatives approved the bill in September, and the Senate must
follow suit if the bill is to succeed. If it fails in the Senate,
the entire process will have to be repeated in the new Congress. The
legislation is now in the Senate in two forms - as H.R. 1301 and
alternately in the packaged bill S. 253

"We are on our final push for the Amateur Radio Parity Act before
Congress adjourns," said ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR. "The
grassroots effort by the Amateur Radio community has been
outstanding. Since September, over 110,000 emails have been sent to
legislators in Congress. Thanks to everyone who has helped, but we
can't stop now. Please, keep the e-mails coming and also work the
phones down the stretch. Call your Senators! We are almost there.
Let's get it done!"

ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the
ARRL Board's Legislative Advocacy Committee and has been heavily
involved in efforts to move H.R. 1301 forward, echoed President
Roderick's sentiments. He said the bill was just starting to build
momentum in the Senate following its unanimous passage in the House,
when Congress shut down for the 4 weeks prior to Election Day. He
pointed out that H.R. 1301 has received broad support from both
parties.

Lisenco had a special request of Florida radio amateurs. "Please
write and call Sen. Bill Nelson and demand that he remove his hold
on H.R. 1301 and support passage of this critical legislation."

Urging your US Senators' support is simple: Go to our Rally Congress
page at,
https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-us-senate-to-pass-amateur-radio-parity-act
, enter your ZIP code, fill in your name and address, press enter,
and e-mails will go directly to your Senators. Members may do this
even if they have already contacted their US Senators for support.

There are no guarantees, Lisenco has pointed out. "In order to have
a chance at overcoming political obstacles that have little or
nothing to do with the legislation, we need our voices to be heard,"
he said. "And we need that input today!"

President Roderick urged members to "reach out one more time to your
Senators today! Right away Right now!"

September's victory in the US House culminated many years of effort
on ARRL's part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs
living in deed-restricted communities to erect efficient outdoor
antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The measure calls
on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules "to prohibit the application
to amateur stations of certain private land-use restrictions, and
for other purposes."

While similar bills in past years gained some traction on Capitol
Hill, it was not until the overwhelming grassroots support from the
Amateur Radio community for H.R. 1301, and ARRL's relentless and
strident efforts on Capitol Hill that this bill made it this far.
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