SPECIAL CALL TO ACTION

From:
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org

You may recall that the US Senate passed bill S. 1755 unanimously and sent
it to the US House of Representative for further action. This bill is the
first step toward overriding CC&Rs that prevent so many amateurs from
installing antennas on their own property. There seems to be little doubt
that S. 1755 will be adopted by the US House of Representative provided the
House Committee on Energy and Commerce forwards it to the floor of the House
for a vote.

Here is where you come in. We need every member possible to send two fax
messages in support of the bill. One message is to Committee Chairman Henry
Waxman and and the other is to Committee Minority leader Joe Burton urging
them to release the bill from Committee. In this strategy, we are not
asking you to write to your Representative at this time. Our intent is to
get the bill out of committee.

I strongly believe our goal will be accomplished provided every ARRL member
who can get to a fax machine will help us fill the offices of the Committee
leaders with fax messages.

Please copy the following message, add your personal information and make
any other changes you may wish, and send the two faxes within the coming day
or two.

The fax number for Chairman Waxman is: 202-225-2525
The fax number for Congressman Barton is: 202-225-1919

With your help and the help of any others you may be able to get to join in
our effort, we will take the first step toward having a Federal PRB-1 law
that covers all restrictions against antennas.

If possible, please also e-mail or USPS mail copies of your letters to Great
Lakes Division Legislative Action Chairman John Meyers, NB4K
(nb4k@arrl.org), 218 Cory Ln., Butler, KY 41006. John will collect these
letters and letters we receive from other sources and forward them to John
Chwat, our Washington lobbyist, to use when he visits Mr. Waxman and Mr.
Barton. The main thing, though, is to fax letters toCongressmen Waxman and
Barton.

The letter follows.


Dear Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Barton:

As one of more than 680,000 Amateur Radio licensees throughout the United
States, I urge your support for passage of S.1755, the "Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Enhancement Act," which is pending in your
Committee. This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to
undertake a study on the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio
communications in emergencies and disaster relief.

S. 1755, a bipartisan bill sponsored by both Chairman Lieberman and
Ranking Member Collins, passed without opposition in the Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on November 4, 2009. On December
14 it passed by unanimous consent on the Senate floor. It was referred to
your Committee on the following day.

This bill promotes and encourages the valuable public service, disaster
relief, and emergency communications provided on a volunteer basis by
licensees of the Federal Communications Commission in the Amateur Radio
Service, by undertaking a study of the uses of Amateur Radio for
emergency and disaster relief communications, by identifying unnecessary or
unreasonable impediments to the deployment of Amateur Radio emergency and
disaster relief communications, and by making recommendations for relief of
such unreasonable restrictions so as to expand the uses of Amateur Radio
communications in Homeland Security planning and response.

Please pass S.1755 and send it to the House floor and to PresidentObama for
signature.

If you or your staff have any questions, please feel free to contact John
Chwat, the Washington, D.C. representative of the American Radio Relay
League, Inc., 703-684-7703 or by e-mail to john.chwat@chwatco. com

Sincerely,

[name, address]