HomeForumW4CA-LOGW4CA NetNewsfeedsHamfestBlue Ridge BonanzaEvents 2010Contacts

Message from the ARRL President

Posted: May 19 : 11:08 | Author: Russ KG4MAV |
A message from ARRL President Kay Craigie N3KN
Dear fellow Amateurs,I am the president of the American Radio Relay League, I live in Blacksburg,
Virginia, and I need your help with legislation in Washington that is
important to Amateur Radio. This legislation, called  S. 1755, the "Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act," is now under consideration
in the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill
passed the U.S. Senate unanimously and was referred to the House late last
year. Our Virginia 9th district Congressman, Representative Rick Boucher, serves
on the Energy and Commerce Committee and is chairman of the sub-committee on
Communications, Technology, and the Internet. His support is critical to get
S. 1755 successfully out of the committee and on to the floor of the House
of Representatives before this session of Congress ends.This bill promotes and encourages the valuable public service, disaster
relief, and emergency communications provided on a volunteer basis by
licensees in the Amateur Radio Service. It tasks the Department of Homeland
Security with 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.This legislation has support from both Democrats and Republicans in
Congress. It does not matter what political party, if any, you may belong
to. It does not matter whether you intend to vote for Rep. Boucher or his
opponent in this year's election. This is about ham radio, not about
elections or politics.I have already written to Rep. Boucher about this bill, as maybe you have,
but we are at a critical time for this legislation, and more letters from
constituents are needed now. That is why I am reaching out for help at this
time to some ARRL members in the 9th district.Would you be willing to write a letter to Rep. Boucher now, urging his
support of this legislation and telling him briefly about how Amateur Radio
is important to the citizens of our district? This letter should be either
mailed or faxed to the ARRL's Washington representative, so he can
hand-deliver a stack of constituent letters to the Congressman's office.
That makes an impression!Here is the address to which your letter should be mailed or faxed:Mr. John Chwat
Chwat & Company, Inc.
625 Slaters Lane
Suite 103
Alexandria, VA 22314Fax: (703) 684-7594Below is a sample letter that you can customize to suit yourself. We need
Rep. Boucher to understand that we are not just a few of his constituents
talking about something of interest only to ourselves. We are a few of his
constituents who are prepared to serve ALL of his constituents if a disaster
occurred here. Please put in a few lines in your own words explaining how
you as an Amateur Radio operator serve your community.If you do not wish to write to Rep. Boucher, that is entirely up to you. If
you have any questions about the ARRL's legislative program that you would
like to ask before writing, the best person to help you is Dan Henderson
N1ND, the Regulatory Information Manager at ARRL HQ. His contact information
is dhenderson@arrl.org. If we are not personally acquainted and you want to
make sure I am who I say I am, Dan can confirm that, or you can contact me
at the home phone number shown on page 15 of QST.Thank you for being an ARRL member and for helping get this bill passed, if
you are able and willing to do so.73,Kay Craigie N3KN
President, ARRL
Blacksburg, VA======= Sample Letter =======[date]Representative Rick Boucher
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515Dear Representative Boucher:
As one of your constituents in the 9th District who holds an FCC license in
the Amateur Radio Service, I am writing to ask for your support for S. 1755,
the "Amateur Radio Emergency Communication Enhancement Act" pending in the
Committee on Energy and Commerce. 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.
It promotes and encourages the valuable public service, disaster relief, and
emergency communications provided on a volunteer basis by people like me who
are licensees of the Federal Communications Commission in the Amateur Radio
Service. * * * Here you could put in an example or two of how you and hams in your
area are active in emergency preparedness. Keep it brief and positive, and
please avoid any jargon a non-ham wouldn't understand. * * * Please help me and other Amateur Radio operators in our district become
better prepared to serve our fellow citizens by supporting this legislation
in the committee and again when it comes to the floor of the House of
Representatives.Thank you for your attention to this issue.Very truly yours,[Your signature][Your printed name and postal mailing address]
printer friendly