[ARRL-OK] New National Legislation HR2160

[Eddie Manley]

If you did not see this article in ARRL newsletter, please review HR2160. 
It would undertake a 'study' to report what we already know ... that Amateur 
Radio communication is a strong public service component during any 
disaster.
Eddie Manley - K5EMS

REPRINT
Houston Representative Introduces Amateur Radio Bill in Congress
On Wednesday, April 29, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) introduced 
HR 2160, the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 
in the US House of Representatives. This bill, if passed, would "promote and 
encourage 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." The bill has 
been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
If enacted into law, HR 2160, would instruct the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to undertake a study and report its findings to Congress within 180 
days. The study would spell out uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio 
communications in emergencies and disaster relief. The study shall:
Include recommendations for enhancements in the voluntary deployment of 
Amateur Radio licensees in disaster and emergency communications and 
disaster relief efforts.
Include recommendations for improved integration of Amateur Radio operators 
in planning and in furtherance of the Department of Homeland Security 
initiatives.
Identify unreasonable or unnecessary impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio 
communications -- such as the effects of private land use regulations on 
residential antenna installations -- and make recommendations regarding such 
impediments.
Include an evaluation of Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 
(Public Law 104-104, 110 Stat 56 [1996]).
Recommend whether Section 207 should be modified to prevent unreasonable 
private land use restrictions that impair the ability of amateurs to 
conduct, or prepare to conduct, emergency communications by means of 
effective outdoor antennas and support structures at reasonable heights and 
dimensions for the purpose in residential areas.
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall utilize the expertise of the ARRL 
and shall seek information from private and public sectors for the study.
The bill currently has five co-sponsors: Madeleine Bordallo (Guam), Mary Jo 
Kilroy (D-OH), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Bennie 
Thompson (D-MS). Representative Thompson currently serves as Chairman of the 
Committee on Homeland Security. Representatives Jackson-Lee, Lofgren and 
Kilroy are members of that committee.
"We understand that Representative Jackson-Lee was very impressed with the 
radio amateurs she encountered on a visit to an Emergency Operations Center 
in Houston during Hurricane Ike last September," said ARRL Chief Executive 
Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "We are grateful to her and to the five original 
co-sponsors for their support of Amateur Radio and the encouragement that 
their bill offers."
ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, concurred: "We are excited to have 
Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee introduce HR 2160. It is extremely 
encouraging to have the support of a number of original co-sponsors --  
including several members of the House Homeland Security Committee -- who 
recognize the importance of Amateur Radio's long history of public service