[ARRL-OK] Legislative Update

[Eddie Manley]

FROM:  Eddie Manley - K5EMS - Oklahoma Government Liaison
and
Dan Henderson, N1ND
Regulatory Information Manager / ARRL Centennial Convention Program and 
Forum Chairman
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio

Please help us out with this valuable Legislation.  If you get a chance, 
talk to your Congressman in your District.  I can send "talking points" to 
anyone interested.  Thanks

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HR 4969 - The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014
A Commonsense Solution to Provide Equality in Land Use Regulation
On Wednesday June 25th, Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL -16th), with 
Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-02) as cosponsor, introduced in the 113th 
US Congress "The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014". If passed by Congress 
and signed into law, Representative Kinzinger's bill would require the FCC, 
within 120 days of the Bill's enactment, to amend the Part 97 Amateur 
Service rules to apply its Amateur Radio limited preemption policy to all 
types of land use regulations including homeowners' association regulations 
and deed restrictions, often referred to as "covenants, conditions, and 
restrictions" (CC&Rs). Presently, the policy only applies to state and local 
zoning laws and ordinances.
HR 4969 is the ARRL's plan to secure reasonable accommodation for the 
thousands of licensed Amateur Radio operators who are denied effective 
antennas at their residences due to private land use regulations that are 
either part of their property deeds of purchase or are imposed by their 
local homeowner's associations. CC&Rs typically preclude licensed Amateurs 
residing in deed-restricted communities from conducting public service or 
emergency preparedness communications. The number of communities that have 
such restrictions is increasing at exponential rates.
In a 2012 report to Congress, mandated by the "Middle Class Tax Relief and 
Job Creation Act of 2012", the FCC concluded that "should Congress see fit 
to enact a statutory directive mandating the expansion of its limited 
preemption policy [PRB-1] to include more than state and local regulations, 
it would expeditiously act to fulfill its obligation...". ARRL Regulatory 
Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, says, "The purpose of HR 4969 is to 
provide the FCC with that directive."
Bipartisan support for HR 4969 is the key to its success. In this 
newsletter, the ARRL will be providing information on how to engage your 
Congressperson on this issue. You should let your Representative know not 
only that this issue is important to you - their constituent - but why it is 
important. Be authentic and personal when speaking with your Congressperson 
and his or her staff.
The text of HR 4969 can be viewed in-line at 
http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/HR4969.pdf For more information on HR 
4969 please visit: http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969