[SFDXA] US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301

[Bill]

    US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301

09/11/2016

The US House of Representatives will consider the Amateur Radio Parity 
Act, *H.R. 1301* 
<http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20160912/HR1301.pdf>, under a 
suspension of the rules on Monday, September 12. A suspension of the 
rules is a legislative procedure used to quickly pass non-controversial 
bills.

Speaking at the New England Division Convention on September 10 in 
Massachusetts, ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, expressed confidence that 
the bill would pass the House, but said the legislation would face 
additional hurdles in the US Senate.

In July, an amended version 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/ParityAct-SubstituteBill-Official-2016.pdf>of 
the bill received a unanimous favorable report from members of the U.S. 
House Energy and Commerce Committee. Before reporting the bill out of 
committee, the panel first voted to accept the amended language “in the 
nature of a substitute.” Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who chairs the 
Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and 
Technology, said the substitute bill represented “a good balance” 
following months of meetings, hard work, and compromise, and he 
recommended the measure to his colleagues.

“The amendment guarantees that even in deed-restricted communities, 
Amateur Radio operators are able to use an effective outdoor antenna,” 
Walden said. “Without an effective antenna Amateur Radio operators are 
severely limited, so this amendment ensures that amateurs are free to 
pursue their passion wherever they live.”

In June, the ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI 
<https://www.caionline.org/>) — the national association of homeowners 
associations (HOAs) — announced that they had reached consensus on rhw 
substitute language for H.R. 1301 in an effort to move the bill through 
committee and to overcome objections to the companion US Senate bill,S. 
1685 <https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1685/text>.

For *more information* <http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act>on 
H.R. 1301, visit the ARRL website.
http://www.arrl.org/news/us-house-to-act-on-amateur-radio-parity-act-bill-h-r-1301