The following email was received and forwarded by Dirk Flint, K7QVD. It is not intended to represent the membership or opinion of the members of the Rogers County Wireless Association, Inc. It is being provided as information to those interested in what is going on in our government(s) – Federal and/or state and/or local.

Although this legislative report is specific to Texas, I have included
Oklahoma in this newsletter's distribution. Everyone should know about
the results of the West Gulf legislative efforts reported below.

Texas House Transportation Committee

The Risk
The Response
The Immediate Results
The Future
Thank you
FLASH FLASH

THE RISK

West Gulf's Legislative Action Team (LAT) learned late Friday, March 6,
2009, that the Texas House Committee on Transportation had scheduled a
hearing for Tuesday, March 10th at 8:00 A.M. for eleven House
"wireless communication device" bills (WCD). Each of the
bills, if passed as worded, would make mobile Amateur Radio illegal.

West Gulf Director Dr. David Woolweaver, K5RAV, after consulting with
the Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs John Stratton, KE5ISX,
decided to ask each Texas ARRL member in the West Gulf Division to call
or fax the eleven House Transportation Committee members to request
that the pending WCD bills be modified so as to protect Amateur Radio.
A Division newsletter bulletin with that request was sent at 11:00 AM
on Monday, March 9th.

THE RESPONSE

Your response was stunningly successful -- underscoring how, if amateur
radio operators act as a unified group, we can have a dramatic,
positive impact.

So many of you called and faxed that the telephone and fax lines of the
eleven Committee members were tied up for most of Monday afternoon.
Within less than three hours after the request for action was emailed,
the West Gulf Division began to receive multiple calls from the
Committee members telling us that they now clearly understood our
concerns.

Our ability to respond so quickly and in such numbers impressed quite a
few Legislators. We were told by Committee members and others at the
Legislature that very few groups have the ability to produce such an
intense, well coordinated outreach.

We asked all of you to be consistent on the message delivered and the
relief requested. You were -- and that also impressed the Committee
members. Equally important is that we have not heard one complaint of a
rude or disrespectful contact by a ham with any Committee staff
member.

Legislators and their staffs are used to, but are sharply resentful of
rude and abusive contacts by people for or against pending legislation.
When an organization with a passionately held position inundates the
Legislature because of its concerns, but is polite, courteous and
consistently on message, it leaves a strong, positive and favorable
image.

Your participation and the West Gulf's Legislative Action Team's (LAT)
efforts have greatly and favorably raised the visibility of Amateur
Radio at the Texas Legislature.

It cannot be stressed enough that our image and standing is only
enhanced by polite and courteous contact with every member of the
Legislature.

THE IMMEDIATE RESULTS

Assistant Director (AD) John Robert Stratton, KE5ISX and Legislative
Action Assistant (LAA) Glen Reid, K5FX, met with the staffs of the
majority of the WCD bill authors and Committee members on Monday
afternoon. Almost all of the bill authors either agreed to the changes
requested or agreed to seriously consider the requested changes. As a
result of the overwhelming contact from West Gulf members, all of the
Committee members visited, expressed their support for the West Gulf's
requested changes in the pending bills.

At the Committee hearing on Tuesday morning, the majority of the
authors consistently testified they were willing to accommodate Amateur
Radio's concerns and make the necessary modifications to their bills.
Rep. Dan Branch from Dallas, author of HB 55, was so supportive he
actually prepared and presented a substitute for HB 55 at the Committee
hearing. The substitute contained the exact language requested by West
Gulf to protect Amateur Radio.

Unless something changes, it appears any WCD bill reported out
(approved) by the House Transportation Committee will contain the
protective language we requested. If that occurs, the House bills will
match the leading Senate WCD bill, SB 582 authored by Sen. Wentworth.
Sen. Wentworth from San Antonio worked with the West Gulf in the last
legislative session and introduced SB 582 in this Session with the
language requested by the West Gulf. With matching language in both the
House and Senate bills, any WCD legislation passed in this Session
would not harm Amateur Radio.

THE FUTURE -- It ain't over 'til it's over

However, we are not safe yet. The bills have not yet been approved and
are being held back for further consideration in Committee. Until a
bill or bills are reported out of Committee with the protective
language we need, we are still at risk.

Based on meetings with the Committee members and the comments of the
Committee members during the hearing, it appears there is a consensus
that the multiple WCD bills must be consolidated into one or two bills
and must have their present language modified. There is a strong
probability that a WCD bill will be passed by the Texas Legislature in
this Session.

The impetus to pass a bill this Session, when these bills have failed
for the past two -- three sessions, comes from two sources: first, the
increasing public dissatisfaction with the reckless, thoughtless and
inconsiderate actions of many cell phone and texting device drivers and
second, the proliferation of city ordinances designed to regulate cell
phone and texting while driving. The city ordinances that have been
passed are inconsistent, conflict with each other and almost
universally are hostile to Amateur Radio.

The passage of a WCD bill that clearly protects Amateur Radio operators
is in the best interests of Amateur Radio operators. The passage of a
favorably worded bill would protect hams from the proliferating,
inconsistent and hostile local ordinances being passed around the
State.

West Gulf's Legislative Action Team (LAT) will continue to monitor the
progress of the various bills, work with the bills' sponsors and the
Committee members to insure that the actual bill or bills approved
protect Amateur Radio.

Depending on the outcome of the LAT's efforts and the House
Transportation Committee's decision, we may again need for you to
contact certain Legislators or Committees. If that is necessary, we
will send out a division newsletter bulletin detailing the type of help
we need.

THANK YOU

For those who responded -- we thank you. For those who did not have
the time to participate -- please do so next time. We have just proven
that the actions of one ham, coupled with actions of other individuals,
can have an overwhelming positive effect.

As your Director, I would like to thank Jim Robinson, N5PNV, STX State
Government Liaison, for his advice and political insight. AD John
Stratton, KE5ISX, and LAA Glen Reid, K5FX, should also be recognized
and commended for the many hours of dedicated effort they spent walking
the halls of the Capitol speaking to bill sponsors and Committee
members. They were at the Capitol all day Monday convincing
legislators to exempt amateur radio operators from the WCD bills, and
again on Tuesday at the House Transportation Committee hearing,
providing testimony and monitoring the proceedings. Clearly, there is
no substitute for having "boots on the ground" at the Capitol
during a legislative session.

FLASH FLASH FLASH

The CC&R Relief Bill's SB1552 and HB 4637 have been filed. Look for
more legislative updates coming soon.

Dr. David Woolweaver, K5RAV
Director West Gulf Division