Good Evening, Now that we are once again underway in our efforts to get the Amateur Radio Parity Act to become law, part of our strategic approach is to get as many of the co-sponsors of HR 4969 from last year to sign on as original co-sponsors for the new iteration of the bill. The new Bill for the 114th Congress will drop in the next few weeks with Reps. Kinzinger and Courtney once again as sponsors. Please read Chris Imlay’s memo to the ODV [arrl-odv:23896] which will bring you up to speed on the status of the Bill. One step that had been discussed at the recent Board meeting is an email to Congressional staffers we dealt with as a reminder that we’re back. This will reintroduce us and set the stage for our returning to see them. What follows is a suggested template for you to use in reaching out to these staffers. It has been vetted by Chris Imlay and Frank McCarthy of The Keelen Group. Please change the wording in CAPITALS so that it makes sense. Feel free to personalize it if you can. These can be sent out today now that there is a firm commitment from the sponsors to reintroduce the Bill. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions. Vy 73 de Mike N2YBB = = == = = = = = = = = = = = = Dear STAFFER, I hope this finds you well and that you had an enjoyable hiatus. Let me begin by once again expressing the appreciation of the entire amateur radio community for CONGRESSPERSON XXX’s support for H.R. 4969, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, in the 113th Congress. As a refresher, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, was a bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Joe Courtney to provide uniformity in land use regulations as they pertain to Amateur Radio communications. The bill was the association’s top legislative priority last year, and will be again in the 114th Congress. Now that the new Congressional Session has begun, we at the American Radio Relay League are reaching out to the supporters of the bill in hopes that they will agree to be original cosponsors of the bill in the 114th Congress. As you may recall, when we met last year about HR 4969, we promised that we would be back when the new session began regarding the reintroduction of the bill. That will be happening shortly as the sponsors, Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Rep. Joe Courtney, will be reintroducing this bipartisan legislation in the next few weeks. By way of background, Radio Amateurs (hams) voluntarily provide emergency and disaster relief communications using radio stations located in their residences. Their services cost taxpayers nothing and are provided at no cost to any served agency or to any government entity. Served agencies include the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Department of Defense. Because CONGRESSPERSON XXX was a co-sponsor of HR-4969 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4969/cosponsors), we would very much appreciate his/her support once again, this time as an original co-sponsor of the new Bill when it drops. We hope that HE/SHE will consider cosponsoring the bill once again so that amateur radio operators like myself may continue to support our homeland in time of need. Thank you in advance for discussing the issue with the CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any additional questions. My Very Best, YOUR NAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - YOUR NAME & CALL Director, XXXXXXX Division ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio™ PHONE NUMBER EMAIL ADDRESS