The mark-up of HR 1301 has been postponed until after the House returns from the July 4th hiatus. The House went into recess last evening after the committee hearing, but before the actual vote. The committee released this statement earlier today in which they said, “The Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), today announced the remainder of committee activities for the week have been postponed. Among those activities are today’s full committee markup and tomorrow’s #SubHealth hearing. Information about rescheduling the markup and hearing will be posted here as it is available.”
On a positive note, in his opening remarks, Chairman Upton said, “(W)e will also move forward with legislation to protect the rights of amateur radio operators. Just as the law recognizes that access to broadcast satellite communications are an important part of our national information infrastructure, so too should we recognize the role of amateur radio. This is especially important as amateur radio operators can serve a crucial role in providing communications in the wake of natural disasters and other times when commercial communications networks might be unavailable. The underlying bill seeks to ensure that amateur radio operators are permitted to operate in deed-restricted communities. The amendment in the nature of a substitute under consideration represents a good faith compromise between the two parties most impacted by this bill: amateurs and community associations.”
As soon as we hear anything regarding a new date, we will pass it on to the Board.
73 de Mike N2YBB