As you recall, in January the Board voted at Minutes 50 and 54 to take a position two issues now before Congress. This is a progress report about what has been done in response to those Board actions and a heads-up about what will be happening very soon. Many of our grass-roots legislative action volunteers around the country have been hungry for a mission in addition to working for passage of our existing legislative initiative. They're going to get their wish. At Minute 50, the Board voted to endorse the proposal to add a technical engineer/scientist to each FCC Commissioner's staff, as described in Senate Bill 2881, the FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act. Last week, I wrote to the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, stating and explaining the ARRL's support for this legislation. The letters are being delivered in person by Chwat & Co. The next step will be to promote a favorable vote on S. 2881 in committee. We are developing two sample letters for members from the relevant states to send to their Senators who serve on the committee. One version will be for members living in Maine and Virginia to send to Senators Snowe and Warner, the committee members who introduced the legislation, thanking them and urging their continued attention to the progress of the bill. Another version will be for members living in the states of the other committee members, urging them to vote for the legislation in committee and also later when it reaches the full Senate. For your reference, the attached document lists the Senators on the committee. As we have done in the past, members will be requested to send their letters via Chwat & Co. to be delivered in person. When S. 2881 reaches the full Senate, then we will activate the grass-roots legislative action volunteers throughout the country to secure passage in the Senate. The Society of Broadcast Engineers is encouraging their members to support this legislation and is also seeking introduction of a companion House bill. We are working in close cooperation with SBE. To summarize the steps for S. 2881: (1) The committee chairman and ranking minority member have received letters from me. (2) Via the grass-roots legislative action program, ARRL members in the states represented on the committee will soon be asked to write their Senators urging a favorable vote in committee. (3) When S. 2881 reaches the full Senate, the legislative action program will be activated nation-wide to generate letters in support. At Minute 54, the Board voted to urge passage of legislation to increase the charitable mileage deduction rate, which is now 14 cents per mile and has been unchanged since it was set by statute in 1998. In contrast, the business deduction rate is 50 cents per mile and the rate for medical and moving mileage expenses is 16.5 cents per mile. The Board motion seeks to raise the charitable mileage rate to equal the business rate. After some suggestions by Chwat, Dave has researched a number of bills we might support. This has been complicated because a number of different bills have been introduced in the House and Senate, not all of which address the issue pinpointed by Minute 54: Increasing the mileage deduction available to volunteers who are not eligible for, or do not seek, reimbursement from a charitable organization such as the ARRL. We are working hard to identify legislation that meets the goal of Minute 54 to the greatest possible extent. As soon as suitable bills are identified, a letter from me will be delivered to the chairmen and ranking minority members of the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means. This letter will state and explain the League's support for increasing the charitable mileage deduction rate, and it will mention legislation that accomplishes this goal. We will then activate the grass-roots legislative action volunteers in all states, asking for supporting letters to be sent, via Chwat, to Senators and Congressmen. A sample letter for members to send to their Senators and Congressmen is in preparation, awaiting only the identification of suitable legislation. There is a lengthy study report (27 pages in pdf format) that was prepared by the Congressional Report Service on the charitable mileage rate. If you are interested in knowing that much about the subject, I will be happy to send a copy to you individually on request. 73 - Kay N3KN