ARRL NEWS - Continued Timely ARRL news items for all members -  from sources as noted at end of each article,
Page 7 Previous     Return Pg 4                         Amateur Radio Now Legal in all Texas Public Schools

In what can only be termed a huge victory for the future of Amateur Radio in Texas, Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 11 (SB11) into law in June. Among many disaster response specifications, the new law contains two important Amateur Radio-related provisions: State employees who are ham radio operators may now take up to 10 days of paid leave while participating in a disaster response or training exercise, and Amateur Radio is now allowed in all Texas public schools. A single sentence in Article 2 of SB11 modifies the legal definition of a banned paging device by adding the following ham radio exception: "The term does not include an Amateur Radio under the control of an operator who holds an Amateur Radio Station License issued by the Federal Communications Commission."

Texas is the first state to enact such a sweeping change allowing school-based ham radio programs statewide. It is hoped that similar measures will be enacted in other states. Local clubs in Texas are urged to contact their school boards and encourage them to bring school policies regarding student possession of RF devices into compliance with the new law.

The old law broadly defined a prohibited "paging device" as any RF device which had the ability to vibrate, emit a sound, display a message, or in any way convey a communication to the possessor. There was no exception for school-based Amateur Radio programs or clubs. Practically all Texas schools immediately exercised their newly granted right by banning all RF devices to the maximum extent allowed by law -- and sometimes to a greater extent than the law allowed.

The result of the old law was that in most Texas schools, starting a ham radio club was simply out of the question. Existing ham radio programs were even removed from some San Antonio area schools as a direct result of the old law.  (Excerpt from the ARRL Letter, Vol. 26, No. 28,  dated July 18, 2007)
   ARRL Board of Directors Acts on Background Check at July Board Meeting  

The ARRL Board of Directors took action on two pressing matters, background checks and emerging digital technologies, at its second meeting of 2007, held July 20-21 in Windsor, Connecticut. Invited guests included IARU Vice President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, and Radio Amateurs of Canada President Earle Smith, VE6NM.

A major concern at this Board meeting was the topic of served agencies and background investigations. The Ad Hoc Background Investigation Committee agreed that pursuing federally recognized credentialing for Amateur Radio volunteers was critical for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) to function. The Committee chairman, ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, proposed that the Board adopt a policy with regard to Memoranda of Understanding with the various served agencies. The Board adopted a policy that "communications volunteers participating in ARRL-sponsored programs should not be required by served agencies to undergo background investigations of any kind," but notes that criminal background checks--performed by law enforcement agencies--are "generally acceptable." (Excerpt from the ARRL Letter, Vol. 26, No. 30,  dated July 27, 2007)
Back Next