Update on Hands-Free MA Legislation, November 19, 2019

MA State HouseARRL Section Manager Tom Walsh, K1TW, writes on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 12:54 AM:

“Eastern Massachusetts ARRL State Government Liaison, Hank W4RIG, is working the issue [of hands-free legislation].  Hank is also President of the Cape Anne Amateur Radio Association (CAARA) in Gloucester. 

“Since the hands-free bills were first filed, Hank has been closely coordinating with Senator Bruce Tarr, who is the Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader and a radio amateur.  Previously the Senator’s office reported to Hank that Amateur Radio operation would not be impacted by earlier versions of the bill.  I believe this was based on the Massachusetts General Laws which apply to all bills.  The General Laws state that a ‘mobile telephone’ shall not include amateur radios. 

“Over the weekend, we posted the following news item on our EMA web site https://ema.arrl.org/2019/11/16/ma-lawmakers-announce-surprise-agreement-on-distracted-driving-legislation/

“With the hands-free bill finally clearing committee on the weekend and ready for a vote, I asked Hank to contact the Senators office once again to confirm amateur radio operations were not affected.  We are awaiting that confirmation.  If Hank can get the confirmation or further clarification, I will post the information on https://ema.arrl.org/ .”

Leave a Reply