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The bipartisan Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications Act ‘RETAIN' was introduced in the US House in July. This legislation requires Ligado, a private American satellite communications company, to cover the cost for correcting any interference their operations create for the public or private sector. The House RETAIN Act mirrors Senator Jim Inhofe’s bill, which also works to make our GPS and satellite communication services more reliable and secure.
Action Requested for MALSCE Members: Please contact your 2 US Senators and your 1 US Representative to ask them to sign on as co-sponsors to the bill during August and September. You'll find a sample letter and more information on how to do this below.
Update as of 9/24/2021: Now we are asking MALSCE members to focus on both US Senators and your US Representative.
Update as of 8/11/2021: NSPS's lobbyist, JB Byrd, is asking MALSCE to focus on seeking US Senate co-sponsors for the Senate version of the bill over the next few weeks and then turn our attention to seeking US House co-sponsors for the House version of the bill in September. MALSCE will send separate letters to these members of Congress, but we need your help with personalized email messages now to our two US Senators: Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey.
ACTION REQUESTED: Adapt this letter and be sure to give an example of how this would impact your professional practice. Save the text of your letter into word with your contact information so you can then paste the text into the Senators' email platforms.
Current Senate co-sponsors as of 7/22/21 now include: Sen. Tammy Duckworth [D-IL], Sen. Mike Rounds [R-SD], Sen. Jack Reed [D-RI], Sen. Raphael Warnock [D-GA]. We are asking our 2 US Senators to join this group as co-sponsors. Our Massachusetts Senators will be favorably inclined to pay more attention to this issue when they see the current co-sponsors, but they need your personal perspective about why passage of this bill matters to you! (More on co-sponsors here)
Please email the text, with your contact information to both 2 US Senators for Massachusetts:
Contact Senator Elizabeth Warren
If you reside/vote in another state: please contact your 2 US Senators for your home state. We need as many Senate Sponsors as possible.
Then, please send a copy of your text for the email message, with your contact information to Abbie Goodman. If you receive an email back from a Senate office on this, please also send it to Abbie. Or if you receive a phone call from a staffer, please also let me know!
NSPS Talking Points to Request Co-sponsorship of S. 2166 -https://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/nsps/TalkingPointsRETAINActs.pdf
NSPS Talking Points to Request Cosponsorship of H.R. 4634
House Bill: RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act of 2021
NSPS Webinar -- Contact Your Two US Senators – Cosponsor S. 2166
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyyLCmJNb1I
NSPS Webinar - NSPS Leadership on the Retain Act H.R. 4634
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