H-0679.2          _______________________________________________

                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4012

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

By Representatives Stevens, Cairnes, Elliot, Thompson, Koster, Sheahan, D. Schmidt, Delvin, McMorris, Robertson and Mielke

Read first time 01/26/95.  Referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

Requesting permission to use personal locator beacons.

     TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

     WHEREAS, The COSPAS (Cosmicheskaya Sistyema Poiska Avariynych Sudov -- Space System for Search of Distressed Vessels) - SARSAT (Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking) Satellite System was implemented in 1982 through the joint efforts of the United States, Canada, and France (SARSAT) and the former Soviet Union (COSPAS); and

     WHEREAS, This satellite system was conceived in a humanitarian fashion to provide improved safety in remote areas using satellite technology to aid detection and location of people involved in distress situations; and

     WHEREAS, The COSPAS-SARSAT system in concept provides the same protection to those who travel by land, sea, and air; and

     WHEREAS, The SARSAT program is managed in the United States by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, SARSAT Operations Division; and

     WHEREAS, The use in the United States of distress beacons operating in the international COSPAS-SARSAT Satellite System is currently restricted by federal regulation to marine (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) and aviation (Emergency Locator Transmitter) applications; and

     WHEREAS, The value of the devices for the land-mobile user (Personal Locator Beacons) to safeguard lone workers, travellers, and recreationalists in the United States can be clearly demonstrated; and

     WHEREAS, The use of Personal Locator Beacons has been permitted in Canada since July 1990, and United States citizens have been required through lack of availability of the devices to obtain them from Canada; and

     WHEREAS, An experimental Personal Locator Beacon program has been ongoing in the North Slope Borough, Alaska, since March 1992, with unqualified success; and

     WHEREAS, The Personal Locator Beacon program in Alaska was expanded in 1994 to a state-wide controlled program; and

     WHEREAS, Similar controlled programs have been authorized for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the United States Department of Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service), the United States Coast Guard, the Naval Support Forces Antarctica, and the National Science Foundation; and

     WHEREAS, State Patrol, local police, and fire fighters engaging in rescues would be aided in their efforts if such programs were authorized;

     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectively submit:

     (1) That the use of Personal Locator Beacons be permitted in the State of Washington as well as the remaining states of these United States;

     (2) That the Federal Communications Commission expediently process rules regarding the use of 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons;

     (3) That the necessary standards for approval of Personal Locator Beacons through Equipment Authorizations granted by the Federal Communications Commission be issued expediently;

     (4) That the approval process for the approval of Personal Locator Beacons be published and that the approval agency be so named;

     (5) That the process to register Personal Locator Beacons with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, Information Service be formalized; and

     (6) That the necessary state Search and Rescue Points of Contact be established within each state to allow the distribution of alert data to the state agency responsible for land search and rescue.

     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

                                    --- END ---