APCO Washington State Chapter News page

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May 2009 APCO International Member & Chapter Services E-Newsletter: Please download the APCO, Intl Member & Chapter Services Committee Newsletter Download the Newsletter now in PDF format.

April 2009 APCO International Member & Chapter Services Newsletter: Please download the APCO, Intl Member & Chapter Services Committee Newsletter Download the Newsletter now in PDF format.

APCO Institute/Advisory Committee Newsletter. Download the Newsletter now in PDF format.
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Important Legislative News UPDATE: (Posted 1/7/10) APCO/NENA Legislative Committee Report to the Executive Board January 6, 2010 regarding the 9-1-1 Bill to Fund Modernization of Statewide 9-1-1 System. Download now in Word or PDF format.

Important Legislative News: (Posted 1/5/10)

9-1-1 Bill to Fund Modernization of Statewide 9-1-1 System. Download now in Word or PDF format.

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Important Legislative News: (Posted 12/26/09)

We just got the final language back from the Code Reviser. The Lobbyist (Scott) has given us a go-ahead to release the attached information to all of our members to use. The language will either be offered as a Striking Amendment to the bill that’s still alive from last session (HB2351) to replace all language in that bill after the title, OR become a new bill that will be offered in both the House and the Senate. Regardless of the decision, this language will be utilized. The H3624 2 is NOT a Bill Number - it is the Code Revisers version number only.

I have included the Bill Handout that everyone can utilize and leave behind with the Legislators. The Talking Points are NOT handouts. The Talking Points are to be used by the members to pick from in making presentations. It’s unlikely anyone will have time to talk about each one, so pick a few that you feel will be of interest in a presentation, then leave the Bill Handout for them to review.

I have included the recently adopted NG 9-1-1 Plan for reference as it demonstrates the costs into the future. This may be duplicated and left for information if desired.

Lots of work by members of the Legislative Committee has gone into producing this information. Please inform local officials at every opportunity and explain how important this is to being able to continue funding E9-1-1 costs into the future as we embark on the 4 year implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1, that is the modernization of our E9-1-1 system statewide. (JQ)

Downloads:

1. Code Reviser 9-1-1 language H-3624.2 (Download now in PDF format)
2. Bill Handout for 2010 final (Download now in PDF format)
3. NG911 Plan (final adopted) (Download now in PDF format)

Legislative News: (Posted 2/9/09)

Your APCO/NENA legislative committee and our lobbyist have been working diligently to responsibly get our Enhanced 9-1-1 emergency communications service Bills ready and into the system. As of this morning HB 2029 was read in and has been assigned to the Technology, Energy and Communications committee. We will let you all know when that committee will be hearing our Bill as soon as we know. We need anyone who can come over for the hearing to be here and sign in as supporting the Bill. We will likely have our APCO lobbyist and 1-2 others testify for APCO and NENA. We hope to have a representative from the speech and/or hearing impaired community, and one teenager there to explain the importance of texting as it relates to 9-1-1 and public expectation. We were very successful in getting the Bill's prime sponsor (Representative Mark Ericks), and have a good number of Representatives (19) signed onto the Bill. We have commitments of support from law enforcement, fire service, Association of Cities and the Association of Counties.

We are still gathering signatures for the Senate Bill. Since we don't have a Bill number yet on the senate side, refer them to S 0466 4th draft (that is attached). It's important that we get a good number of Senators signed on, so those that have signed on aren't hanging out politically. Currently, we only have our Prime Sponsor (Senator Karen Fraser, Thurston), and three others ( 2 from King, and 1 from Grays Harbor) all from the West side. We really need your help in getting your Senators to agree to sign on from the North and South I-5 corridor and some from the East side of the mountains. Please press for them to agree to sign on, and let us know who they are, once they commit. When you contact those that represent your area, make sure to let them know you are one of their constituents. That makes a tremendous difference in their decision to support or remain neutral. We will make sure we get the Bill to them for signature. We expect to drop the Senate Bill on Monday. Because we think our Bill may go directly to the Senate Ways and Means committee, we must get their support early for both committee hearings and when it goes to the floor.

We also need to engage each and every member within our organizations to contact every Representative to ask for their support of HB 2029, both in the committees that will hear the Bill, and on the floor to ensure its passage. Again, if you are a constituent, please make that clear to them in your phone call, email or snail mail.

We could also use your help in trying to obtain letters of endorsement from any City Councils, County Commissions, Communications Boards or others, that will demonstrate the masses want this to proceed forward. When you are successful, please forward those to Jim Quackenbush at quackej@co.thurston.wa.us

Downloads:

1. Bill Request - Code Reviser's Office, Brief Description: Concerning enhanced 911 communications service (Download now in PDF format)

2. House Bill 2029, State of WA Legislature 2009 Regular Session (Download now in PDF format)

3. Bill Overview of Elements & Benefits January 21, 2009 (Download now in PDF format)

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Check out WA APCO/NENA's Legislative Committee Activity including: NG911 Funding Study Overview, Jan 21st Report to the Legislature, and an overview of the 9-1-1 Bill. (Posted 12/5/08)

Downloads:

1. DRAFT Next Generation 9-1-1 Funding Study (Download now in PDF format)

2. APCO and NENA will be presenting 9-1-1 Bill to address desperately needed adjustments to 9-1-1 excise taxes that have remained unchanged since 1992. (Download now in Word format)

3. Washington State Chapters of APCO and NENA Update to the Legislature, January 21, 2009 (Download now in Word format)

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Friends,
I'm sure most of you noticed as I did that the Military Department put together their own funding mechanisms report. If you requested the Kimball Study as I did, you probably also noticed that what was sent was not the Final Report that was delivered on November 13th, but a DRAFT report. As a result I have drafted yet another letter to the identified person on the Military Department Report, her second and cc'ed the General. So plagiarize away! Jim Quackenbush, Legislative Committee Chair. Download the letter now in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Email contacts:
laura.vandermeer@mil.wa.gov
Rick.Woodruff@mil.wa.gov

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View the APCO/NENA Position Statement for the 2009 Legislative Session (Download now in PDF or Word format)

View Chapter Committees and Membership (Download now in PDF or Word format)

Strategic Governance Initiative Task Force’s recommendations. Please read the latest update at then end of this article.

As this is a new direction for APCO, please take some time and review the documents. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at: pfouts@gh911.org. I will attempt to answer all your questions, to the best of my ability – and if I don’t know the answer...I can find it out. I participated in a conference call on 5/13 with the Western Region Executive Council members and was able to get quite a few of my questions answered. As this is on the fast track, this item is being considered for voting in August by the quorum.

While the document is large (55 pages) the slides (pages 6-14) really cover the nuts/bolts of the changes. The remaining pages are letters of support, draft resolutions and recommendations from the different groups involved in the process so far.

In summary they are recommending the following:

* Restructure governance of APCO
* Streamline bylaws (recommended by our Corporate Counsel)
* Change to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit – we are currently classified as a 501(c)(6). This change will limit certain actions, but the benefits outweigh the impacts.

Lobbying is restricted to $400,000 – we currently only do about $75,000 (7% of our dues)
No political campaigning
Adhere to a reasonableness standard for compensation
Merge subsidiaries to create one tax-exempt entity (PSFA must stay separate)

Implement a layer of leadership (Board of Directors) between the 52 Executive Council representatives and the 4 Board of Officers. Changing the Board of Officers to be called Executive Committee. This will enable the organization to better respond to situations as they arise, not waiting for 1 of 2 meetings held yearly. They will be more involved in the process by meeting 4 times a year and having direct input to the decision-making process. Today the majority of those decisions are handled by the Executive Committee (Board of Officers), and reported back to the Executive Council at our meetings or via email.

This layer of leadership has specific criteria attached to it:

* Term limits (2 year terms, max of 4 year consecutive)
* Must serve on this board or on Executive Council before running for Executive Committee (President, etc)
* 1 CAC member gets a voting position
* 1 International member gets a voting position

With the shift in the layout of the Executive Committee, in 2010 the President Elect position will go away. While this would seem to shorten their participation in International by a year – they are then added as a non-voting member after they’ve left office – similar to what we do for one year.

One of the biggest items from our corporate counsel was the need to do away with our current Constitution and Bylaws implementing a simpler set that only cover the ‘basic’ required items. While the Executive Council would be kept in tact, the role would change dramatically.

Thank you for taking the time to stay involved with APCO~

Download the entire document in PDF format.

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Information regarding the website:

There is a Member Log-in section on this site. In order to obtain your password, you must contact Chapter Secretary Sheryl Mullen by email: smullen@norcom.org. Please provide your name and membership number in order to receive your password. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the site, please contact Deb Welsh by email at debw@co.skagit.wa.us.

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About Comm Center Accreditation:

Currently Washington State has 3 accredited Comm centers; Valley Communications Center initially accredited in 2001 and re-accredited in 2004 and 2007; Clark County (CRESA) initially accredited in 2002, 2005 and are up for reaccreditation in 2008; Bellevue PD – Eastside Communications initially accredited in 2005 and 2008.

Why is it important to enter into this process?

An accredited agency is required to meet 216 standards that were established in a co-venture between APCO and CALEA. By meeting these standards you are assured that your agency is applying the best business practices and providing your customers with the highest level of public safety possible. Want to learn more? Please follow this link: www.calea.org.

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Past Articles > >

Have you ever wished you could find more information about a particular topic? "Where is that story I once read?"

The official APCO History web site www.apcohistory.org has a new database and new search engine that allow you to look up information on any past APCO Magazine article. There are over 36,000 articles indexed in this database, covering the 68-plus years since APCO was founded. If you don't already have the issue you want in your own archives, and it's not available from the sixty-some complete issues that we have on-line, there's information for ordering reprints of articles or back issues of the magazine.

The new database and search engine give you more powerful search options and include all but one issue since 1935 (that of April, 2003) - bringing us up-to-date through the September, 2003 issue. There's also an added page of "Search Tips" on how to best use the new search engine.

King County E-9-1-1 Program Office: 9-1-1 May Not Work for VoIP Phones: There are several service providers who now offer Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service to their customers. This service is attractive to people because they can now have voice service using their Internet Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, and no longer need a dedicated telephone line to make phone calls. They also are provided with long distance service at no charge. Given the attractiveness of this service, people may not stop to think about drawbacks to the service, such as the fact that Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) may not work for VoIP phones. Read whole article (available in PDF)

Increase & Preserve the 9-1-1 Funds: Legislation was passed to provide financial support to build and maintain an Enhanced 9-1-1 system for all residents of Washington State. In 2002, when it appeared there were surplus dollars in this fund, legislation was changed and $6,000,000 was taken from the 9-1-1 fund to balance the state budget. In 2003, tax revenue for wireless calls was increased to $.50 to help support the necessary changes in the 9-1-1 network. In 2004, in conflict with RCW 38.52.540, more than $600,000 was appropriated out of the 9-1-1 fund to fund the Washington State Patrol Computer Aided Dispatch system. Read whole article (available in PDF)

Letter to Bob Williamson, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission: Regarding standardizing 911 network costs. Read letter (available in PDF)

Article > >

State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC)
Public safety officers, firefighters and emergency medical service providers respond to crime, disasters, fires and medical emergencies every day. When these incidents require reliable and available radio communication across local, state or federal boundaries, incompatible radio networks hamper the ability of responders to coordinate their efforts.

Achieving an interoperable wireless system requires leadership, funding and long term commitment from agencies. To address the issues, the Washington State Information Services Board convened the agency-neutral SIEC. The SIEC provides state and local agencies and commissions a medium in which to work towards radio interoperability.

The SIEC works with state and local agencies and commissions to:

Seek partnerships between state and local public safety agencies
Develop standards to public safety radio interoperability
Develop an interoperability plan for the new 700 MHz public safety band, scheduled for release from commercial television and the Canadian government in 2006
Limit regulatory and political boundaries
Design and complete a statewide antenna database based upon GIS data
Begin designing a state public safety wireless radio system that will allow all public safety officials to communicate with each other on demand and in real time.

The SIEC is comprised of a Policy Board and two different working groups, Technical/Operations open to all that want to attend and State Planning open to State agencies. APCO is well represented by our Washington Chapter members who participate in the monthly Technical group. We are also fortunate to have APCO represented on the Policy board by Chapter member Wayne Wantland from Yakima Communications. The Policy Board meets quarterly in Olympia and is comprised of the Chief of WSP, Director of DIS, General Lowenburg, Secretaries of DOC, DOT and DNR, Executive Directors of WASPC and WSFCA, GM Port of Seattle, King County Government and Association of Wa Cities and Counties.

Wayne reports during the APCO Chapter meetings, so check your minutes and plan on attending the next APCO Chapter meeting for the most current information.