HB1197 Public Meeting

[Bill Sconce]

On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 12:32:02 -0500
Jon maddog Hall <maddog at li.org> wrote:

> Chris, et. al.
> 
> Please pardon me if this has been addressed before, but I will not be able to
> attend the meeting and I would like to send an email (or even real letter) to
> this board with some ideas.


I'm planning to go.  Between now and the meeting I'll be seeing some
people I know in Concord who are familiar with the legislative process
to ask their advice.(*)

The bill under consideration at this "working session" is only at an
early stage in the process.  Namely, if HB1197 is recommended out by 
this subcommitte, and then if it subsequently passes, it will create 
a committee which is to report back to the legislature on whether the
State should use Free (and "Open Source") software.  It's that
committee which will want to hear about Free software.  The committee's 
report will be due on November 1 2006 (to "the speaker of the house of 
representatives, the president of the senate, the house clerk, the
senate clerk, the governor, and the state library"),  The work of
the committee (which would include real hearings) should provide 
several opportunities for us to help, during most of 2006.

We should certainly hope that HB1197 gets recommended for passage,
and then that it passes.  Going to this early work session may be a 
really good step, if only to hear and understand.  (The one thing
we should most want is not to put our foot in it somehow!)

(*) If several of us are going to the Tuesday meeting, would anyone
like to get together for a bite of lunch in Concord beforehand?

- Bill