BE36 PLT IS CONFUSED WHEN CONFRONTED BY ATC FOR ENTERING IAH CLASS B.

Narrative

THIS WAS A VFR FLT FROM COLLEGE STATION; TX; TO HOUSTON HOBBY ARPT. I HAD BEEN TRAINING WITH A CFII FOR INST CURRENCY FLT. WE CROSSED TNV VOR AND PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO HOU USING AN IFR CERTIFIED GARMIN GPS WITH A CURRENT DATABASE. PRIOR TO REACHING THE 30 NM RING OF THE HOUSTON CLASS B AIRSPACE; WE DSNDED TO 3700 FT MSL; WHICH PUT US BENEATH THE FLOOR OF THE CLASS B OUTSIDE OF THE 20 NM RING. CURRENT HOUSTON VFR TERMINAL AREA AND HOUSTON SECTIONAL CHARTS WERE ABOARD AND IN USE. WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT HOUSTON APCH CTL UNTIL WE WERE 37 NM FROM HOU. THE CTLR ASSIGNED US A DISCRETE XPONDER SETTING; ADVISED US THAT WE WERE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THAT THERE WAS AN RJ TURNING IN FRONT OF US. WE SPOTTED THE RJ CLBING. THE CTLR DIRECTED US TO A HEADING OF 180 DEGS AND TO DSND TO 3000 FT. AFTER RECHKING OUR POS USING GPS; PILOTAGE (I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA) AND THE HOU VOR; WE ADVISED THE CTLR THAT THE FLOOR OF CLASS B AT OUR LOCATION WAS 4000 FT AND THAT WE WERE BELOW THE FLOOR. HE AGAIN STATED VERY FIRMLY THAT WE WERE IN THE CLASS B AND THAT THE FLOOR IS 3000 FT. WE DID NOT RAISE THE ISSUE AGAIN. HE VECTORED US TOWARD HOBBY ARPT. THERE WAS NO MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT CLASS B AND WE LANDED AT HOU WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. BOTH PLTS ABOARD ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF THE POS WHICH WAS XCHKED BY BOTH THE GPS AND THE VOR/DME. FURTHER; ALTHOUGH THERE IS AN NRPM TO LOWER THE CLASS B FLOOR TO 3000 FT IN THE AREA THIS HAS NOT YET GONE INTO EFFECT. IF THIS CTLR IS VECTORING AIRLINE FLTS THROUGH THE AIRSPACE IN QUESTION BASED ON A BELIEF THAT IT IS CLASS B; THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND MUST BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY.