Faced with a challenging and evolving political landscape in Congress, this successful advocacy campaign underscores how participation in SIA and its committees can help to advance our members’ business interests.
Alexandria, Va. (Vocus) December 22, 2010
A major legislative fix for the security industry needs only the president’s signature to become law after the Senate on Tuesday night passed a bill backed by a Security Industry Association (SIA)-led coalition.
The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 requires electronic devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in “no-load” mode. The law was written in such a way that the requirements apply even to security and life safety devices – such as video surveillance, intrusion detection and access control systems – even though such equipment must always be in “active” mode. To correct this, SIA pulled together a coalition that contains both industry and environmental groups – including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) – to draft legislative language and push for a correction.
Bills were introduced in both the House and Senate containing the coalition-drafted language, and the Senate on Tuesday night unanimously approved H.R. 5470 from Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., which would provide an exemption from the “no-load” requirements for security and life safety products while retaining EISA’s “active” mode efficiency standards for those devices. The House passed the bill on Dec. 8, so the bill will become law when President Obama signs it, which he is expected to do within a few days. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., led the effort in the Senate to enact the measure.
“This has been one of our top priorities for nearly two-and-a-half years,” SIA Director of Government Relations Don Erickson said. “We thank Senator Bingaman, Congressman Pallone and Congressman Blunt for their extraordinary efforts to pass this common sense legislation that is both good for business and environmentally responsible.”
Erickson added that he was proud of the active involvement of SIA members in the process and of the leadership role that the association took in developing consensus on the issue among groups with such diverse interests.
“Faced with a challenging and evolving political landscape in Congress, this successful advocacy campaign underscores how participation in SIA and its committees can help to advance our members’ business interests,” Erickson said.
In addition to SIA and the NRDC, the bill is supported by the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the Electronic Security Association.
The Security Industry Association (http://www.siaonline.org) is the leading trade group for businesses in the electronic and physical security market. SIA protects and advances its members' interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation on Capitol Hill and throughout the 50 states; producing cutting-edge global market research; creating open industry standards that enable integration; advancing industry professionalism through education and training; opening global market opportunities; and providing sole sponsorship of the ISC Expos, the world's largest security trade shows and conferences.
Contact:
Ron Hawkins
Security Industry Association
(703) 647-8485
rhawkins(at)siaonline(dot)org
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