Tag: Jake Parker

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) has announced the agenda and speaker lineup for the 2020 SIA GovSummit, its annual public policy and government security technology conference, taking place June 1-4. Due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, SIA GovSummit will be held as a virtual event in 2020, and for the first time ever, the conference will be entirely free to all attendees from industry and government.  “SIA GovSummit 2020 will explore how security technologies...

SILVER SPRING, Md.—“… And the rest, they say, is history.” This is one of my most favorite quotes as it depicts a positive continuation of something that originated in the past. A prime example is the SIA Statesman Award.Concepted years ago, and brought into fruition in 2006, “creation of the SIA Statesman Award followed a decision to become much more engaged in government affairs efforts, including the launch of the annual SIA GovSummit conference in Washington, D.C.,”...

President Donald Trump recently signed into law the Power and Security Systems (PASS) Act, P.L. 115-78, culminating a yearlong effort led by the Security Industry Association (SIA) to preserve an important provision in federal energy efficiency requirements critical to the operation of security and fire alarm systems. "The PASS Act provides much-needed certainty to manufacturers, installers and service providers who are among thousands of Americans that work in the security industry … but ultimately...

WASHINGTON—The House recently approved the Power and Security Systems Act, H.R. 6375, a bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) that removes the expiration date on the no-load exemption for security and life-safety products under current energy efficiency standards governing external power supplies.SIA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the Electronic Security Association all support H.R. 6375.“A lot of manufacturers assumed...

WASHINGTON—A proposed fundamental change in GSA's pricing policy would adversely impact the security industry, especially its small businesses, according to Jake Parker, SIA's director of government relations.The proposed GSA Transactional Data Reporting Rule, the biggest change of its kind in 30 years, Parker said, would affect all GSA contract holders, he told Security Systems News.It's all about horizontal price comparison, and SIA is opposing this proposal in its current form, he said.Instituting...

WASHINGTON—They're not giving up. Advocates for federal funding for school security technology have taken their case to Congress for the past two years to no avail; a measure last year got caught up in the gun control debate and fell victim to politics. Now, the fight begins anew.“We are trying to restart the conversation about security technology needs,” said Jake Parker, director of government relations for SIA. “This is our main federal priority.”SIA is joined in...

WASHINGTON—After a long wait for those in the industry, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) measure has been reauthorized for four more years.The House of Representatives in December approved a Senate-tweaked, four-year reauthorization of the program, a move that SIA is “very excited” about, said Jake Parker, SIA director of government relations. President Obama signed the bill Dec. 18.SIA for years has been advocating for permanent authorization of CFATS, a set...

WASHINGTON—Federal funding for school security technology and surveillance requirements for train cars are among the Security Industry Association's top priorities for 2015, according Jake Parker, SIA's director of government relations.School security is “the big one,” Parker said.The industry has been lobbying Congress to allocate money for schools to install surveillance equipment and other physical security technology. Lately, funds have only been allocated for reports, research...

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association Nov. 6 recommended incorporating image and audio recording technologies to safety onboard U.S. passenger and freight trains to an advisory committee of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The FRA will require cameras on trains by April 1, 2015. The new SIA Transportation Policy Working Group made its recommendations on Oct. 29 to the FRA Rail Safety Advisory Committee, which is making a federal requirement for lead train cabs to have...

WASHINGTON—Uncertainties surrounding the General Service Administration's new schedule pricing policies for products and services need to be further examined, according to Jake Parker, government relations director at the Security Industry Association.SIA's procurement policy working group discussed the significant change for federal contractors at the recent ASIS show in Atlanta, Parker told Security Systems News.With this year's “Fair and Reasonable Pricing” policy, the GSA says...