SIA Applauds Enactment of Power and Security Systems Act

Association led a yearlong effort to preserve an important provision in federal energy efficiency requirements critical to the operation of security systems.

Silver Spring, Md. —President Donald Trump recently signed into law the Power and Security Systems (PASS) Act, P.L. 115-78, culminating a year-long 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,” said Jake Parker, SIA Director of Government Relations, “but ultimately it benefits the millions of American consumers that depend on such security and life safety systems.”

Drafted with assistance from SIA and in collaboration with the energy efficiency community, the PASS Act extends a policy exempting security and life safety external power supplies (EPS) from having to meet a “no-load mode” energy efficiency standard, since they must always be connected and in active mode by design and no efficiency gains would result.

The new law makes the exemption essentially permanent by removing the July 1, 2017 expiration date on the exemption and providing the U.S. Department of Energy with authority to retain the common-sense policy in any future updates to energy efficiency standards governing external power supplies.

SIA led a coalition of industry groups in working with Congress to secure the exemption, which was signed into law in 2011 and included a “sunset provision”—a common way of ensuring a new policy set forth in legislation is reviewed by Congress before becoming more permanent.

Preserving this exemption was a key concern for security manufactures and systems integrators. Without it, product redesign and adjustments to manufacturing processes would needlessly increase the cost of the equipment by 200-300 percent according to industry estimates, affecting not just manufacturers but the entire value chain.

Enactment of this important solution would not have been possible without the bipartisan leadership of the bill’s sponsors Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., as well as Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Susan Brooks, R-Ind. Over the past two years, Gardner, Welch and Brooks have been recognized with SIA’s Legislator of the Year award for their support of this and other policies important to the security industry.

About the Security Industry Association (SIA)

The Security Industry Association (SIA) (www.securityindustry.org) is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with more than 800 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members’ interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels; creating open industry standards that enable integration; advancing industry professionalism through education and training; opening global market opportunities; and collaboration with other like-minded organizations. As a proud sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA Government Summit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground®, the security industry’s top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking.