For Immediate Release
October 10, 2005
Press Contacts:
Jamie Antcliff, CEDIA
jantcliff@cedia.org
(317) 328-4336
CEDIA supports Massachusetts members against proposed licensing
bill
Senate Bill 1813 in current form impedes state’s
residential electronics systems market
Indianapolis, Ind. – The Custom Electronic
Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has announced its opposition
to Massachusetts Senate Bill 1813, which is currently under review
by the Massachusetts State Senate. The legislation, which is subtitled “An
Act Relative to the Licensing of Telecommunications Professionals,” would
affect CEDIA members negatively in its current form.
CEDIA objects to
the proposed bill, which could be subject to a vote on the statehouse
floor as early as late 2005, because it does not
include appropriate representation for the state’s residential
electronic systems professionals.
“CEDIA urges state legislators in Massachusetts to reject Senate
Bill 1813 as it’s currently written,” said Mitchell Klein,
the chairman of CEDIA’s Government Affairs Action Team and owner
of StayTuned, a Boston-based consulting firm for the residential integration
industry.
“The proposed legislation in its existing form does not offer
representation from a single CEDIA representative, which is simply
not a suitable
approach for our many members throughout Massachusetts,” added
Klein, who also served as CEDIA’s president from 1997-1999. “Legislation
without representation would have disastrous implications for our members
and their businesses.”
Darren Reaman, CEDIA’s public policy
manager, said the association is not opposed in general to licensing
of residential electronic systems
businesses. But, Reaman said, it objects strongly to the fact that
the proposed Massachusetts Senate Bill 1813 does not allow a seat on
the review board for a CEDIA representative.
“Without a seat and a voice on the proposed board,” Reaman
said, “the
residential integration industry would be subject to rules and regulations
and testing from a board that does not understand the residential electronic
systems contractor profession and the high-tech applications our members
install and integrate. Yet CEDIA members would be required to be licensed
under the requirements of SB 1813 if it passes in its current form.”
CEDIA
members in Massachusetts can locate their state senator and representative
by city and town, along with their contact information, by visiting: http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm.
CEDIA encourages all members based in the state to read the linked
bill and forward comments to publicpolicy@cedia.org. CEDIA is an international trade association
of companies that specialize in designing and installing electronic
systems for the home. The association
was founded in September 1989 and has more than 3,000 member companies
worldwide. CEDIA members are established and insured businesses with
bona fide qualifications and experience in this specialized field.
CEDIA members include Residential Electronics Systems Professionals
who have emerged as the “fourth contractor” in the building
and remodeling industries alongside electrical, plumbing and HVAC professionals.
For more information on CEDIA, visit the association’s Web site
at www.cedia.org.
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