PRESS RELEASE

Members Tout Success for First NBFAA Day on Capitol Hill
National Trade Association Lobbies for Life Safety Legislation

Irving, Texas, May 23, 2007 – In a grassroots effort to educate the U.S. Congress about the importance of fire detection systems and other safety concerns, members of the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) took their messages direct to the nation’s capitol. It was the first NBFAA Day on Capitol Hill, and according to those attending, it won’t be the last.

“The day was a resounding success—House and Senate offices were visited to garner support of our federal legislative agenda—in some cases face-to-face meetings with senators and congressman supplemented visits with key staff. The impact was very positive, and we plan to build on this experience in 2008 when we do it again,” said John Chwat, NBFAA Government Relations director.

NBFAA President George Gunning said, “The 2007 Day on Capitol Hill was a great opportunity for our members to meet with their elected representatives and to tell them what’s needed to protect the citizens in their communities and to enhance public safety in the United States. It was a chance to make a difference, and I believe we were successful.”

Kevin McGraw, Protection One, Inc, echoed those sentiments, “I thought it was an awesome opportunity to interact with our elected representatives and their legislative staffs, to underscore and emphasize the importance of the legislation NBFAA is proposing and supporting; and to advocate the reasons why the legislation is so vital to our industry and, ultimately, our customers and their safety. I was frankly surprised at how receptive and responsive all the legislative staff persons were to our presentations, and I am cautiously optimistic and hopeful that it will translate into tangible results regarding the legislation we are advocating. “

More than 40 NBFAA members, including association board members and state leaders from across the United States, joined the Government Relations team during the two-day event. In addition to the visits to the Capital Hill offices, members met with Congressmen Jim Saxton (R-NJ) and Michael Arcuri (D-NY) at evening events on Tuesday night, May 1 and enjoyed guest speaker Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY) at a luncheon at the Capitol Hill Club on May 2.

NBFAA strongly supports recent legislation introduced by Fossella and several co-sponsors. The new legislation, H.R. 1409, the “College Life Safety and Fire Prevention Act,” would establish a demonstration incentive program within the U.S. Department of Education to promote the professional installation of fire alarm detection systems, or other fire prevention technologies in qualified student housing, dormitories, and other university buildings. Congressman Arcuri is one of the sponsors.

During the Capitol Hill visits, NBFAA members asked that Congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives support passage of H.R. 1409 by co-sponsoring the bill, support passage out of the House Education and Labor Committee and the U.S. House, and that the bill be introduced in the U.S. Senate, with the ultimate passage of this life safety legislation.

Other legislative issues that NBFAA members discussed with their representatives included:

• The Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) Transition Rules
• “Secure America’s Homes and Businesses Act”
• “Long Term Care Life Safety Act”
• Federal Background Checks for Electronic Life Safety, Security & Systems Professionals
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Language

In addition to the individual lobbying efforts undertaken by the association and its members, NBFAA is a member of the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC) and is working with the industry on both the AMPS issue and VoIP legislative language. AICC has taken the lead in meetings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and NBFAA participated in a lobbying day in Congress on AICC telecom issues.

About NBFAA

NBFAA, a non-profit 501(c) 6 trade association, is the nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to representing, promoting, and supporting the electronic life safety, security, and systems industry. Member companies specialize in a wide spectrum of services to commercial and residential consumers, including security and fire alarms, video surveillance, access control and monitoring. In cooperation with a federation of state associations, NBFAA provides government advocacy and delivers timely information, professional development tools, products and services that members use to grow and prosper their businesses. The NBFAA may be reached at (888) 447-1689 or on the Web at www.alarm.org.

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