Indianapolis, IN–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: www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm. CEDIA encourages all members based in the state to read the linked bill and forward comments to [email protected].
For more information, visitwww.cedia.org.
