Tyco Director Craig Sharman Honored at Public Policy Dinner

Craig Sharman, Director of Federal Government Relations at Tyco Fire & Safety, was presented with the Security Industry Association (SIA) Statesman Award at the organization’s annual Public Policy Dinner. The dinner, held at The Hamilton in Washington, DC is part of the SIA Government Summit -- the premier public policy conference in the security industry.

The SIA Statesman award is the highest award presented to a SIA volunteer who makes significant contributions toward the attainment of SIA’s government relations goals.

“Craig has worked tirelessly to help drive and coordinate SIA's lobbying activities among member companies with DC-based lobbying offices,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “He has offered sage advice on a number of public policy issues ranging from implementation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants to issues related to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. His strong knowledge of grant program management issues has been particularly helpful to the organization.”

Sharman was heavily involved in a key legislative victory for the security industry: the passage of HR 5740, which President Obama signed into law in 2011. Introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), and backed by a coalition led by SIA, the legislation exempts electronic security companies from the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, which requires electronic devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in “no-load” mode. EISA was written in such a way that it applied even to security and life safety devices – such as video surveillance, intrusion detection and access control systems – even though such equipment must always be in “active” mode.

Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) were also honored with the Legislator of the Year Award for their work on carbon monoxide legislation.

SIA Chairman Jay Hauhn presented outgoing Government Relations Chair John Stroia of the Will-Burt Company with a special award for his service to the industry. Hauhn also recognized SIA’s CEO Don Erickson, who was the association’s Director of Government Relations for six years, with a special award in recognition of his work on behalf of the industry.

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