by
Rachel Tindall
| Jan 25, 2023
CEDIA’s government affairs program is your voice for your business and industry.
Bill tracking and issue management is the foundation of successful government affairs programs. You need to know the legislation, regulations, and policymakers debating issues important to CEDIA. A legislative tracking system allows CEDIA to focus on what’s important to the smart home technology industry.
Some of the legislative and regulatory topics CEDIA tracks:
- Alarm licensing
- Connected devices
- Electronic waste
- Electrical licensing
- Low-voltage licensing
- The National Electrical Code®
- Right to repair
- Security legislation
- Workforce development
We receive legislative tracking reports from our tracking provider MultiState Associates at the beginning of each day with legislation that is introduced, amended, or has any type of movement through the legislative process. That means when important changes happen to bills, we find out right away so we can act.
If the bill is marked as priority, we get a priority bill notification based on its movement through the legislative process. CEDIA’s tracking system is updated throughout the day and over the weekend with movement on bills in all 50 states, making sure that we can go to bat for integrators in the moment.
Parts of the Tracking System
There are two main areas to CEDIA’s legislative tracking system: the CEDIA Dashboard and a legislation card with specific information for each bill in CEDIA’s database of legislative bills and regulations.
Each area provides key information so that members know which bills are top priority, and what issues CEDIA is following at the state and federal levels.
The CEDIA Dashboard provides an overview of CEDIA’s ongoing advocacy work for the industry. In this view, you can see CEDIA’s priority bill list, any legislative bills scheduled for a committee hearings, state-by-state legislation and regulatory lists, and important session dates for each state.
In the documents section, a legislation card lists key information for each bill and regulation. CEDIA maintains a database of current legislation and regulations through daily reports, which is where the information on the legislation card comes from.
Every legislative bill or regulation has key information that includes:
- The bill or regulation number with a link to the full text.
- A notes section where CEDIA can add notes and highlight key sections, definitions, or important language. These notes help CEDIA monitor the legislation and ensure we know right away if amendments are added to a bill.
- A symbol in the card to indicate if a bill is scheduled for a committee hearing. It lists the primary bill sponsor, a summary of the legislation or regulation, and a list of current and past activity on the bill or regulation.
As you’re getting familiar with the tool, it’s helpful to know that legislation and regulations can be filtered by state and legislative topic via the documents section.
All of this helps CEDIA work efficiently throughout the legislative process, which means we can be a leading industry advocate. The tool also allows our members to stay informed on the issues and see how CEDIA is engaged with them.
Having a strong tracking system is key to a successful government affairs program. It allows CEDIA to keep an eye on proposed legislative or regulatory changes related to the smart home technology industry. An effective government affairs strategy also includes a comprehensive plan engaging our members and other stakeholders. Together, we will amplify our message and move key issues forward during the 2023 legislative sessions.