District Week 2020 – A New Approach to Government Engagement
Most ‘fly-in’ events, if not all, have gone to virtual formats this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but ESA took the first step toward this format back in 2018 when we decided to schedule visits between our members and their elected Representatives and Senators in Congress at their district offices while on a scheduled recess.
This year, we will take the district visits of District Week to a virtual format, scheduling video conference calls instead of district office visits. We are adding some new elements to not only raise engagement, but to provide some valuable insight on legislation, regulations and codes & standards that impact the electronic security and life safety industry through virtual town hall meetings.
We plan to start the town halls on Monday, August 10th with Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who will provide us with an insight on the steps Congress has taken to address the economic impact of COVID-19. He will also discuss what lies ahead for the country as we recover and rebuild the economy.
On Tuesday, August 11th we will discuss the role ESA plays and the importance of standards and code development in the electronic security and life safety industry. Rodger Reiswig, SET – Fellow & VP, Industry Relations, Global Fire Detection Products for Johnson Controls and ESA Standards Committee Chair, will lead this informative discussion.
On Wednesday, August 12th ESA will host a town hall to discuss legislative issues with the most significant impact on electronic security and life safety in 2020. We will also discuss what lies ahead – opportunities and threats – in 2021 and how volunteers can make a difference at the local and state level with legislation. We are pleased that Daniel Hodge, former First Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff to the Governor of Texas and Holly Borgmann, Vice President of Government Affairs for ADT Security Services, will join us for this informative discussion.
These town halls will happen in conjunction with the opportunity for ESA members to meet with their elected members of Congress via video conference calls during the week of August 10-14, 2020. We urge you to take advantage of that opportunity and not only learn the latest regarding legislation that will impact the industry, but what you can do to impact the outcome.
