Recently, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. Included in the bill is Section 351, an initiative for modernizing community colleges that includes language endorsed by the Electronic Security Association (ESA) providing for the professional installation of fire and life safety alarms:

“Funds made available to Community Colleges…shall be used for construction, modernization, renovation or repair of community college facilities…include the following…

(C) Compliance with fire, health, seismic, and safety codes, including professional installation of fire and life safety alarms, and modernizations, renovations, and repairs that ensure that the community college’s facilities are prepared for emergencies, such as improving building infrastructure to accommodate security measures and installing or upgrading technology to ensure that the community college is able to respond to emergencies such as acts of terrorism, campus violence, and natural disasters.”

H.R. 3221 contains $2.5 billion, authorized for fiscal year 2011 beginning October 1, 2010, for constructing new community college facilities and modernizing, renovating and repairing existing community college facilities.

Also included in H.R. 3221 is the President’s community college initiative providing for community college grants supporting training programs. In partnership with employers, these programs will provide relevant job-skill training (including apprenticeships, worksite learning and training opportunities) for high-wage occupations in high-demand industries.

H.R. 3221 has been sent over to the Senate where it is awaiting action in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Pending passage by the Senate without any changes to this section and signed by the President into law, ESA members can anticipate community colleges as a marketing opportunity.

Earlier this year, ESA reported that it successfully placed similar language in H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, giving grants to local K through 12 education agencies for modernization, renovation or repair of public school facilities to bring public schools into compliance with fire, health, seismic and safety codes. The bill is still pending in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

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ESA September 2009 press release.

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