SIA announces Reps. Moskowitz, Obernolte as 2024 Legislators of the Year

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) as the 2024 recipients of the SIA Legislator of the Year Award.

The 2024 awardees will be honored during Security Hill Day, an event held March 5-6 during which security industry executives will convene in Washington, D.C., to connect with legislators and their staff about the value of the security industry and the industry’s legislative priorities.

The SIA Legislator of the Year Award is presented to members of Congress and other elected officials who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in advancing legislation and policies that encourage the effective use of technology solutions to enhance public safety and security and protect critical infrastructure.

Rep. Moskowitz represents Florida’s 23rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the House Oversight Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Prior to joining the House, Moskowitz served on the Parkland City Commission and the Florida legislature, as a state representative, as Florida’s director of emergency management and as a Broward County Commissioner. He serves as co-chair and co-founder of the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus.

“SIA applauds Rep. Jared Moskowitz for his extraordinary work on school safety and security, including his leadership on the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus and his efforts to introduce the Safer Schools Act of 2023, which established new grant programs to fund vulnerability assessments and physical security improvements to improve the safety of students and school faculty,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “Alongside these legislative efforts, Moskowitz has been a vocal advocate for safer schools and communities, and we are proud to recognize him for these meaningful efforts.”

Rep. Obernolte represents California’s 23rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is a member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Minerals. Obernolte also serves on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology as the chair of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. He is a congressional leader on artificial intelligence (AI), and in October 2023, he was a speaker at SIA’s congressional briefing Understanding the Role of Emerging Technologies in Protecting the Homeland.

“SIA commends Rep. Jay Obernolte for his leadership as vice chair on the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus and its activities and appreciates his willingness to advocate for an approach to related policy that fosters, rather than stifles, development and innovation of these technologies. SIA supports approaches that encourage AI research and development and allow security professionals to harness new capabilities that make security and life safety systems more effective,” Erickson stated. “We also commend Obernolte for his work in authoring the CREATE AI Act, to help American students and entrepreneurs become leaders in the exciting work of developing AI-driven technologies.”

SIA will present the Legislator of the Year Awards at Security Hill Day, a unique executive event created to help raise the collective voice of the security industry with members of Congress and their staff.

At this invitation-only event presented by SIA and the Electronic Security Association (ESA), attendees will access high-level briefings from key contacts in Congress about significant issues facing their business and customers, including school security, artificial intelligence, funding that supports solutions deployment and key federal incentives for businesses to attract and keep employees, and access key opportunities to network with each other and government officials responsible for crafting these policies.