Maryland Senator Kagan’s exceptional commitment to public safety / NG911 has earned her the NG9-1-1 Institute’s “Government Leader Award” for a second time

This unique national Award recognizes “. . . an elected or appointed Federal, State, or Local Government Leader who has displayed significant dedication and leadership in advancing the NG911 System.” Senator Kagan has a long history of supporting 911 and public safety, which previously earned her this award at the Institute’s 15th Annual Honor Awards in 2018. Since then, Senator Kagan has advanced a number of legislative items, including modifying the State’s 911 fee structure and reclassifying 911 Specialists as First Responders.

“Senator Kagan’s vision and unwavering support for advancing 911 issues has enhanced the safety of all Marylanders, shown support for the courageous women and men under the headset, and greatly benefited the State of Maryland,” noted Institute Executive Director, Wesley Wright. “Not only has she successfully championed legislation to support 911 advancements, funding, and reliability, but she also shows her support for our 911 professionals through legislative action and personal connections. She is a true leader in this space.”

“Maryland is at the forefront of Next Gen 911,” said Steve Souder, a national 911 leader who served as Vice Chair of the statewide Maryland Commission. “We would never have gotten there without Senator Kagan’s leadership!”

Nominations for the national annual 911 Honor Awards are submitted by the public safety community and the general public. Honorees are selected by the members of the NG9-1-1 Institute‘s Board of Directors.

NG9-1-1 Institute sponsors include: Comcast, T-Mobile, AT&T, CTIA, OnStar, Motorola Solutions, Verizon, Intrado, GeoComm, Mission Critical Partners, Comtech, INDigital, RapidDeploy, NGA 911, Google, RapidSOS, Hamilton NG911, and Facebook.

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About the NG9-1-1 Institute

The NG9-1-1 Institute (www.ng911institute.org) is a nonprofit organization, which supports the efforts of the Congressional NextGen 911 Caucus. The mission of the Institute is to assist the Congressional NextGen 911 Caucus by serving as a broad educational resource on issues important to the effective operation and advancement of NG911 services and systems. The overarching objective of the Institute is to advance the rapid implementation of NG911 in order to promote more effective emergency response and improve public safety. To this end, the Institute seeks to educate Congressional Members, Congressional Staff, and the public on issues that may impact timely and effective NG911 implementation.

The NextGen 911 Caucus, co-chaired by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D- MN) and Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), is the only bipartisan, bicameral organization dedicated exclusively to NG911 issues and plays a unique role in raising the visibility of NG911 policy issues and funding needs. Since 2003, the Institute has successfully raised awareness of 911 issues with Congress and federal policymakers and created a platform to recognize the admirable efforts of public safety and 911 industry leaders.