Washington State Rep Reintroduces RFID Legislation

Dan Mullen, president of the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM Global), says his organization opposes the labeling and opt-in bills, and that it will urge its local members to contact Washington State representatives. Mullen says he does not oppose labeling, but rather the mandating that it be done.

"I think by legislating labeling," Mullen says, "you're creating the potential for a whole set of problems." One problem, he adds, could be the burden such a mandate could have on product suppliers, who would have to label products sold in Washington State, but not in the other 49 states. The concern for Washington consumers and businesses, Mullen indicates, would be that the legislation could discourage vendors from selling products within that state.

"We're not against a universal emblem for RFID," Mullen says, noting that AIM has developed a label that is largely utilized in industrial applications to help RFID users locate a tag's position on an object. However, he adds, the use of an emblem or other labeling should not be mandated.

The opt-in requirement may face some opposition from the cellular phone industry, which is developing phones that incorporate Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. Such phones contain RFID tags and interrogators to enable users to make contactless payments or download information onto their phones. However, Morris says, labeling only products for sale in the state of Washington should not be burdensome. Clear plastic labels, he explains, could be applied to phone packages by cellular phone employees in Washington's phone stores and kiosks.

If the three bills pass the House of Representatives, they will next head to the state Senate for review.