07 | 13 | 2006 Posted By RFIDblogger

US Senate RFID Caucus kicks off

Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) gave the opening remarks at the first meeting of the Senate's RFID Caucus earlier today. National Journal quotes Senator Dorgan saying: "RFID promises dramatic benefits in areas as diverse as national security, food and drug safety, and supply chain management, and the United States needs to be at the forefront of its development and implementation,"

A dozen or so companies, including data software leader SAP and security tag manufacturer HID, showcased their technology today to a full room of Senate and Congressional staff. The purpose of the event was to introduce Senators and their staff to the emerging technology and allow them to express their interest in learning more about the benefits and risks of RFID.

According to Caucus staff, this event was intended as a technology showcase, to increase interest among key staff and Senators in the emerging technology. They intend to have additional meetings throughout the year with more opportunities for companies to showcase their wares and to discuss emerging public policies.

Written By:Rick Blaine On July 14, 2006 2:43 PM

Is this the same event that had a panel discussion Mark Roberti was moderating? Any reports on the who or what of the Caucus besides SAP and HID being?

Written By:Paul Fedoronko On July 14, 2006 2:56 PM

For the record there were 24 companies that showcased there RFID related solutions or educational missions.

Written By:Doug On July 31, 2006 8:03 PM

Yes. Mark Roberti moderated a panel discussion at the event, and a number of companies had demos -- I only listed SAP and HID because I knew for sure they were participating.

The stated purpose was to educate Senate staff about RFID products and their use, to help inform them about future public policy questions that might arise about RFID use. The larger unstated purpose was to publicly declare the interests of Senators Cornyn and Dorgan to be seen as the "go to" experts on RFID in the US Senate. The main purpose of a Caucus (there's a Caucus for everything!) is to identify yourself to your colleagues and to lobbyists that you plan to be active on whatever issues your Caucus what created to address. It has no authority beyond that.