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Security Industry Association Opposes Texas RFID Legislation(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 6 -- The Security Industry Association issued the following news release: Don Erickson, CEO of the Security Industry Association (SIA), sent a letter to legislators in the Texas House and Senate in opposition to proposed legislation that would amend the Education code to prohibit the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as a means to identify, transmit information about, or track the location of students. In the letters, Erickson noted that there has been no demonstrated harm from the deployment and use of RFID technology, and the technology is a proven solution for the protection of people and assets. He also cited other reasons for opposition, including: Economic harm and job losses for the State of Texas as a result of the legislation, since major producers of RFID technology are based in the state; Schools that can verify higher attendance rates using RFID technology are more likely to receive additional funding from the federal and state governments; and Most importantly, in light of the recent tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, this legislation does not take into consideration the safety and security benefits that the use of such technology can provide. As part of its initiative to better secure the nation's schools, SIA supports a holistic approach to school security that includes: funding for school security assessments; investment in technology, such as digital video cameras and RFID-based access control systems; and emergency preparedness training for education and law enforcement personnel. Erickson concluded the letter with an offer to the Texas legislature to provide a demonstration and explanation of RFID technology and how it can be deployed for the safety and security of school students throughout the state of Texas. SIA recently announced it is forming a committee of experts to share technical expertise with the administration and Congress as they work to adopt new school security initiatives. The complete text of the letters can be found at www.siaonline.org/government. TNS MD66 130208-4197459 61MariaDonald (c) 2013 Targeted News Service |