The U.S. Department of Agriculture is already working on the rulemaking process as required by the bipartisan GMO labeling bill which cleared Congress last week. The House of Representative’s voted Thursday 306-117 to send the bill, which mandates GMO labeling and preempts state laws, to President Barack Obama for his signature. The Senate approved the bill just a week earlier. Following passage in the House, Agri-Pulse reports that USDA issued a statement saying a working group had already been formed to write rules necessary to implement the legislation. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack played a key role in helping Congress develop the bill as a way to end the long-running controversy over GMO labeling. Opponents of the bill argue the use of smart labels, allowed in the bill, serves as a loophole because it requires consumers to scan the label with a smartphone for more information. However, the legislation requires USDA to study consumer problems with the scan codes within a year after they go into use.