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“INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 1274, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY [NIST] AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1997” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E625 on April 10, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 1274, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND
TECHNOLOGY [NIST] AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1997
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HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 10, 1997
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 1274, the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST] Authorization Act of 1997.
Mr. Speaker, NIST is one of our least known yet most important agencies. As part of the Department of Commerce, NIST performs for the Federal Government the vital role of standardization. This constitutionally mandated effort ensures that U.S. businesses have the ability to interact not only with each other, but in the global marketplace. Without an arbiter of standards, we would never know what even the simplest of measures represents. NIST laboratories are responsible for the maintenance and development of accurate weights and measures necessary for developing new technologies and carrying out commerce.
H.R. 1274 authorizes the NIST programs, the Under Secretary for Technology, and Office of Technology Policy for fiscal years 1998 and 1999. Unlike the administration's request, the bill prioritizes funding for NIST laboratory functions, increasing their funding by 5 percent in fiscal year 1998 and 3 percent in fiscal year 1999, while reducing funding for lower priority programs such as the Advanced Technology Program [ATP].
Specifically for fiscal year 1998, the bill authorizes $278,563,000 for NIST laboratory activities. This total includes an increase of
$2,500,000 above the administration's request for the physics laboratory program to support reengineering measurement services to simplify the delivery of measurement assurance at the point of use. This initiative should increase the accuracy and lower the cost of calibration for the end users of NIST standards.
A $4,000,000 increase from the levels recommended by the administration is included for the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Program to augment NIST work in the field of computer security; and $500,000 has been added for the Technical Assistance Program to support improving measurement standards to facilitate international trade and provide additional funding to implement the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995. The bill authorizes a total of $286,919,890 for the NIST labs in fiscal year 1999.
The bill also authorizes funding for both the Advanced Technology Program [ATP] and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership [MEP] Program in fiscal years 1998 and 1999. ATP is authorized at $185,100,000 in fiscal year 1998 and $150,000,000 in fiscal year 1999. The program's match requirements are also altered by the bill, with new requirements for a 60-percent match from the private sector awardee replacing the program's traditional 50-50 split. This change should enable ATP grant funding to be further leveraged. To ensure that ATP grants are not simply displacing private capital, the bill also contains language requiring review of ATP applications to ensure that the ATP grant is actually required in order to enable the project to go forward.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1274 includes $117,800,000 for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership [MEP] Program in fiscal year 1998 and
$111,300,000 in fiscal year 1999. These totals will allow for full funding of all 75 existing MEP centers and will cover the administrative costs associated with running the program. The bill also includes language which will allow MEP centers slated to sunset during the life of the bill to continue to receive funds for an additional 2 years if they meet the program's performance criteria.
The bill also authorizes $4,134,500 in fiscal year 1998 and
$5,289,000 in fiscal year 1999 for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program. The increases are sufficient to allow for the program's expansion into education and health care over the next 2 years.
Finally, the bill authorizes funding for NIST critical maintenance and construction needs. The bill includes $16,692,000 in fiscal year 1998 and $67,000,000 in fiscal year 1999 for construction and maintenance of NIST facilities. The funding is sufficient to cover the administration's request for maintenance in fiscal year 1998 and fiscal year 1999 and $50,000,000 in fiscal year 1999 for NIST's top new facility priority, the Advanced Metrology Laboratory [AML]. In order to ensure that the construction funding is used in the most appropriate fashion, H.R. 1274 includes a certification requirement precluding the Department from obligating any money to new construction unless it meets the requirements of NIST's new facilities plan.
Along with the authorization language, the bill includes provisions to reduce scientific research earmarks, to require the Science Committee to receive notice of any reprogramming of NIST funds, and to express the sense of Congress that NIST should address the year 2000 computer date field problem.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1274 is a sound bill. It is fiscally responsible and will help ensure that some of our Nation's most important technology research and development programs are adequately funded for the next 2 years. I encourage all my colleagues to join me in supporting the National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 1997.
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