11

8. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT OF 1972 (15 USC 2056).

Provisions:

Funding:

....

"Consumer Product Safety Commission shall,
utilize the resources and facilities of the National
Bureau of Standards, ...., to perform research and
analyses related to risks of injury associated with
consumer products, develop test methods, conduct
studies and investigations, and provide technical
advice and assistance .... 11

Other Agency Agreement (reimbursable funds from CPSC).

9. PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 (5 USC 552a) - December 31, 1974.

Provisions:

"Commission shall

(1) make a study of the data banks, automated data pro-
cessing programs,
and information systems of governmental,
to determine the standards and procedures in force for
protection of personal information

....

(C) examine standards and criteria governing programs,

policies, and practices relating to the collection, soliciting,
processing, use, access, integration, dissemination, and trans-
mission of personal information."

о Included provisions for the development of standards for safeguarding computer security.

Authority:

OMB directed NBS to provide technical guidance for Privacy Act.

Funding:

No authorization of appropriations for NBS.

1.

PERFORMANCE LIFE DISCLOSURE ACT (H.R. 67 (H.R, 2179) (H.R. 3773).

Under regulations and guidelines to be established by the National Bureau of Standards of the Department of Commerce, manufacturers of durable consumer products, including appliances and electronic items, shall disclose on a conspicuous label or tag affixed to each item sold at retail to consumers the performance life, under normal operating conditions, of each manufactured durable product. In making this determination, consideration shall be given to those products whose effective performance life begins to deteriorate in storage prior to actual use.

2. CONSUMER PRODUCT TESTING ACT OF 1977 (H.R. 24).

To regulate commerce by establishing uniform test protocols for consumer products,

The Federal Trade Commission shall develop consumer product test
protocols.

--Test protocols should assist consumer in making informed purchasing decision.

--Test protocol shall identify characteristics which can be reliably and uniformly tested, measured, reported.

--Manufacturers and retailers shall make results of tests available to, consumers and utilize information in advertising.

The National Bureau of Standards shall develop the resources, facilities, and expertise necessary to assist and advise the Commission in carrying out provisions of Act and FTC shall utilize services of NBS in developing test protocols.

Authorizations of Appropriations
and 1979.

Identical to S. 643 in the 94th Congress,

3. VOLUNTARY STANDARDS AND ACCREDITATION ACT OF 1977 (s. 825/H.R. 8184).

Title I requires FTC to promulgate trade regulation rules covering the procedures of private standards making organizations,

Title II assigns the Secretary of Commerce the responsibility of managing U. S. representation in international standards.

Title III provides legislative authority for the Voluntary National Laboratory Accreditation Program.

Title IV establishes in DoC

the National Standards Management Board to be

supported by an Institute of Standards and Accreditation at NBS.

Title V amends the FTC act to include authority over not-for-profit organizations.

13

The Act assigns important new responsibilities to the Department of Commerce
for the management of the National Voluntary Standards System and also sub-
stantial responsibility to the National Bureau of Standards in support of this
effort. The Administration has been indecisive on this legislation and its
position was expressed in Assistant Secretary Baruch's May 19 testimony to
wit "The Administration recognizes that problems exist in the standards
development process. However, it is the Administration's position at this
time that pending further study it appears legislation may not be necessary
to address these problems." On July 8, 1977, Mr. Haslam, DoC General Counsel,
forwarded to Bert Lance, Director of the OMB, an NBS staff study of the issues
raised by S. 825 with a suggested administration position on the proposed
legislation and the DoC.

4. EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ACT OF 1977 (H.R. 6683

In order to reduce loss of life, property destruction, and economic and social disruption from future earthquakes, the President shall establish a coordinated National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

...

5. NATIONAL MATERIALS POLICY, RESEARCH, AND ORGANIZATION ACT OF 1977 (H.R. 34). Establishes in the Executive Office of the President a National Materials Policy Board and a Special Assistant to the President for Materials Policy.

Establishes the Commission on Materials Research and Operations with the Secretary of Commerce as a member.

Establishes Select Congressional Committees on National Materials Policy.

6. FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1977 (S. 717).

Names NBS to Advisory Committee on standards setting functions for health and safety of miners.

HR. 8444 passed the House on August 5 refers explicitly to NBS in several sections and implicitly to NBS services in many more. The outcome of this legislation will have an important effect on some $13 million worth of programs being carried out at NBS principally on a reimbursable basis. S. 1469 will be marked up in Senate Committee in September 1977. The House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee report states:

The National Bureau of Standards testified .... that the
proposed energy conservation program should encourage the
use of available conservation measures which are not
currently on the list of measures in the legislation and
should stimulate innovation of even more efficient tech-
nology for the long run. Perhaps the most important
aspect of this portion of the legislation, according to
the Bureau, is the application of technology. This requires
the existence of suitable materials and product standards,
the existence of measures to insure that the marketed
products meet these standards, proper installation, and
quality assurance measures for retrofit materials and
products, and known or predictable life-cycle performance
measures in use.

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8.

NUCLEAR ANTIPROLIFERATION ACT OF 1977 (H.R. 8638/S.1432/S. 897).

This bill provides statutory recognition of the NBS function in support of the measurement needs of important national programs. Section 203 of this Act provides a model of how we might appear in such legislation. Though again, it should be noted that the Administration's bill provides no authorization for funds to NBS for this activity.

The House Committee on International Relations report states regarding this section:

This section provides the executive branch with the legislative
mandate to establish uniform measurement standards for all
nuclear materials. These standards will be shared with the
IAEA in the hope that the implementation of safeguards will be
made more effective through the use of uniform measurements.
The committee intends that this study be coordinated by the
Department of Commerce.

9. NATIONAL CLIMATE PROGRAM ACT (H.R. 6669/S. 1980),

Establishes a national climate program that would:

(1) improve climate monitoring;

(2) augment basic and applied climate research

(3) improve the dissemination of climate-related information

(4) identify domestic and international effects of climate changes.

The House Science and Technology Committee report on H.R. 6669 states:

Importance of Long-Term Accuracy of Measurement

、

The program will have to make measurements that are
comparable over long periods of time, perhaps tens
of years, in order to assess trends and changes in
the climate or in parameters that affect the climate,
An example is the buildup of CO2. In many cases,
measurement methods change with time as new technolgoy
becomes available. Thus, it is important that this
This is best done
long-term comparability be assured.
by assuring the absolute accuracy of the measurements.

The committee hopes and intends that the National
Bureau of Standards be consulted on a continuing

Federal Government Employee Compensation

.

Excludes Plant and Facilities (P&F), ETIP, and the Fire Program (1968-1976).