National Institute of Standards and Technology – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NIST invites and requests nomination of individuals for appointment to the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (Judges Panel). The terms of some of the members of the Judges Panel will soon expire. NIST will consider nominations received in response to this notice for appointment to the Committee, in addition to nominations already received.

NIST invites and requests nomination of individuals for appointment to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board. NIST will consider nominations received in response to this notice for appointment to the Board, in addition to nominations already received.

The Department of Commerce (DOC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the continuing and proposed information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet Thursday, July 28, 2005. The Judges Panel is composed of ten members prominent in the field of quality management and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. The purpose of this meeting is to review the stage 1 process, consideration for moving applicants forward, review of stage 1 data and selection of applicants for consensus, pre-site visit conference call with team leaders, review of Stage 3 process documentation, update on revisions to Judges' survey, and summary of Improvements Day. The applications under review contain trade secrets and proprietary commercial information submitted to the Government in confidence. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Anyone wishing to attend this meeting must register 48 hours in advance in order to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, e-mail address and phone number to Virginia Davis no later than Friday, July 22, 2005, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Ms. Davis' e-mail address is virginia.davis@nist.gov and her phone number is 301/975-2361.

The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Technology Administration, United States Department of Commerce, announces the availability for public comment of the draft final reports of the study conducted by NIST into the technical causes of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks. NIST requests comments on any or all of the 43 draft reports issued by NIST concerning various aspects of the WTC buildings, including their design, construction, maintenance and evacuation. These reports total about 10,000 pages. NIST especially encourages public comment on the approximately 200-page draft summary report, which contains the principal findings and recommendations for changes to codes, standards, and practices. NIST will consider all comments received from the public on the 43 draft reports before they are issued in final form.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology announces its intent to enhance its library of mass spectra. This will both expand the coverage of chemical substances in this data collection and add related reference data, including retention indices and mass spectra generated by tandem mass spectrometers. Interested parties are invited to submit comments to the address below.

Under the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publishes this notice of availability of applications for the NVLAP accreditation program for laboratories that perform testing of voting systems and components using the Voting System Standards of 2002 as augmented from time to time by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). NIST has established this program at the request of the EAC to fulfill requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107- 252).

A vulnerability was recently identified in the NIST-approved cryptographic hash algorithm, Secure Hash Algorithm-1 (SHA-1). In response, NIST is announcing a public workshop to discuss this vulnerability, assess the status of other NIST-approved hash algorithms, and discuss possible near- and long-term options.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) proposes to revise some of its fire safety codes and standards and requests proposals from the public to amend existing or begin the process of developing new NFPA fire safety codes and standards. The purpose of this request is to increase public participation in the system used by NFPA to develop its codes and standards. The publication of this notice of request for proposals by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on behalf of NFPA is being undertaken as a public service; NIST does not necessarily endorse, approve, or recommend any of the standards referenced in the notice.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will meet Tuesday, June 14, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology is composed of fifteen members appointed by the Director of NIST; who are eminent in such fields as business, research, new product development, engineering, labor, education, management consulting, environment, and international relations. The purpose of this meeting is to review and make recommendations regarding general policy for the Institute, its organization, its budget, and its programs within the framework of applicable national policies as set forth by the President and the Congress. The agenda will include updates on NIST's activities and the U.S. Measurement System Initiative, presentations on Science and Technology Priorities in the Administration and R&D Spending Trends in the Federal Government, a VCAT Panel on Best Practices for Organizational Development, and two laboratory tours. Discussions scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and to end at 9:30 a.m. on June 14, on the NIST budget, planning information and feedback sessions will be closed. Agenda may change to accommodate Committee business. The final agenda will be posted on the NIST web site. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre- register to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, e- mail address and phone number to Carolyn Peters no later than Thursday, June 9, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Mrs. Peter's email address is carolyn.peters@nist.gov and her phone number is (301) 975-5607.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to submit recommendations for workshops covering specific sectors and targeted countries or regions of the world where training in the U.S. system of standards development, conformity assessment, and metrology may facilitate trade. Prospective workshops may be scheduled for one or two week periods. This notice is not an invitation for proposals to fund grants, contracts or cooperative agreements of any kind. NIST will offer a limited number of workshops, based upon the availability of resources. Recommenders are encouraged to consider departmental priorities outlined in part of the soon-to-be released National Export Strategy. NIST will consider recommendations based upon which workshops would be most useful to intended audiences. Additional information about the NIST Standards in Trade Workshops is available at https://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/gsig/ sitdescr.htm.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet Tuesday, June 7, 2005. The Judges Panel is composed of eleven members prominent in the field of quality management and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. The purpose of this meeting is to Review the 2005 Baldrige Award Cycle; Discussion of Senior Examiner Training for Site Visits and Final Judging Interaction; Judges' Survey of Applicants; and Judging Process Improvement Discussion for Final Judges' Meeting Preparation. The applications under review contain trade secrets and proprietary commercial information submitted to the Government in confidence. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Anyone wishing to attend this meeting must register 48 hours in advance in order to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, e-mail address and phone number to Virginia Davis no later than Friday, June 3, 2005, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Ms. Davis' e-mail address is virginia.davis@nist.gov and her phone number is 301/975-2361.

The American Petroleum Institute (API), with the assistance of other interested parties, continues to develop standards, both national and international, in several areas. This notice lists the standardization efforts currently being conducted by API committees. The publication of this notice by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on behalf of API is being undertaken as a public service. NIST does not necessarily endorse, approve, or recommend the standards referenced.

This notice advises the public that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is distributing a proposed revision of Voluntary Product Standard (PS) 20-99, ``American Softwood Lumber Standard.'' This standard, prepared by the American Lumber Standard Committee, serves the procurement and regulatory needs of numerous federal, state, and local government agencies by providing for uniform, industry-wide grade-marking and inspection requirements for softwood lumber. The implementation of the standard also allows for uniform labeling and auditing of treated wood and, through a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, labeling and auditing of wood packaging materials for international trade. As part of a five-year review process, NIST is seeking public comment and invites interested parties to review the revised standard and submit comments.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to attend a pre-consortium meeting on May 16, 2005 to be held on the NIST campus in Boulder, Colorado. The goal of the one-day meeting is to evaluate industry interest in creating a NIST/industry consortium focused on gene expression metrology. The goals of such a consortium would include the development of measurement methods of known quality for microarray gene expression results. The consortium would be supervised and administered by NIST. Consortium research and development would be conducted by NIST staff members along with at least one technical representative from each participating member company. Membership in the Consortium is open to manufacturers of complete microarray gene expression systems (i.e. systems which include all components required to measure a genome-wide expression profile form isolated RNA). Consortium Members will be required to provide the NIST staff members with a complete system representative of their technology platform to support measurement and standards development. The initial term of the consortium is intended to be three years.

The Department of Commerce (DoC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506 (2)(A)).

The inventions listed below are owned in whole or in part by the U.S. Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce. The inventions are available for licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally funded research and development.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., notice is hereby given that the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) will meet Tuesday, March 29, 2005 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Wednesday, March 30, 2005 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. All sessions will be open to the public. The Advisory Board was established by the Computer Security Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100-235) and amended by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347) to advise the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of NIST on security and privacy issues pertaining to federal computer systems. Details regarding the Board's activities are available at https://csrc.nist.gov/ispab/.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to attend a meeting on April 20, 2005 to discuss the possibility of setting up a cooperative research consortium. The objective is to develop high throughput foam preparation methods and flammability measurement methods to aid polyurethane manufacturers and additive suppliers in developing fire safe foams that are environmentally safe and cost effective. The primary outcome of this work being the creation of a structure- flammability property database for polyurethane foams.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Financial Assistance Program is soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY 2005. The NCNR Financial Assistance Program will offer financial assistance in the field of Neutron Research and Spectroscopy specifically aimed at developing new instrumentation for Neutron Research, conducting collaborative research with NIST scientists, and assisting visiting researchers at the NCNR.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will meet Tuesday, March 15, 2005, from 8:20 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology is composed of fifteen members appointed by the Director of NIST; who are eminent in such fields as business, research, new product development, engineering, labor, education, management consulting, environment, and international relations. The purpose of this meeting is to review and make recommendations regarding general policy for the Institute, its organization, its budget, and its programs within the framework of applicable national policies as set forth by the President and the Congress. The agenda will include updates on NIST's activities and facilities, a review of findings from NIST's investigation of the World Trade Center disaster, and two laboratory tours. Discussions scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. and to end at 9:20 a.m. and to begin at 2:30 p.m. and to end at 5 p.m. on March 15, on the NIST budget, planning information and feedback sessions will be closed. Agenda may change to accommodate Committee business. The final agenda will be posted on the NIST Web site. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Carolyn Peters no later than Thursday, March 10, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Mrs. Peter's email address is carolyn.peters@nist.gov and her phone number is (301) 975-5607.

The International Code Council (ICC), under whose auspices the International Codes (``I-Codes'') are developed, maintains a process for updating these model codes based on receipt of proposals from interested individuals and organizations. The ICC's 14 separately published codes are comprehensively updated and re-published every three years with a Supplement published between each edition. The most current versions of the I-Codes are the 2003 Editions and 2004 Supplements. Each structured 18-month code development cycle includes two separate public sessions, both open to public participation and observation. The first of the two sessions is the Code Development Hearing during which balanced committees initially review, discuss and vote on an opinion on each proposal for change to the model codes. Attendees to this hearing are eligible to raise objection to and call for a vote of the ICC members assembled regarding the committee's opinion. The results of the Code Development Hearing are made available for public review and comment prior to the second public session. Public comments received by the ICC are published and distributed for public review. At the second session, entitled the Final Action Hearing, public comments are reviewed and discussed and final voting is conducted to determine which proposals are adopted into the I-Codes. The purpose of this notice is to invite the public participation in the Code Development Hearing. The publication of this notice by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on behalf of ICC is being undertaken as a public service; NIST does not necessarily endorse, approve, or recommend any of the codes or standards referenced in the notice. Session Dates: The Code Development Hearings of the 2004/2005 Code Development Cycle will occur on February 22-March 4, 2005, at the Millennium Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. This will be followed by the Final Action Hearings scheduled for September-October 1, 2005, at the COBO Center in Detroit, Michigan. Proposed changes approved during this cycle, in addition to changes published in the 2004 Supplement, will constitute the 2006 Edition of the International Codes. The agenda for the hearing as well as updates to the schedule are also posted on the ICC Web site at: https://www.iccsafe.org.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board (MEPNAB), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will meet Thursday, February 17, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The MEPNAB is composed of eleven members appointed by the Director of NIST who were selected for their expertise in the area of industrial extension and their work on behalf of smaller manufacturers. The Board was established to fill a need for outside input on MEP. MEP is a unique program consisting of centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The centers have been created by state, federal, and local partnerships. The Board works closely with MEP to provide input and advice on MEP's programs, plans, and policies. The purpose of this meeting is to update the board on the latest program developments including a NIST Update, a MEP Policy Overview, and a MEP Program Operations Update. Discussions scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and to end at 3:30 p.m. on February 17, 2005, on MEP budget issues will be closed. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Anyone wishing to attend this meeting must register 48 hours in advance in order to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Lillian Ware no later than Tuesday, February 15 and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Ms. Ware's email address is lillian.ware@nist.gov and her phone number is 301/975-5454.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology announces that it plans to develop Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-3, which will supersede FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules. FIPS 140-2, approved by the Secretary of Commerce and announced in the Federal Register (June 27, 2001, Volume 66, Number 124, Pages 34154-34155), identifies requirements for four levels of security for cryptographic modules that are utilized by Federal agencies to protect the security of Federal information systems. The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) (Public Law 107-347) requires that all Federal agencies and their contractors use only those cryptographic-based security systems that were validated to FIPS 140-2 or to its predecessor, FIPS 140-1.