107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 27

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Honoring the National Institute of Standards and

Technology and its employees for 100 years ofservice to the Nation.

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 27

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

was founded on March 3, 1901, originally as the National

Bureau of Standards, and is our Nation’s oldest Federal

laboratory;

Whereas, prior to formal establishment in 1901, the National

Institute of Standards and Technology’s mission was first

stated in the Articles of Confederation and the Constitu-
2

•HCON 27 EH

tion of these United States, and is as old as the Republic

itself;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

strengthens the United States economy and improves the

quality of life by working with industry to develop and

apply technology, measurements, and standards;

Whereas in the past 100 years, the National Institute of

Standards and Technology has helped to maintain United

States technology at the leading edge, while also making

solid contributions to our economy and international competitiveness;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

has served as a behind-the-scenes specialist, with its research, measurement tools, and technical services integrated deeply into many of the systems and operations

that, collectively, drive the economy, including manufacturing cells, satellite systems, communication and transportation networks, laboratories, factories, hospitals,

businesses, and the extended enterprises of the new economy;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

has also made solid contributions to improving our lives

by helping develop image processing, DNA diagnostic

‘‘chips’’, smoke detectors, automated error correcting

software for machine tools, atomic clocks, X-ray standards for mammography, scanning tunneling microscopy,

pollution control technology, and high-speed dental drills;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

plays a major role in the National Conference on Weights

and Measures, the organization of State and local officials who ensure fairness in sales of more than
3

•HCON 27 EH

$4,000,000,000,000 worth of goods and services—from

deli meats to gasoline to railroad freight;

Whereas National Institute of Standards and Technology research has additionally provided a broad and varied

stream of benefits, such as decreases in train derailments

as a result of standards ensuring the quality of steel,

smoother riding, lower maintenance automobiles as a result of technology that improves the fit of assembled

parts, and reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions as a result of improved measurements in the oil industry;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

has been a leader in helping small manufacturing companies in all 50 States to modernize and prepare for the

21st Century;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology,

through its Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program,

has helped define best practices in business, in education,

and in health care, and has helped leading companies become even more competitive;

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

employs about 3,300 people, and operates primarily in 2

locations, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Boulder, Colorado, with some of our Nation’s finest and most dedicated Federal scientists, including Nobel Prize winners;

Whereas the lack of laboratory space led to the establishment

of a cryogenic engineering laboratory and radio facilities

on land donated by citizens of Boulder, Colorado, in

1950, and the eventual partnership with the University

of Colorado of the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics;
4

•HCON 27 EH

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

is poised to embark on its second century with 2 new

state-of-the-art laboratories, the Advanced Chemical

Sciences Laboratory and the Advanced Measurement

Laboratory at its Gaithersburg, Maryland, headquarters,

to fulfill its mission; and

Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology

is committed to building the advanced science and technology infrastructure needed to ensure future prosperity

and the global competitiveness of United States industry

in the 21st century and beyond: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) recognizes the historical significance of the

4 centennial of the founding of the National Institute

5 of Standards and Technology;

6 (2) acknowledges 100 years of achievement and

7 service by the National Bureau of Standards and the

8 National Institute of Standards and Technology to

9 the United States; and

10 (3) reaffirms its commitment to support during

11 the next 100 years the research, technological ad12 vancements, and discoveries made at the National
5

•HCON 27 EH

1 Institute of Standards and Technology, a crown

2 jewel in the Federal Government.

Passed the House of Representatives February 28,

2001.

Attest:

Clerk.