H. Con. Res. 27
Agreed to March 1, 2001
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and one
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 Constitution 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, fac-
tories, 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 detec-
tors, automated error correcting software for machine tools,
atomic clocks, X-ray standards for mammography, scanning tun-
neling 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 $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
H. Con. Res. 27—2
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 even-
tual partnership with the University of Colorado of the Joint
Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics;
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 infra-
structure needed to ensure future prosperity and the global
competitiveness of United States industry in the 21st century
and beyond: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concur-
ring), That the Congress—
(1) recognizes the historical significance of the centennial
of the founding of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology;
(2) acknowledges 100 years of achievement and service
by the National Bureau of Standards and the National Institute
of Standards and Technology to the United States; and