IB
Union Calendar No. 528
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4429
[Report No. 106–877]
To require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such busi-
nesses to successfully integrate and utilize electronic commerce tech-
nologies and business practices.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 11, 2000
Mr. BARCIA (for himself, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, and Mr. CAL-
VERT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Science
SEPTEMBER 21, 2000
Additional sponsor: Mr. BAIRD
SEPTEMBER 21, 2000
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 11, 2000]
A BILL
To require the Director of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology to assist small and medium-sized
manufacturers and other such businesses to successfully
integrate and utilize electronic commerce technologies
and business practices.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electronic Commerce
Enhancement Act of 2000’’.
TITLE I—ELECTRONIC
COMMERCE
SEC. 101. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Commercial transactions on the Internet,
whether retail business-to-customer or business-to-
business, are commonly called electronic commerce.
(2) In the United States, business-to-business
transactions between small and medium-sized manu-
facturers and other such businesses and their sup-
pliers is rapidly growing, as many of these businesses
begin to use Internet connections for supply-chain
management, after-sales support, and payments.
(3) Small and medium-sized manufacturers and
other such businesses play a critical role in the
United States economy.
(4) Electronic commerce can help small and me-
dium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses
develop new products and markets, interact more
quickly and efficiently with suppliers and customers,
and improve productivity by increasing efficiency
and reducing transaction costs and paperwork. Small
and medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses who fully exploit the potential of electronic
commerce activities can use it to interact with cus-
tomers, suppliers, and the public, and for external
support functions such as personnel services and em-
ployee training.
(5) The National Institute of Standards and
Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership
program has a successful record of assisting small
and medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses. In addition, the Manufacturing Extension
Partnership program, working with the Small Busi-
ness Administration, successfully assisted United
States small enterprises in remediating their Y2K
computer problems.
(6) A critical element of electronic commerce is
the ability of different electronic commerce systems to
exchange information. The continued growth of elec-
tronic commerce will be enhanced by the development
of private voluntary interoperability standards and
testbeds to ensure the compatibility of different sys-
tems.
SEC. 102. REPORT ON THE UTILIZATION OF ELECTRONIC
COMMERCE.
(a) ADVISORY PANEL.—The Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (in this title referred
to as the ‘‘Director’’) shall establish an Advisory Panel to
report on the challenges facing small and medium-sized
manufacturers and other such businesses in integrating and
utilizing electronic commerce technologies and business
practices. The Advisory Panel shall be comprised of rep-
resentatives of the Technology Administration, the National
Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing
Extension Partnership program established under sections
25 and 26 of the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l), the Small Business
Administration, and other relevant parties as identified by
the Director.
(b) INITIAL REPORT.—Within 12 months after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Advisory Panel shall report
to the Director and to the Committee on Science of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the immediate
requirements of small and medium-sized manufacturers
and other such businesses to integrate and utilize electronic
commerce technologies and business practices. The report
shall—
(1) describe the current utilization of electronic
commerce practices by small and medium-sized man-
ufacturers and other such businesses, detailing the dif-
ferent levels between business-to-retail customer and
business-to-business transactions;
(2) describe and assess the utilization and need
for encryption and electronic authentication compo-
nents and electronically stored data security in elec-
tronic commerce for small and medium-sized manu-
facturers and other such businesses;
(3) identify the impact and problems of inter-
operability to electronic commerce, and include an
economic assessment; and
(4) include a preliminary assessment of the ap-
propriate role of, and recommendations for, the Man-
ufacturing Extension Partnership program to assist
small and medium-sized manufacturers and other
such businesses to integrate and utilize electronic
commerce technologies and business practices.
(c) FINAL REPORT.—Within 18 months after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Advisory Panel shall report
to the Director and to the Committee on Science of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 3-year assess-
ment of the needs of small and medium-sized manufacturers
and other such businesses to integrate and utilize electronic
commerce technologies and business practices. The report
shall include—
(1) a 3-year planning document for the Manu-
facturing Extension Partnership program in the field
of electronic commerce; and
(2) recommendations, if necessary, for the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology to ad-
dress interoperability issues in the field of electronic
commerce.
SEC. 103. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE PILOT PROGRAM.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s
Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, in con-
sultation with the Small Business Administration, shall es-
tablish a pilot program to assist small and medium-sized
manufacturers and other such businesses in integrating and
utilizing electronic commerce technologies and business
practices. The goal of the pilot program shall be to provide
small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses with the information they need to make informed
decisions in utilizing electronic commerce-related goods and
services. Such program shall be implemented through a
competitive grants program for existing Regional Centers
for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology established
under section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k). In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program
shall consult with the Advisory Panel and utilize the Advi-
sory Panel’s reports.
TITLE II—ENTERPRISE
INTEGRATION
SEC. 201. ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION ASSESSMENT AND
PLAN.
(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Director shall work to identify
critical enterprise integration standards and implementa-
tion activities for major manufacturing industries under-
way in the United States. For each major manufacturing
industry, the Director shall work with industry representa-
tives and organizations currently engaged in enterprise in-
tegration activities and other appropriate representatives as
necessary. They shall assess the current state of enterprise
integration within the industry, identify the remaining
steps in achieving enterprise integration, and work toward
agreement on the roles of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology and of the private sector in that proc-
ess. Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Director shall report to the Congress on these mat-
ters and on anticipated related National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology activities for the then current fiscal
year.
(b) PLANS AND REPORTS.—Within 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit
to the Congress a plan for enterprise integration for each
major manufacturing industry, including milestones for the
National Institute of Standards and Technology portion of
the plan, the dates of likely achievement of those milestones,
and anticipated costs to the Government and industry by
fiscal year. Updates of the plans and a progress report for
the past year shall be submitted annually until for a given
industry, in the opinion of the Director, enterprise integra-
tion has been achieved.
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this title—
(1) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology;
(2) the term ‘‘enterprise integration’’ means the
electronic linkage of manufacturers, assemblers, and
suppliers to enable the electronic exchange of product,
manufacturing, and other business data among all
businesses in a product supply chain, and such term
includes related application protocols and other re-
lated standards; and
(3) the term ‘‘major manufacturing industry’’
includes the aerospace, automotive, electronics, ship-
building, construction, home building, furniture, tex-
tile, and apparel industries and such other industries
as the Director designates.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to require the
Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology to assist small and medium-sized manufac-
turers and other such businesses to successfully integrate
and utilize electronic commerce technologies and business
practices, and to authorize the National Institute of
Standards and Technology to assess critical enterprise in-
tegration standards and implementation activities for
major manufacturing industries and to develop a plan for
enterprise integration for each major manufacturing
industry.’’.
Union Calendar No. 528
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4429
[Report No. 106–877]
A BILL
To require the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology to assist small and
medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses to successfully integrate and utilize
electronic commerce technologies and business
practices.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2000
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee
of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or-
dered to be printed