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-
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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 com-
petitiveness;
Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology
has served as a behind-the-scenes specialist, with its re-
search, measurement tools, and technical services inte-
grated deeply into many of the systems and operations
that, collectively, drive the economy, including manufac-
turing cells, satellite systems, communication and trans-
portation networks, laboratories, factories, hospitals,
businesses, and the extended enterprises of the new econ-
omy;
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 stand-
ards 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 offi-
cials who ensure fairness in sales of more than
•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 re-
search 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 re-
sult of technology that improves the fit of assembled
parts, and reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions as a re-
sult of improved measurements in the oil industry;
Whereas the National Institute of Standards and Technology
has been a leader in helping small manufacturing compa-
nies 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 be-
come 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, Colo-
rado, with some of our Nation’s finest and most dedi-
cated 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 Astro-
physics;
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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 tech-
nology infrastructure 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
concurring), 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
(3) reaffirms its commitment to support during
the next 100 years the research, technological ad-
vancements, and discoveries made at the National
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Institute of Standards and Technology, a crown
jewel in the Federal Government.
Passed the House of Representatives February 28,
2001.
Attest:
Clerk.