[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 27 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  1st Session

                            H. CON. RES. 27

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                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

  Honoring the National Institute of Standards and Technology and its 
           employees for 100 years of service to the Nation.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 27

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                         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, 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 
        $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;
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
    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 advancements, and discoveries 
        made at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a 
        crown jewel in the Federal Government.

            Passed the House of Representatives February 28, 2001.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.