[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 18 (Thursday, February 8, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCTION OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ENHANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 8, 2001

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, today, we are introducing the Electronic 
Commerce Enhancement Act. This bill represents a bipartisan effort to 
assist small- and medium-sized businesses move their operations into a 
comprehensive e-commerce environment. The goals of this legislation are 
twofold: (1) To assist small- and medium-sized manufacturers move into 
an e-commerce environment; and (2) improve the interoperability of the 
electronic transfer of technical information in the manufacturing 
supply chain.
  This bill is the same text as H.R. 4429 the Electronic Commerce 
Enhancement Act, reported by the Science Committee and passed 
unanimously by the House in the 106th Congress. The Electronic Commerce 
Enhancement Act addresses real problems that small- and medium-sized 
businesses are still facing today. That is why I and Chairman Boehlert 
have decided to re-introduce this legislation.
  One of the purposes of this legislation is to provide American small 
businesses with the information and knowledge they need to make smart 
decisions on e-commerce related purchases and services. This bill 
authorizes the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program (MEP) to 
establish an electronic commerce pilot program at MEP Centers. This 
pilot program will allow MEP Centers to provide small manufacturers 
with the information they need to make informed purchases of e-commerce 
products and services.
  The other main goal of this legislation is to address the issue of 
interoperability in the manufacturing supply chain. Adoption of e-
commerce business practices within a supply chain is hindered by a lack 
of interoperability between software, hardware, and networks in 
exchanging product data and other key business information. The 
National Institute of Standards and Technology has supported the first 
phase of an interoperability program in the auto industry called STEP. 
In my home state of Michigan, STEP proved to be a highly successful and 
was strongly supported by the auto industry and manufacturers in their 
supply chain. These provisions authorize NIST to perform an assessment 
to identify critical enterprise integration standards and 
implementation activities for major manufacturing industries and to 
report to Congress on the appropriate role for the government to work 
in partnerships with industry.
  This bipartisan legislation represents sound and reasonable policy 
and builds upon the proven track record of the Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership program and the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

                          ____________________