[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22306]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          WORLD STANDARDS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 1999

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, today, the United States observes ``World 
Standards Day.''
  Since 1970, World Standards Day has raised awareness of the need for 
international standardization in an increasingly global economy.
  Harmonized technical standards provide open export markets for U.S. 
products. According to the Department of Commerce, standards play a 
role in $150 billion worth of U.S. exports, and serve as a barrier to 
the export of between $20 billion and $40 billion worth of U.S. goods 
and services.
  As other barriers to trade are torn down, non-harmonized technical 
standards are one of the last restraints on the free flow of 
international commerce.
  World Standards Day is an example of how the public and private 
sectors can work together to ensure U.S. products and services are 
accepted in the global marketplace.
  The co-chairs of the World Standards Day Committee are the American 
National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private institution, and the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
  This type of public/private cooperation is crucial to ensure 
America's competitiveness in overseas markets.
  Mr. Speaker, today, on World Standards Day, I ask the Congress to 
recognize the important role international standards pay in our economy 
and in our international competitiveness.

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