[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1852-1853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-652]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Announcement of a Partially Closed Meeting of the Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership Board

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of partially closed meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 
2, notice is hereby given that the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology's (NIST's) Manufacturing Extension Partnership National 
Advisory Board (MEPNAB) will meet to hold a meeting on Thursday, 
January 27, 2000. The MEPNAB is composed of nine members appointed by 
the Director of NIST who were selected for their expertise in the area 
of industrial extension and their work on behalf of smaller 
manufacturers. The Board was set up, under the direction of the 
Director of the NIST, to fill a need for outside input on MEP. MEP is a 
unique program consisting of centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. 
The centers have been created by state, federal and local partnerships. 
The Board works closely with the MEP to provide input and advice on 
MEP's programs, plans and policies. The purpose of this meeting is to 
cover areas of operation determined during the previous Board meeting. 
The agenda will include an MEP overview, an update for the new members, 
and a look at how MEP staff working with the centers can provide more 
of a consultant role. The agenda will also look at what products, 
services, and training the NIST MEP staff needs to provide strong 
assistance to Centers. The portion of the meeting, which involves 
personnel and proprietary budget information, will be closed to the 
general public. All other portions of the meeting will be open to the 
public.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: The meeting will convene on January 27, 2000, at 8 
a.m. and will adjourn at 3:30 p.m. and will be held at the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 101, 10th Floor, 
Gaithersburg,

[[Page 1853]]

Maryland. The closed portion of the meeting is scheduled from 8-9:30 
a.m.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Assistant Secretary for Administration 
with the concurrence of the General Counsel formally determined on July 
15, 1999, pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, that these portions of the meeting may be properly closed because 
they are concerned with matters that are within the purview of 5 U.S.C. 
552 (4), (6) and (9)(b). A copy of the determination is 
available for public inspection in the Central Reference and Records 
Inspection Facility, Room 6219, Main Commerce.
    MEP's services to smaller manufacturers address the needs of the 
national market as well as the unique needs of each company. Since MEP 
is committed to providing this type of individualized service through 
its centers, the program requires the perspective of locally based 
experts to be incorporated into its national plans. The MEPNAB was 
established at the direction of the NIST Director to maintain MEP's 
focus on local and market-based needs. The MEPNAB was approved on 
October 24, 1996, in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2., to provide advice on MEP programs, plans, and 
policies; to assess the soundness of MEP plans and strategies; to 
assess the current performance against MEP program plans, and to 
function in an advisory capacity. The Board will meet three times a 
year and reports to the Director of NIST. This will be the first 
meeting of the MEPNAB in 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Linda Acierto, Assistant to the Director for Policy, Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
Gaithersburg, MD 20899, telephone number (301) 975-5033.

    Dated: January 4, 2000.
Karen H. Brown,
Deputy Director, NIST.
[FR Doc. 00-652 Filed 1-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M