[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 53 (Friday, March 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14542-14543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6719]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Announcement of a Partially Closed Meeting of the Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership National Advisory 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 Wednesday, May 
10, 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 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 MEP to provide input and advice on 
MEP's programs, plans, and policies. The purpose of this meeting is to 
delve into areas of operation determined by the Board. The agenda 
includes a look at center operations from the national perspective of 
what best practices can be shared across the system and what is the 
best mechanism for doing so. The Board also plans to address how MEP 
measures impact and how that affects the operations at the center 
level. 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 May 10, 2000, at 8:30 
am and will adjourn at 3:30 pm and will be held at the Omni Rosen, 
Orlando, Florida. The closed portion of the meeting is scheduled from 
8:30 am to 10:00 am

[[Page 14543]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Assistant Secretary for Administration 
with the concurrence of the General Counsel formally determined on 
December 21, 1998, 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. 522(c)(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 second 
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: March 10, 2000.
Karen H. Brown,
Deputy Director, NIST.
[FR Doc. 00-6719 Filed 3-16-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M