[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41211-41213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18355]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No.: 170717677-7677-01]


Request for Information on the Development of the Organization of 
Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science 2.0

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and 
the Department of Justice (DOJ) established the Organization of 
Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science in 2013 as part 
of a larger effort to strengthen forensic science in the United States. 
NIST has primary responsibility to support the OSAC and has publicly 
announced its intention to transition the administration of the OSAC to 
another host within five to ten years. NIST made a commitment to the 
forensic science community (community) that OSAC 2.0 will ensure the 
continued scientific integrity and stability of the organization. NIST 
publishes this notice to request information for consideration in the 
development of a comprehensive transition plan for the OSAC that meets 
the needs of the community and ensures that transition is conducted in 
a manner that safeguards the efficiency and effectiveness of the OSAC.

DATES: NIST will accept written responses to this request for 
information until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Responses to this request for information must be made 
electronically through the Federal

[[Page 41212]]

eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. Please include your name, 
organization's name (if any) and cite ``Response to OSAC Request for 
Information'' in all correspondence.
    All responses, including attachments, will be posted to the docket 
at https://www.regulations.gov/ without change or redaction. 
Accordingly, respondents should not include information they do not 
wish to be posted (e.g., personal or confidential business 
information). Responses that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or 
other inappropriate language will not be posted or considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Grace Hao, (301) 975-4752 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In February 2013, DOJ and NIST announced a 
partnership that included the formation of the OSAC. As is stated in 
the OSAC Charter, the purpose of the OSAC is to strengthen the Nation's 
use of forensic science by: Providing technical leadership necessary to 
facilitate the development and promulgation of consensus-based 
documentary standards and guidelines for forensic science; promoting 
standards and guidelines that are fit-for-purpose and based on sound 
scientific principles; promoting the use of OSAC standards and 
guidelines by accreditation and certification bodies; and establishing 
and maintaining working relationships with other similar organizations. 
The OSAC Charter and Bylaws are available online at: https://www.nist.gov/topics/forensic-science/about-osac.
    These purposes of the OSAC are achieved through the OSAC Registry, 
the repository for all standards and guidelines. A standard or 
guideline is posted on the OSAC Registry only after the validity of any 
methods it contains has been assessed by forensic practitioners, 
academic researchers, measurement scientists, and statisticians through 
a consensus development process that allows participation and comment 
from all relevant stakeholders. NIST retains ultimate authority over 
posting of standards and responsibility for support of the OSAC 
Registry.
    The OSAC Charter states that the aims of the OSAC are to: Populate 
the OSAC Registry; develop and maintain the Principles of Professional 
Practice; compile and update the forensic science catalog of standards 
and related documents; maintain Priority Action Plan documents on OSAC 
strategic objectives and associated goals and intended actions; promote 
and improve the communication, dissemination and use of forensic 
science standards, accreditation, and personnel competencies; encourage 
forensic science service providers in the United States to implement 
guidelines and standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025, etc.) for quality and 
competency; provide insight on each forensic science discipline's 
research and measurement standard needs; and enlist stakeholder 
involvement from a broad community to provide public comment on OSAC 
outputs.
    Under the OSAC Charter, NIST has primary responsibility to 
coordinate development of a quality infrastructure for forensic science 
standards development and to support the OSAC. NIST envisioned the OSAC 
as a multi-level organization consisting of five Scientific Area 
Committees (SACs) that report to a Forensic Science Standards Board 
(FSSB). Each of the five SACs oversees discipline-specific 
subcommittees. In addition, there are three Resource Committees that 
provide input to the FSSB, SACs, and SAC Subcommittees. DOJ funds the 
OSAC through appropriated funds that are transferred to NIST. While DOJ 
personnel participate as members of OSAC committees and subcommittees, 
DOJ itself does not review or approve OSAC standards prior to posting 
on the Registry.
    Both NIST and DOJ recognized from the outset that the OSAC would be 
realigned over time to ensure continuous improvement and better realize 
its purpose and objectives. NIST has publicly announced its intention 
to transition the administration of the OSAC to another host within 
five to ten years. NIST's goals in this transition process are to 
establish the next generation of OSAC (OSAC 2.0) that strengthens 
forensics science, follows American National Standards Institute 
principles for standards development, and promotes a collaborative 
process that actively involves practitioners and researchers. NIST 
notes that, as a non-regulatory research and development agency, it 
does not contemplate undertaking any a regulatory or quasi-regulatory 
function in connection with OSAC 2.0. NIST is open to maintaining 
elements of the current OSAC structure, to modifications to the 
structure, as well as to substantially different structural concepts, 
including several examples of concepts at: https://www.nist.gov/topics/forensic-science/potential-concepts-osac-20. NIST notes its continuing 
commitment to the forensic science community, that OSAC 2.0 will 
promote the continued scientific integrity and stability of the 
organization.
    NIST is now in the process of developing a process for the 
transition of OSAC 1.0 to an OSAC 2.0 structure that will accomplish 
these goals and safeguard the efficiency and effectiveness of the 
organization. To ensure that the transition plan is comprehensive and 
meets the needs of the community, NIST, in collaboration with DOJ, 
requests from the public, comments on the questions below, which will 
inform the approach to an OSAC 2.0 in the following six areas: (A) 
Purpose, (B) oversight and independence, (C) work product and aims, (D) 
structure, (E) participation, and (F) funding.
    (A) Purpose: As stated above, the OSAC charter identifies four 
purposes. (See section 1.1: https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/16/fssb_osac_charter_and_bylaws_v_1.3.pdf). What is 
your opinion regarding whether the OSAC is fulfilling these purposes 
under the current structure? What is your opinion regarding whether 
these purposes/functions are appropriate for the OSAC and whether the 
purposes should be modified in any way? What is your opinion regarding 
what role, if any, the OSAC should be playing in addressing the 
recommendations of the 2009 National Academies of Sciences report, 
``Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward'' 
(https://www.nap.edu/read/12589/chapter/1)?
    (B) Oversight and independence: Please provide your views regarding 
what type of entity should host the OSAC (e.g., governmental, 
professional association, etc.). What is your opinion about the 
preferred characteristics of a host organization for an effective OSAC? 
What are your views as to the type of organization that should provide 
oversight to the OSAC? Do you believe that the OSAC should have more/
less independence from a host organization?
    (C) Work products and aims: As stated above, the OSAC Charter 
identifies eight aims. (See section 1.2: https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/16/fssb_osac_charter_and_bylaws_v_1.3.pdf.) What is your opinion regarding 
whether the OSAC is fulfilling these aims as structured? Do you believe 
that the OSAC is addressing the correct aims? What are your views as to 
the type of work products the OSAC should produce? What do you believe 
are the essential elements of work products? Please provide your 
opinion as to whether there should be implementation/enforcement of the

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work products. Do you believe that the OSAC should develop ``best 
practices'' and other materials that are not formal ``standards''?
    (D) Structure: What are your views as to whether the current the 
OSAC structure works efficiently? Do you believe that another structure 
should be utilized? Please provide your opinion about whether there are 
any issues in the current work product development process that should 
be addressed structurally. In your view, does the reliance on standards 
development organizations function as intended (please include the 
reasons for your opinion)?
    (E) Participation: What are your views as to the community the OSAC 
should serve? In your opinion, what stakeholders must be a part of the 
OSAC (e.g., practitioners, researchers, forensic science societies, 
accreditation bodies, scientific societies, human factors experts, 
metrologists, standards development organizations, legal 
practitioners)? If you think that any of these entities should be 
excluded, please explain why and identify other venues for the views of 
the excluded entities to be incorporated into forensic practice, if 
appropriate. In your view, should some stakeholders serve more limited 
roles and, if so, how and why?
    (F) Funding: What is your opinion as to the funding model that the 
OSAC should employ--Entirely funded by the Federal government, by non-
Federal funds, or a combination of funding sources? (Please include 
your thoughts on the role of funding sources such as membership fees, 
certification fees, and meeting registration fees.) What are your views 
about the implications of funding models for the other traits, 
particularly oversight and independence?
    Response to this request for information (RFI) is voluntary, and 
comments are not limited to the specific questions posed. Respondents 
need not reply to all questions; however, it is requested that they 
clearly indicate the letter of each question to which they are 
responding. All responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically 
through www.regulations.gov.
    All responses received will be posted on www.regulations.gov 
without making any changes to the responses or redacting any 
information, including any personally identifiable information 
provided. It is the responsibility of the respondent to safeguard 
personally identifiable information. You are not required to submit 
personally identifying information in order to respond and it is 
recommended that respondents' personally identifiable information not 
be included. Responses may be provided anonymously, but those 
respondents who do share contact information are requested to include 
brief background information regarding the respondent's subject-matter 
experience and expertise. Responses submitted through 
www.regulations.gov will not include the email address of the 
respondent unless the respondent chooses to include that information as 
part of the response.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b)(10).

Kevin Kimball,
NIST Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2017-18355 Filed 8-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-13-P