[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34254-34255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12130]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of partially closed meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board will meet on 
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central Time. The 
meeting is partially closed to the public in order to protect the 
confidential and proprietary data to be examined and discussed at the 
meeting.

DATES: The MEP Advisory Board will meet on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 
from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central Time. The portion of the meeting 
that is closed to the public will take place on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 
from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central Time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa 
Downtown, 100 East Second Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103. Please note 
admittance instructions in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. 
This meeting could switch to a virtual format. Interested parties 
should be sure to check the NIST MEP Advisory Board website for the 
most up-to-date information at http://www.nist.gov/mep/about/advisory-board.cfm. Everyone who registers and provides contact information will 
receive notice if there is a change to the meeting venue from in-person 
to virtual.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl L. Gendron, Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 4800, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-4800; 
telephone number (301) 975-2785; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MEP Advisory Board is authorized under 
Section 3003(d) of the America COMPETES Act (Pub. L. 110-69), as 
amended by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, Public Law 
114-329 sec. 501 (2017), and codified at 15 U.S.C. 278k(m). The 
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (Program) is a 
unique program consisting of Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico 
with partnerships at the federal, state, and local levels. By statute, 
the MEP Advisory Board provides the NIST Director with: (1)

[[Page 34255]]

advice on the activities, plans and policies of the Program; (2) 
assessments of the soundness of the plans and strategies of the 
Program; and (3) assessments of current performance against the plans 
of the Program.
    Background information on the MEP Advisory Board is available at 
http://www.nist.gov/mep/about/advisory-board.cfm.
    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 
U.S.C. app., notice is hereby given that the MEP Advisory Board will 
meet on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central 
Time. The meeting will be open to the public except for the closed 
session. The public portion of the meeting will include an update on 
MEP programmatic operations, as well as a discussion on current 
activities related to the MEP National Network\TM\ 2017-2022 Strategic 
Plan. During the closed session on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 from 11:30 
a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central Time the MEP Advisory Board will discuss the 
status of developing the MEP National Network\TM\ 2023-2028 Strategic 
Plan.
    The agenda may change to accommodate committee business. The final 
agenda will be posted on the MEP Advisory Board website at http://www.nist.gov/mep/about/advisory-board.cfm.
    Individuals and representatives of organizations who would like to 
offer comments and suggestions related to the MEP Advisory Board's 
business are invited to request a place on the agenda. Approximately 15 
minutes will be reserved for public comments at the end of the meeting. 
Speaking times will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. 
The amount of time per speaker will be determined by the number of 
requests received but is likely to be no more than three to five 
minutes each. Requests must be submitted by email to 
[email protected] and must be received by June 6, 2022 to be 
considered. The exact time for public comments will be included in the 
final agenda that will be posted on the MEP Advisory Board website at 
http://www.nist.gov/mep/about/advisory-board.cfm. Questions from the 
public will not be considered during this period. Speakers who wish to 
expand upon their oral statements, those who wished to speak but could 
not be accommodated on the agenda or those who are/were unable to 
attend the meeting are invited to submit written statements 
electronically by email to [email protected].
    The Acting Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for 
Administration, with the concurrence of the Assistant General Counsel 
for Employment, Litigation, and Information, formally determined, 
pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 
amended by Section 5(c) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, Public 
Law 94-409, that the meeting of the MEP Advisory Board may be partially 
closed to the public in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4), because 
the meeting is likely to disclose trade secrets and commercial or 
financial information obtained from a person and that are privileged or 
confidential. During the closed session, the Board will receive an 
update and initial findings from data analysis that was used to draft 
the MEP National Network\TM\ 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, which contains 
confidential and proprietary information. The data analyzed includes 
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Business Identifiable 
Information (BII) from MEP Centers' clients as well as additional 
confidential material that is managed by an independent third party for 
privacy and proprietary sensitivities. This data has been used to 
provide vital criterion and selection of an architecture for the new 
2023-2028 strategic plan.
    Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150(b), the Federal Register notice for 
this meeting is being published fewer than 15 calendar days prior to 
the meeting as exceptional circumstances exist. It is imperative that 
the meeting be held on June 8, 2022 to accommodate the scheduling 
priorities of the key participants. In addition, MEP did not become 
aware until recently that they would need to discuss the MEP National 
Network\TM\ 2023-2028 Strategic Plan at the June 2022 MEP Advisory 
Board Meeting, which necessitated commencing meeting closure procedures 
in accordance with 41 CFR 102-3.155; the original anticipate date for 
the discussion was August 2022. The Federal Register notice could not 
be published previously due to the need to accommodate the key 
participants' schedules, as well as the logistical and scheduling 
challenges of arranging for an in-person meeting as well as potential 
virtual options due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Admittance Instructions: Anyone wishing to attend the MEP Advisory 
Board meeting must submit their name, email address and phone number to 
Cheryl Gendron ([email protected] or 301-975-2785) no later than 
Monday, June 6, 2022, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Alicia Chambers,
Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2022-12130 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P