[802SEC] FCC folks should now be able to pay their own way
http://www.ansi.org/public/news/2001dec/ANSI_amendment.html
Congress Passes "ANSI Amendment" in Defense Authorization Bill
Protects over 4,000 standards activities with federal participation
New York, December 14, 2001: Yesterday, the House and Senate approved the
conference report on the long awaited $343 billion Department of Defense
Authorization Bill (S.1438), including the "ANSI Amendment"
added by the Senate, sending the bill to President Bush who is expected
to sign it.
The final passage marks the successful conclusion of a nearly six-month
effort initiated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), to
make a legislative change to protect the ability of federal government
employees to attend and participate in standards development
activities. The amendment clarifies that a 1912 law prohibiting the
government from paying the expenses related to an individual's attendance
at meetings or conventions if they are members of a society or
association does not apply when the employee is participating in
agency-related standards activities.
ANSI's survey determined that over 4,000 standards committees or
activities currently benefit from the active involvement of federal
participants from a broad array of federal agencies. For example, the
Department of Defense (DoD) lists more than 550 personnel who are
involved in the standards work of over 30 standards developing
organizations. The loss of DoD participation would have been devastating,
both to the standards developers who rely on the expertise from DoD
participation, and for DoD itself, which could have lost its ability to
affect the substance of standards it uses to equip and supply the armed
forces. DoD has replaced over 9,000 military specifications with
voluntary consensus standards.
Nearly 50 standards developing organizations responded to ANSI's survey
earlier this year, expressing strong support for the effort to change the
law and prevent the loss of federal participation in standards
development.
Dave Karmol, ANSI director of public policy and government affairs,
thanked Counsel Jim Turner of the House Science Committee for his efforts
to get the amendment added to the bill as well as Senators Joseph
Lieberman (D-CT) and Rick Santorum (R-PA) who co-sponsored the amendment
in the Senate, and ANSI Government Members and Organizational Members who
assisted in the effort to change the law.
For more information on the "ANSI Amendment," please contact
Mr. Karmol at (t) 202.293.3610 or (e) dkarmol@ansi.org. [Editor's note:
See also, ANSI Online News story, Senate Passes "ANSI
Amendment" to Ensure Continued Federal Government Participation in
Standards Development.]