What's New @ IEEE-USA - Eye On Washington

1) CAPITOL HILL WATCH

• Congressional Response to the American Competitiveness Initiative

• New Legislation of Interest

2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH

• State of the Union: The American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI)

• State of the Union: Advanced Energy Initiative

• For those who like obscure statistics

• Other Hi-Lites of the Administration's FY 2007 Budget

• H1-B Cap Needs to Go Says Bush

3) REPORTS, SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

• Baby Boomer and Generation X Workers Agree When it Comes to Voluntary Benefits, Says Aon Consulting

4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY

5) U.S. STATES WATCH

6) AWARDS & GRANTS

7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS and SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING

• 2007 Government Fellowships

• WISE Program Seeks Senior Science & Technology Public Policy Advisor to Engineering Students (Nine Week Summer Position)

• University of California Irvine IMSURE

8) LATEST IEEE-USA ACTIVITIES

• Track IEEE-USA's Progress

• Mark Your Calendar for Congressional Visits Day

• ANSI to host celebratory reception Marking 10th Anniversary of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act - IEEE-USA to Co-Sponsor

9) U.S. COMPETITIVENESS & INNOVATION: WHO'S DOING WHAT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?

• IEEE-USA Resource Web Page - U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge

10) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST

1) CAPITOL HILL WATCH

• Congressional Response to the ACI

See below.

• Legislation of Interest

1) S.2109 A bill to provide national innovation initiative -- sponsored by Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.02109:

Congress makes the following findings:

…The United States is the most innovative Nation in the world. Since our Nation's founding, exploration, opportunity, and discovery have remained essential to fulfilling our Nation's strategic economic and political objectives.

… America's future economic and national security will largely depend on the creativity and commitment of our Nation to unleash its innovation capacity.

… The United States investment in basic research is currently insufficient to meet the challenges we face.

…Federal support for basic research in the physical sciences has consistently lagged behind that given to the life sciences in recent years.

The purposes of this Act are to:

…make innovation a fundamental economic priority for the United States;

…develop greater numbers of American scientists, mathematicians, and engineers

…enhance the quality of math and science education at all levels;

…increase the Federal Government's investment in basic research, especially in the physical sciences…

2) S. 2248 A bill to establish the Math and Science Teaching Corps, sponsored by Charles Schumer (D-NY).  The House companion is H.R. 4705, sponsored by Jim Saxton (R-NJ). (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04705:)

3) HR 4734 A bill to establish a comprehensive education program to bolster the economic competitiveness and national security of the United States by promoting science, technology, engineering, and math education, careers, and capacity, as well as foreign language acquisition, sponsored by Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.). Bill text not yet available.

2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH

• State of the Union: The American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI)

The big news in the President's 2006 State of the Union speech was the announcement of a multi-part American Competitiveness Initiative –the theme being, "America's economic strength and global leadership depend on innovation." The ACI will be funded with $136 billion over the next 10 years, not including the cost of hiring tens of thousands of math and science teachers. Most of the money would be used for tax credits and to double spending on government research in the physical sciences at NSF, NIST, and the DOE Office of Science. The elements of the ACI include:

--Increased support for research and development

--Strengthening math and science education

--Strengthening university programs for teacher education, new graduates in STEM fields, etc.     

--Immigration reform to make it easier for foreign students to study at U.S. universities, and attract and retain the best and the brightest high-skilled workers from around the world

--A better environment for R&D by making the R&D tax credit permanent

--Improved environment for small business development

Also, as part of ACI, the President's fiscal year 2007 budget introduces Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) – self-managed accounts of up to $3,000 that workers and people looking for work can use to obtain training and other employment services.

In FY 2007, ACI commits $5.9 billion. The funding details are:

- about $900 million for research

- $4.6 billion for tax credits

- $380 million for education to improve the quality of math, science, and technological education in our K-12 schools and engage every child in rigorous courses that teach important analytical, technical, and problem-solving skills. Since education is the gateway to opportunity and the foundation of a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy, the initiative aims to prepare Americans to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. Building on the No Child Left Behind Act, the ACI will raise student achievement in math and science through testing and accountability, by providing grants for targeted interventions, and by developing curricula based on proven methods of instruction. The ACI education component includes:

1) The Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Certification Program to help teachers with certification and expand access of low-income students to AP/IB coursework by training 70,000 additional teachers over five years.

2) An Adjunct Teacher Corps to encourage up to 30,000 private math and science professionals over eight years to part-time in K-12 classrooms.

3) The Math Now Initiative for elementary school students and Math Now for Middle School Students to promote promising and research-based practices in math instruction, prepare students for more rigorous math courses, and diagnose and remedy the deficiencies of students who lack math proficiency.

4) New Tax-Sheltered Career Advancement Accounts - tax-sheltered, for training and going back to school.

5) Immigration Reform - for students, streamlining of immigration system to make it easier for the best students from around the world to study at American universities.

"It is, in effect, a renaissance for United States science and global competitiveness," said Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman. He and the cabinet members depicted the proposal as an effort to keep the U.S. at the forefront of worldwide research and worker-training efforts, as former developing nations such as India and China begin to produce more scientists and engineers of their own. Bodman and the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, Jack Marburger, also warned Congress not to earmark the additional research money Bush will propose for projects in their states and districts.

"The only way we can ensure the best possible application of these funds is by sticking to the peer-review process," Marburger said.

Congressional Response to the ACI

Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) was pleased with the science policy initiatives in the President's State of the Union address, saying, "The President is doing exactly the right thing in focusing on science, math and engineering research and education. The nation needs new investments and new approaches in research and education if we are to remain competitive and prosperous. This initiative should be embraced by the nation's business and academic leaders, who have been calling for just this sort of effort to protect our economic future."

Boehlert noted that he has been actively pushing for a competitiveness initiative along the lines the President is proposing. In December he met with Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua Bolten to discuss R&D funding, and he helped organize the National Summit on Innovation that brought together more than 50 Chief Executive Officers from industry and university presidents to meet with cabinet officials to discuss concerns about research and education. In addition, the Science Committee held several hearings last year to draw attention to these issues, including a hearing in October on the National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm.  The recommendations in that report are the basis of many of the President's ACI proposals as well as the PACE package of legislation introduced in the Senate in January.

Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA) said, "The President has laid out a clear strategy to ensure that American workers continue to be the best educated in the world. America's future depends on our technological innovation through the hard sciences. I will work with the President and my colleagues to ensure strong funding for our science programs and agencies, including NASA, in order to retain our global competitiveness and grow our economy through the next generation."

Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee Chairman Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI), who also helped organize the National Summit on Innovation, said, "To maintain our economic competitiveness and national security, it is crucial that the federal government plays a strong role in strengthening our country's math and science education. Such investments will create an innovative workforce that will ensure U.S. economic health."

Energy Subcommittee Chairman Judy Biggert (R-IL) said, "Our dependence on foreign energy sources is our Achilles heel, not just in the realm of diplomacy, but in terms of our future as the world's economic leader.  No one has opened a heating bill, or filled up at the pump, and not felt the pangs of worry about our budgets, not to mention our future. We have to stop thinking 'oil and gas' and start thinking 'nuclear, hydrogen, and other alternative sources' that our advanced technologies have made possible.  Our future competitiveness relies on science and technology, and the President got it right tonight."

"As Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over our nation's energy laboratories, I look forward to guiding through my subcommittee a number of exciting proposals the President put forward tonight to end our reliance on oil and gas and improve our energy security."

Research Subcommittee Chairman Bob Inglis (R-SC) said, "Now is the time to put the pedal to the metal on developing hydrogen and other fuels of the future. Finding a replacement fuel like hydrogen would give Americans energy security, create new jobs and clean up the air."

IEEE-USA issued a press release congratulating the President on the announcement.  Read it here.

Industry Response

The technology industry was happy that the White House finally heard their pleas for better science and math education, and improved funding for basic research. "We are just so excited," said Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness. A year ago, her group released an influential report called the National Innovation Initiative (NII), and many regard it as the first galvanizing document on the threat to American competitiveness. Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat, and the National Academy of Sciences report Rising Above the Gathering Storm, followed the NII report. And then, in 2006 came the PACE bills. AeA President Bill Archey said. "Something's going to happen this year."

Others also weighed in on elements of the ACI. Roger Cochetti, with the Computing Technology Industry Association, was particularly happy to hear the administration's new emphasis on worker training and its proposal to give workers up to $3,000 for career advancement schooling. "Where the American worker can get the ongoing training he or she needs, they'll be better equipped to compete with the world," Cochetti said in a statement.

• State of the Union: Advanced Energy Initiative

Also in the 2006 State of the Union address, the President announced that his 2007 budget will fund the Advanced Energy Initiative, providing for a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy (DOE). The Initiative will accelerate breakthroughs in two areas; how we power our homes and businesses; and how we power our automobiles.

Power for homes and businesses:

Coal Research Initiative. To tap the potential of America's enormous coal reserves, the 2007 Budget includes $281 million for development of clean coal technologies.

FutureGen Initiative. Proposes $54 million for a partnership between government and the private sector to develop innovative technologies for an emissions-free coal plant that captures the carbon dioxide it produces and stores it in deep geologic formations.

Solar America Initiative. Proposes $148 million - an increase of $65 million over FY 2006 - to accelerate the development of semiconductor materials that convert sunlight directly to electricity.

Wind Energy Initiative. Proposes $44 million for wind energy research – a $5 million increase over FY 2006 levels. This will help improve the efficiency and lower the costs of new wind technologies for use in low-speed wind environments.

Power For Automobiles:

Biorefinery Initiative. Proposes $150 million - a $59 million increase over FY 2006 - to help develop bio-based transportation fuels from agricultural waste products, such as wood chips, stalks, or switch grass.

 

Developing More Efficient Vehicles. Proposes $30 million - a $6.7 million increase over FY06 - to accelerate research in the next generation of battery technology for hybrid vehicles and 'plug-in hybrids. Current hybrids run on a battery developed at the DOE, and they can only use the gasoline engine to charge the on-board battery. A 'plug-in' hybrid can run either on electricity or on gasoline and can be plugged into the wall at night to recharge its batteries. These vehicles will enable drivers to meet most of their urban commuting needs with virtually no gasoline use. Advanced battery technologies offer the potential to significantly reduce oil consumption in the near-term.

Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. Proposes $289 million - an increase of $53 million over FY 2006 – to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cells and affordable hydrogen-powered cars.

• For those who like obscure statistics

When it comes to highlighting information technology in State of the Union addresses, Presidents Bush rank far behind President Clinton. In his first five addresses, Bush the Younger made 14 mentions of "technology" and none of "Internet" or "broadband." This year, his mentions were upped a total of 21. Bush the Elder mentioned "technology" seven times in four addresses. In contrast, Clinton used "technology" 41 times in his eight addresses and mentioned the "Internet" 18 times. Although the first mention of the Internet came in 1997, Clinton prominently mentioned the "information superhighway" twice in 1994. President Reagan mentioned IT 19 times in seven addresses. Reagan did not deliver a speech in the weeks after his first inauguration. The raw totals come from an analysis of 25 State of the Union addresses conducted by Technology Daily.

• Other Hi-lights of the Administration’s FY 2007 Budget:

Health and Human Services Department – HHS receives $697 billion to be used for protecting the U.S. against potential threats and improving U.S. healthcare quality. The funding request represents a 9.1 percent increase over fiscal 2006. (Full text in PDF form.)

$2.3 billion to combat pandemic flu ($352 million for preparedness activities and $79 million to coordinate international activities for the development and deployment of detection of the virus).

 

$3 billion a public health emergency fund, which would provide for a vaccine against the flu virus for every American within six months of U.S. detection of the flu

 

$169 million to ensure there are certified technology products and nationwide interoperability standards, which should help purchasers of health IT have confidence in the investments they make. That amount includes $116 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; $50 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; and $3 million for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

$50 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to evaluate and implement health IT systems in an effort to improve care.

Department of Justice  - DoJ receives $19.5 billion, less than the FY 2006 $21.7 billion that Congress approved. Much of the money, including tech-related spending, would go toward fighting terrorism, the agency's number one priority. (Full text in PDF form.)

The DoJ budget request reflects four main goals: terrorism, enforcement of federal laws ($9 billion), funding for local and tribal authorities to reduce crime ($2.9 billion), improvement of the operations of the federal courts and prison systems ($7.8 billion).

The FBI budget increases to $6 billion. The amount includes money for DoJ's new national security division, which would get $19.3 million to deal with "increased workload" of intelligence searches and surveillances, oversight of the intelligence community, and monitoring of the FBI's foreign intelligence and counterintelligence investigations.

The requested amounts for national security are part of an overall request of $286.1 million for enhancements to DoJ's ability to identify, track and extinguish terrorist cells' operations domestically and abroad. Almost half of that, or $100 million, would go toward the FBI's case-management infrastructure, which the FBI has dubbed Sentinel. Briefing documents said Sentinel will provide Internet-based access for its users and an improved search and indexing capability that will yield access to relevant data. The program also will function as an electronic system focusing on records, workflow and evidence management.

The budget proposal also asks for $8.3 million to build a nationwide system to improve DoJ's ability to securely share classified information with local and state authorities.

National Science Foundation – receives $6 billion, $439 million more than appropriated in FY 2006. NSF is one of the leading funding mechanisms for the new American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI). The White House wants to double NSF's budget over 10 years. Director Arden Bement said the money would fund 500 new research grants that could affect 16,000 graduate-level researchers and professors. (Full text in PDF form.)

NSF received $597 million of the big ACI pot of money which the administration wants to use to boost R&D on networking and information technology. That includes $182 million for NSF's cyber infrastructure funding, up $55 million. The agency is increasing funding to build the next generation of supercomputers to run at petabyte speeds. A petabyte is 1 quadrillion bytes. The agency wants to spend $50 million on computer acquisition -- and another $25 million on supercomputer software development.

Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) - receives $904 million, an increase of 11.5 percent from 2006, to support fundamental research in information, computer, and communications sciences.

The 2007 Budget funds approximately 50 new nanotechnology interdisciplinary research teams.

The budget also seeks $35 million for Cyber Trust, a program that focuses research on protecting networks and computers from attack, and $640 million to educate and attract more women and minorities into scientific fields, and $104 million for elementary and secondary education in science, technology and math.

Department of Energy – "America's economic strength depends in part on our Nation’s rich tradition of scientific and technological innovation and leadership. Because investment in fundamental research in the physical sciences provides the foundation for such innovation, the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative proposes a significant, sustained investment in the areas of the basic research portfolio of the Department of Energy (DOE) that promise to deliver the scientific breakthroughs that will transform our future." (Full text in PDF Form.)

DoE receives $23.6 billion overall, $4.1 billion of that is for science and research programs, and $319 million for advanced scientific computing research. The funding would include research on the application of computer simulation and modeling to scientific problems. The budget proposal also includes $80 million to build the world's fastest supercomputer and $45 million to begin the development of an x-ray microscope facility. The President further proposed a boost to nanotechnology research - the National Nanotechnology Initiative would receive $1.3 billion - as well as funding for the completion of five nanoscience research centers.

Department of Commerce - "The Administration supports competitively awarded, merit-based funding of science programs."  (Full text in PDF form.)

National Institutes of Standards and Technology - receives $467 million for scientific and technical research, up $68 million from the $399 million Congress appropriated last year.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership - reduced to $47 million. Of that, $4.5 million would be earmarked for manufacturers in the Gulf of Mexico region that were impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year. "...the program has evolved to a stage where less Federal support is required, and MEP offers services that are also provided by private entities."

Advanced Technology Program - eliminated due to the growth of venture capital and other financing resources for high-tech projects. "There is little evidence of the need for this federal program."

 

Technology Administration - reduced to about $1.5 million in an effort to "streamline" the office. The office works to improve the U.S.' technological competitiveness.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration – NTIA would receive $18 million under the Administration's fiscal year 2007 budget, versus $40 million in 2006. Of that, $6 million is for telecommunications sciences research. But because of the digital television transition, the agency still plans to spend more money next year than this year. On top of its $18 million budget proposal, NTIA plans to spend $45 million in borrowed, interest-free funds expected to be recouped later from the January 2008 auction of spectrum in the DTV transition.  As you may know, analog broadcasting will cease 17 February 2009, freeing 60 megahertz of spectrum for auction. Revenue from the auction will be slated in future years to fund various communications priorities and to reduce the deficit. Those frequencies are expected to recoup $12-$29 billion.

• H1-B Cap Needs to Go Says Bush

The President continued touting some of the elements in his 2006 State of the Union speech with additional speeches around the U.S.  At 3M Corp. Headquarters in MN, he called for Congress to lift the caps on H1-B visas.  Read the full text of the speech at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060202-1.html

"… there's another issue that I want to discuss … there are more high-tech jobs in America today than people available to fill them. …so what do we do about that? And the reason it's important, and the American citizen has got to understand it's important, is if we don't do something about how to fill those high-tech jobs here, they'll go somewhere else where somebody can do the job."

"And so one way to deal with this problem, and probably the most effective way, is to recognize that there's a lot of bright engineers and chemists and physicists from other lands that are either educated here, or received an education elsewhere but want to work here. And they come here under a program called H1B visas. And the problem is, is that Congress has limited the number of H1B visas that can come and apply for a job -- a H1B visa holder can apply for a job at 3M. I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled here in America -- to limit their number. And so I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable and raise that cap."

3) REPORTS, SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

• Baby Boomer and Generation X Workers Agree When it Comes to Voluntary

Benefits, Says Aon Consulting

Employees Value Voluntary Benefits, but Few Employers Measure Program

Success. Results from the Aon Consulting study, titled "What's Hot and What's Not in

Voluntary Benefits," are based on responses from 83 U.S. employers. Forty-three percent of these companies have 500 or fewer employees, 23 percent have between 500 and 2,000 workers, 24 percent have a workforce of 2,000 to 10,000 and 10 percent have more than 10,000 employees.  To view the results, read http://www.aon.com/us/busi/hc_consulting/employee_benefits_cons/06_vb_survey_results.jsp

4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY

None at this time.

5) US STATES WATCH

None at this time.

6) AWARDS & GRANTS

• AAAS Grant Site

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has a service called GrantsNet Express.  Each week GrantsNet will provide a listing of science funding opportunities from private foundations and organizations, and new U.S. government grant announcements in the sciences. AAAS will send GrantsNet by e-mail to AAAS member subscribers. The weekly emails will include: — New science funding programs, divided into opportunities for postdocs/graduate students and undergraduates — Submission deadlines for funding opportunities scheduled in the upcoming week — New listings of funding for science-related grant programs from U.S. government agencies To register, visit http://www2.sciencecareers.org/promos/grantsubmit.asp

• National Science Foundation

NSF Awards First Partnership for International Research and Education Grants - a program aimed at fortifying international research collaborations and engage U.S. scientists and engineers. In 2005, PIRE was run as a one-time, pilot competition. The NSF has awarded the first grants but hopes to run the program again in the near future. The grants range in size and duration, with most about $2.5 million over five years. For more info, visit http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12819 and http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=105766.

7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS & SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING

• 2007 Congressional & State Department Fellowships

An engineer once changed careers to serve as Calvin Coolidge's Vice President. As vice president, Charles Dawes influenced the public policy process and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Dawes might be an extreme example, but that doesn't mean engineers can't influence the public policy process in other ways.  If you don't want to run for office but would like to take a year off from your regular job, IEEE-USA is now accepting applications for the 2007 government fellowship program that links engineers with government.  Our 2006 fellows have arrived in DC and are working on issues such as space & aviation, and telecommunications reform. For more information on what past fellows have learned and experienced, see http://ieeeusa.com/policy/govfel/cfalumni.html.  The deadline is 20 February 2006 and application materials are available at:http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/default.asp

• WISE Program Seeks Senior Science & Technology Public Policy Advisor to Engineering Students (Nine Week Summer Position)

An outstanding individual capable of teaching and mentoring engineering students on the interaction between engineering, technology, and public policy is sought to serve as Advisor-In-Residence (AIR) for the 2006 WISE Program (Washington Internships for Students of Engineering).For more information, please visit: http://www.wise-intern.org/advisor.htmlView a PDF of the announcement, here:  http://www.wise-intern.org/FMR/WISEAdvisor.pdf

• University of California Irvine IMSURE

The Integrated Micro/Nano Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (IMSURE) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), provides a unique 10-week summer research opportunity for undergraduates to become fully immersed in cutting-edge micro/nano research and applications. Online Application : http://www.urop.uci.edu/im-sure.html  Application Deadline: 03/13/2006

8) LATEST IEEE-USA ACTIVITIES

• Track IEEE-USA's Progress

Review IEEE-USA's year-to-date progress in working for the IEEE's U.S. members at the new IEEE-USA Year-in-Review Web page. Check out what IEEE-USA activities and programs helped the IEEE's U.S. members in 2004 at the new IEEE-USA Annual Report online. And find out what's on IEEE-USA's agenda through 2009, with the new, online IEEE-USA Strategic & Operational Plan.For the IEEE-USA Year-in-Review, go to: http://www.ieeeusa.org/about/yearinreview.asp

For the IEEE-USA Annual Report, go to: http://www.ieeeusa.org/about/Annual_Report/2004.pdf

For the IEEE-USA Strategic & Operational Plan, go to:

http://www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/strategicplan/index.html

Also, full listing of IEEE-USA lobbying activities can be found on our web site at: http://ieeeusa.com/policy/policy/index.html

• Mark Your Calendar for Congressional Visits Day

The annual CVD has been set for 28-29 March, and is expected to bring over 250 scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology executives to Washington to raise visibility and support for science, engineering, and technology. Registration form. Flyer for distribution.

More information, visit http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/cvd/index.html.

• ANSI to host celebratory reception Marking 10th Anniversary of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act - IEEE-USA to Co-Sponsor

2006 marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA), legislation that has had far reaching benefits for the standardization community and the nation as a whole. The NTTAA compelled federal agencies to turn decisively to consensus based, voluntary standards as alternatives to specifications that had previously been developed only for government use.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will host a celebratory reception on 6 March 2006, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to commemorate the Act and provide an opportunity for further networking between representatives of the private and public sectors.  IEEE-USA and IEEE SA will cohost the event.

ANSI also plans to publish a special edition of the ANSI Reporter as a tribute to the NTTAA, which will include perspectives on the legacy of the Act from various government agencies. The Standards Engineering Society is also publishing a summary of case studies and success stories about implementation of the NTTAA that showcases how standards developing organizations have worked with government under the auspices of the NTTAA. Both publications are expected to be available soon.

The streamlined approach to standards development and implementation central to the NTTAA has saved billions of dollars by using consensus standards for procurement purposes and mitigating overlap and conflict in regulations. During the last decade, tremendous progress has been made in the cooperative standardization efforts of industry and government. Significant accomplishments have been realized in critical areas such as health and safety, security and defense, protection of the environment, and technological advancement.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) serves as coordinator under the auspices of the Act and works with other federal agencies and state and local governments to achieve greater reliance on voluntary standards and lessened dependence on in-house standards. The NTTAA also requires that NIST provide guidance on conformity assessment activities to allow each agency to use its resources more efficiently. For more information on the NTTAA and related celebratory events, click here.

9) U.S. COMPETITIVENESS & INNOVATION: WHO'S DOING WHAT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?

• IEEE-USA Resource  Web Page

U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge http://ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/innovation/index.html

10) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST

None at this time.

Top of Page | What's New@IEEE | EyeOnWash Archive | IEEE-USA

What's New @ IEEE-USA's Eye on Washington highlights important federal legislative and regulatory developments that affect U.S. engineers and their careers. In addition to this biweekly newsletter, subscribers receive legislative bulletins and action alerts on IEEE-USA priority issues, including: retirement security, employment benefits, research & development funding, computers and information policy, immigration reform, intellectual property protection and privacy of health/medical information.

EDITOR: Erica Wissolik, IEEE-USA, 2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036-5104

You can change your IEEE-USA Eye on Washington subscription status by using the forms at http://whatsnew.ieee.org/ or at http://www.ieeeusa.org/emailupdates/.

Copyright © 2005, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.  Permission granted to copy for personal use or for non-commercial republication with appropriate attribution.

Updated: 10 February 2006
Contact: e . wissolik @ ieee . org