Collapse to view only § 271. Findings and purposes
- § 271. Findings and purposes
- § 272. Establishment, functions, and activities
- § 272a. Technology services
- § 272b. Annual budget submission
- § 273. Functions; for whom exercised
- § 273a. Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
- § 274. Director; powers and duties; report; compensation
- § 275. Hiring critical technical experts
- § 275a. Service charges
- § 275b. Charges for activities performed for other agencies
- § 275c. Cost recovery authority
- § 276. Ownership of facilities
- § 277. Regulations
- § 278. Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology
- § 278a. Repealed.
- § 278b. Working Capital Fund
- § 278c. Acquisition of land for field sites
- § 278d. Construction and improvement of buildings and facilities
- § 278e. Functions and activities
- § 278f. Fire Research Center
- § 278g. International activities
- § 278g-1. Education and outreach
- § 278g-2. Post-doctoral fellowship program
- § 278g-2a. Teacher science and technology enhancement Institute program
- § 278g-3. Computer standards program
- § 278g-3a. Definitions
- § 278g-3b. Security standards and guidelines for agencies on use and management of Internet of Things devices
- § 278g-3c. Guidelines on the disclosure process for security vulnerabilities relating to information systems, including Internet of Things devices
- § 278g-3d. Implementation of coordinated disclosure of security vulnerabilities relating to agency information systems, including Internet of Things devices
- § 278g-3e. Contractor compliance with coordinated disclosure of security vulnerabilities relating to agency Internet of Things devices
- § 278g-4. Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board
- § 278g-5. Enterprise integration initiative
- § 278h. Research program on security of computer systems
- § 278h-1. Standards for artificial intelligence
- § 278i. Reports to Congress
- § 278j. Studies by National Research Council
- § 278k. Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership
- § 278k-1. Competitive awards program
- § 278k-2. Expansion awards pilot program
- § 278l. Assistance to State technology programs
- § 278m. Repealed.
- § 278n. Repealed.
- § 278n-1. Emergency communication and tracking technologies research initiative
- § 278n-2. Green manufacturing and construction
- § 278o. User fees
- § 278p. Notice to Congress
- § 278q. Appropriations; availability
- § 278r. Collaborative manufacturing research pilot grants
- § 278s. Manufacturing USA
- § 278t. Advanced communications research activities
- § 278u. Xylazine detection and analysis
- § 279. Absence of Director
- §§ 280, 281. Repealed.
- § 281a. Structural failures
- § 282. Repealed.
- § 282a. Assessment of emerging technologies requiring research in metrology
- § 283. Repealed.
- § 284. Omitted
- §§ 285, 286. Repealed.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology shall annually submit to the Congress, at the time of the release of the President’s budget, a three year budget estimate for the Institute, including funding estimates for each major account and new initiative.
The Institute is authorized to exercise its functions for the Government of the United States and for international organizations of which the United States is a member; for governments of friendly countries; for any State or municipal government within the United States; or for any scientific society, educational institution, firm, corporation, or individual within the United States or friendly countries engaged in manufacturing or other pursuits requiring the use of standards or standard measuring instruments: Provided, That the exercise of these functions for international organizations, governments of friendly countries and scientific societies, educational institutions, firms, corporations, or individuals therein shall be in coordination with other agencies of the United States Government, in particular the Department of State in respect to foreign entities. All requests for the services of the Institute shall be made in accordance with the rules and regulations herein established.
The Director shall report directly to the Secretary and shall have the general supervision of the Institute, its equipment, and the exercise of its functions. The Director shall make an annual report to the Secretary of Commerce. The Director may issue, when necessary, bulletins for public distribution, containing such information as may be of value to the public or facilitate the exercise of the functions of the Institute.
The Secretary shall charge for services performed under the authority of section 273 of this title, except in cases where he determines that the interest of the Government would be best served by waiving the charge. Such charges may be based upon fixed prices or costs. The appropriation or fund bearing the cost of the services may be reimbursed, or the Secretary may require advance payment subject to such adjustment on completion of the work as may be agreed upon.
The Secretary of Commerce shall charge for any service performed by the Institute, at the request of another Government agency, in compliance with any statute, enacted before, on, or after October 6, 1982, which names the Secretary or the Institute as a consultant to another Government agency, or calls upon the Secretary or the Institute to support or perform any activity for or on behalf of another Government agency, or to cooperate with any Government agency in the performance by that agency of any activity, regardless of whether the statute specifically requires reimbursement to the Secretary or the Institute by such other Government agency for such service, unless funds are specifically appropriated to the Secretary or the Institute to perform such service. The Secretary may, however, waive any charge where the service rendered by the Institute is such that the Institute will incur only nominal costs in performing it. Costs shall be determined in accordance with section 278b(e) of this title.
Fees for calibration services, standard reference materials, and other comparable services provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall be at least sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in the amendments made by subsection (a),1
In the absence of specific agreement to the contrary, additional facilities, including equipment, purchased pursuant to the performance of services authorized by section 273 of this title shall become the property of the Department of Commerce.
The Secretary of Commerce shall, from time to time, make regulations regarding the payment of fees, the limits of tolerance to be attained in standards submitted for verification, the sealing of standards, the disbursement and receipt of moneys, and such other matters as he may deem necessary for carrying this chapter into effect.
To the extent that funds are specifically appropriated therefor, the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to acquire land for such field sites as are necessary for the proper and efficient conduct of the activities authorized herein.
In the performance of the functions of the Institute the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to undertake the following activities: (a) The purchase, repair, and cleaning of uniforms for guards; (b) the care, maintenance, protection, repair, and alteration of Institute buildings and other plant facilities, equipment, and property; (c) the rental of field sites and laboratory, office, and warehouse space; (d) the purchase of reprints from technical journals or other periodicals and the payment of page charges for the publication of research papers and reports in such journals; (e) the furnishing of food and shelter without repayment therefor to employees of the Government at Arctic and Antarctic stations; (f) for the conduct of observations on radio propagation phenomena in the Arctic or Antarctic regions, the appointment of employees at base rates established by the Secretary of Commerce which shall not exceed such maximum rates as may be specified from time to time in the appropriation concerned, and without regard to the civil service and classification laws and sections 5542 to 5546 of title 5; (g) the erection on leased property of specialized facilities and working and living quarters when the Secretary of Commerce determines that this will best serve the interests of the Government; and (h) the provision of transportation services for employees of the Institute between the facilities of the Institute and nearby public transportation, notwithstanding section 1344 of title 31.
Appropriations to carry out the provisions of this chapter may remain available for obligation and expenditure for such period or periods as may be specified in the Acts making such appropriations.
In the case of the absence of the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology the Secretary of Commerce may designate some officer of said Institute to perform the duties of the director during his absence.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, on its own initiative but only after consultation with local authorities, may initiate and conduct investigations to determine the causes of structural failures in structures which are used or occupied by the general public. No part of any report resulting from such investigation, or from an investigation under the National Construction Safety Team Act [15 U.S.C. 7301 et seq.], shall be admitted as evidence or used in any suit or action for damages arising out of any matter mentioned in such report.
The Board of Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall include, as part of its annual review, an assessment of emerging technologies which are expected to require research in metrology to keep the Institute abreast of its mission, including process and quality control, engineering databases, advanced materials, electronics and fiber optics, bioprocess engineering, and advanced computing concepts. Such review shall include estimates of the cost of the required effort, required staffing levels, appropriate interaction with industry, including technology transfer, and the period over which the research will be required.