19 USC 2576 - Inquiry point

Collapse to view only § 2576a. Inquiry point

§ 2576. General
§ 2576a. Inquiry point
§ 2576b. Subpart definitions

§ 2576. General

(a) No bar to engaging in standards activity

Nothing in this subpart shall be construed—

(1) to prohibit a Federal agency from engaging in activity related to standards-related measures, including any such measure relating to safety, the protection of human, animal, or plant life or health, the environment or consumers; or

(2) to limit the authority of a Federal agency to determine the level it considers appropriate of safety or of protection of human, animal, or plant life or health, the environment or consumers.

(b) Exclusion

This subpart does not apply to—

(1) technical specifications prepared by a Federal agency for production or consumption requirements of the agency; or

(2) sanitary or phytosanitary measures under subpart 1.

(Pub. L. 96–39, title IV, § 471, as added Pub. L. 103–182, title III, § 351(a), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2120.)

§ 2576a. Inquiry point

The standards information center maintained under section 2544 of this title shall, in addition to the functions specified therein, make available to the public relevant documents, at such reasonable fees as the Secretary of Commerce may prescribe, and information regarding—

(1) the membership and participation of the Federal Government, State governments, and relevant nongovernmental bodies in the United States in international and regional standardizing bodies and conformity assessment systems, and in bilateral and multilateral arrangements regarding standards-related measures, and the provisions of those systems and arrangements;

(2) the location of notices of the type required under article 909 of the NAFTA, or where the information contained in such notice can be obtained; and

(3) the Federal agency procedures for assessment of risk, and factors the agency considers in conducting the assessment and establishing the levels of protection that the agency considers appropriate.

(Pub. L. 96–39, title IV, § 472, as added Pub. L. 103–182, title III, § 351(a), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2120.)

§ 2576b. Subpart definitionsNotwithstanding section 2571 of this title, for purposes of this subpart—

(1) Approval procedure

(2) Conformity assessment procedure

(3) ObjectiveThe term “objective” includes—

(A) safety,

(B) protection of human, animal, or plant life or health, the environment or consumers, including matters relating to quality and identifiability of goods or services, and

but does not include the protection of domestic production.

(4) Service

(5) StandardThe term “standard” means—

(A) characteristics for a good or a service,

(B) characteristics, rules, or guidelines for—

(i) processes or production methods relating to such good, or

(ii) operating methods relating to such service, and

(i) a good or its related process or production methods, or

(ii) a service or its related operating methods,

for common and repeated use, including explanatory and other related provisions set out in a document approved by a standardizing body, with which compliance is not mandatory.

(6) Standards-related measure

(7) Technical regulationThe term “technical regulation” means—

(A) characteristics or their related processes and production methods for a good,

(B) characteristics for a service or its related operating methods, or

(i) a good or its related process or production method, or

(ii) a service or its related operating method,

set out in a document, including applicable administrative, explanatory, and other related provisions, with which compliance is mandatory.

(8) Telecommunications service

(Pub. L. 96–39, title IV, § 473, as added Pub. L. 103–182, title III, § 351(a), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2120.)