00-6719. Announcement of a Partially Closed Meeting of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board

AGENCY:

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of partially closed meeting.

SUMMARY:

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board (MEPNAB) will meet to hold a meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2000. The MEPNAB is composed of nine members appointed by the Director of NIST who were selected for their expertise in the area of industrial extension and their work on behalf of smaller manufacturers. The Board was set up, under the direction of the Director of NIST, to fill a need for outside input on MEP. MEP is a unique program consisting of centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The centers have been created by state, federal, and local partnerships.

The Board works closely with MEP to provide input and advice on MEP's programs, plans, and policies. The purpose of this meeting is to delve into areas of operation determined by the Board. The agenda includes a look at center operations from the national perspective of what best practices can be shared across the system and what is the best mechanism for doing so. The Board also plans to address how MEP measures impact and how that affects the operations at the center level. The portion of the meeting, which involves personnel and proprietary budget information, will be closed to the general public. All other portions of the meeting will be open to the public.

DATES AND ADDRESSES:

The meeting will convene on May 10, 2000, at 8:30 am and will adjourn at 3:30 pm and will be held at the Omni Rosen, Orlando, Florida. The closed portion of the meeting is scheduled from 8:30 am to 10:00 am

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Assistant Secretary for Administration with the concurrence of the General Counsel formally determined on December 21, 1998, pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, that these portions of the meeting may be properly closed because they are concerned with matters that are within the purview of 5 U.S.C. 522(c)(4), (6) and (9)(b). A copy of the determination is available for public inspection in the Central Reference and Records Inspection Facility, Room 6219, Main Commerce.

MEP's services to smaller manufacturers address the needs of the national market as well as the unique needs of each company. Since MEP is committed to providing this type of individualized service through its centers, the program requires the perspective of locally based experts to be incorporated into its national plans. The MEPNAB was established at the direction of the NIST Director to maintain MEP's focus on local and market-based needs. The MEPNAB was approved on October 24, 1996, in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2., to provide advice on MEP programs, plans, and policies; to assess the soundness of MEP plans and strategies; to assess the current performance against MEP program plans, and to function in an advisory capacity. The Board will meet three times a year and reports to the Director of NIST. This will be the second meeting of the MEPNAB in 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linda Acierto, Assistant to the Director for Policy, Manufacturing Extension Partnership, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, telephone number [phone].

Dated: March 10, 2000.

Karen H. Brown,

Deputy Director, NIST.