03-23177. Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board

AGENCY:

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 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 Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board (MEPNAB), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will meet Thursday, September 25, 2003, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 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 established 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 update the board on the latest program developments at MEP including a MEP Metrics Update and a presentation on What Fuels China's Growth. Discussions scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and to end at 3:30 p.m. on September 25, 2003, on MEP budget issues will be closed. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Anyone wishing to attend this meeting must register 48 hours in advance in order to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Carolyn Peters no later than Tuesday, September 23, 2003, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Ms. Peter's email address is [e-mail] and her phone number is 301/975-5607.

DATES:

The meeting will convene September 25, 2003 at 8 a.m. and will adjourn at 3:30 p.m. on September 25, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held in the Employees' Lounge, Administration Building, at NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899. Please note admittance instructions under SUMMARY paragraph.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carrie Hines, Manufacturing Extension Partnership, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-4800, telephone number [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Assistant Secretary for Administration, with the concurrence of the General Counsel, formally determined on March 11, 2003, that portions of the meeting which involve discussion of proposed funding of the MEP may be closed in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B), because that portion will divulge matters the premature disclosure of which would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of proposed agency actions; and that portions of the meeting which involve discussion of the staffing of positions in MEP may be closed in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6), because divulging information discussed in that portion of the meeting is likely to reveal information of a personal nature, where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Dated: September 5, 2003.

Arden L. Bement, Jr.,

Director.