§ 278. — Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 15USC278]
TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
CHAPTER 7--NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
Sec. 278. Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology
(a) Establishment; appointment; membership and composition; review and
recommendations
There is established within the Institute a Visiting Committee on
Advanced Technology (hereafter in this chapter referred to as the
``Committee''). The Committee shall consist of 15 members appointed by
the Director, at least 10 of whom shall be from United States industry.
The Director shall appoint as original members of the Committee any
final members of the National Bureau of Standards Visiting Committee who
wish to serve in such capacity. In addition to any powers and functions
otherwise granted to it by this chapter, the Committee shall review and
make recommendations regarding general policy for the Institute, its
organization, its budget, and its programs within the framework of
applicable national policies as set forth by the President and the
Congress.
(b) Qualifications; recommendations for appointment
The persons appointed as members of the Committee--
(1) shall be eminent in fields such as business, research, new
product development, engineering, labor, education, management
consulting, environment, and international relations;
(2) shall be selected solely on the basis of established records
of distinguished service;
(3) shall not be employees of the Federal Government; and
(4) shall be so selected as to provide representation of a
cross-section of the traditional and emerging United States
industries.
The Director is requested, in making appointments of persons as members
of the Committee, to give due consideration to any recommendations which
may be submitted to the Director by the National Academies, professional
societies, business associations, labor associations, and other
appropriate organizations.
(c) Terms of office; eligibility
(1) The term of office of each member of the Committee, other than
the original members, shall be 3 years; except that any member appointed
to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for
which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder
of such term. Any person who has completed two consecutive full terms of
service on the Committee shall thereafter be ineligible for appointment
during the one-year period following the expiration of the second such
term.
(2) The original members of the Committee shall be elected to three
classes of three members each; one class shall have a term of one year,
one a term of two years, and the other a term of three years.
(d) Meetings; quorum; notice
The Committee shall meet at least quarterly at the call of the
Chairman or whenever one-third of the members so request in writing. A
majority of the members of the Committee not having a conflict of
interest in the matter being considered by the Committee shall
constitute a quorum. Each member shall be given appropriate notice,
whenever possible, not less than 15 days prior to any meeting, of the
call of such meeting.
(e) Appointment by Committee of executive and other committees
The Committee shall have an executive committee, and may delegate to
it or to the Secretary such of the powers and functions granted to the
Committee by this chapter as it deems appropriate. The Committee is
authorized to appoint from among its members such other committees as it
deems necessary, and to assign to committees so appointed such survey
and advisory functions as the Committee deems appropriate to assist it
in exercising its powers and functions under this chapter.
(f) Chairman; Vice Chairman
The election of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Committee
shall take place at each annual meeting occurring in an even-numbered
year. The Vice Chairman shall perform the duties of the Chairman in his
absence. In case a vacancy occurs in the chairmanship or vice
chairmanship, the Committee shall elect a member to fill such vacancy.
(g) Professional and clerical staff
The Committee may, with the concurrence of a majority of its
members, permit the appointment of a staff consisting of not more than
four professional staff members and such clerical staff members as may
be necessary. Such staff shall be appointed by the Director, after
consultation with the Chairman of the Committee, and assigned at the
direction of the Committee. The professional members of such staff may
be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing
appointments in the competitive service and the provisions of chapter 51
of title 5 relating to classification, and compensated at a rate not
exceeding the appropriate rate provided for individuals in grade GS-18
of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, as may be
necessary to provide for the performance of such duties as may be
prescribed by the Committee in connection with the exercise of its
powers and functions under this chapter.
(h) Annual and other reports to Secretary and Congress
(1) The Committee shall render an annual report to the Secretary for
submission to the Congress on or before January 31 in each year. Such
report shall deal essentially, though not necessarily exclusively, with
policy issues or matters which affect the Institute, including the
Program established under section 278n of this title, or with which the
Committee in its official role as the private sector policy advisor of
the Institute is concerned. Each such report shall identify areas of
research and research techniques of the Institute of potential
importance to the long-term competitiveness of United States industry,
in which the Institute possesses special competence, which could be used
to assist United States enterprises and United States industrial joint
research and development ventures.
(2) The Committee shall render to the Secretary and the Congress
such additional reports on specific policy matters as it deems
appropriate.
(Mar. 3, 1901, ch. 872, Sec. 10, 31 Stat. 1450; Pub. L. 100-418, title
V, Secs. 5115(a)(1), 5131(b), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1433, 1441; Pub.
L. 104-113, Sec. 8(1), Mar. 7, 1996, 110 Stat. 779.)
References in Text
The provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive
service, referred to in subsec. (g), are classified to section 3301 et
seq. of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Amendments
1996--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104-113 substituted ``15 members'' for
``nine members'' and ``at least 10'' for ``at least five''.
1988--Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5131(b), amended section generally,
substituting provisions of subsecs. (a) to (h) relating to Visiting
Committee on Advanced Technology for provisions of former single
undesignated paragraph which related to a visiting committee which was
to visit bureau at least once a year and report to Secretary of Commerce
upon efficiency of its scientific work and condition of its equipment.
Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5115(a)(1), substituted ``Institute'' for
``bureau''.
References in Other Laws to GS-16, 17, or 18 Pay Rates
References in laws to the rates of pay for GS-16, 17, or 18, or to
maximum rates of pay under the General Schedule, to be considered
references to rates payable under specified sections of Title 5,
Government Organization and Employees, see section 529 [title I,
Sec. 101(c)(1)] of Pub. L. 101-509, set out in a note under section 5376
of Title 5.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 278n of this title.
