Standards Development Organization Advancement Act of 2004

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APPENDIX

STANDARDS DEVELOPMEN

T ORGANIZATION

ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2

004

SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the “Standards Development Organization

Advancement Act of 2004”.

SEC. 102. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) In 1993, the Congress amended and renamed the National

Cooperative Research Act of 1984 (now known as the National

Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 (15 U.S.C. 4301 et

seq.)) by enacting the National Cooperative Production Amendments of

1993 (Public Law 103-42) to encourage the use of collaborative,

procompetitive activity in the form of research and production joint

ventures that provide adequate disclosure to the antitrust enforcement

agencies about th

e nature and scope of the activity involved.

(2) Subsequently, in 1995, the Congress in enacting the National

Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272

note) recognized the importance of technical standards developed by

voluntary consensus standards bodies to our national economy by

requiring the use of such standards to the extent practicable by Federal

agencies and by encouraging Federal agency representatives to

participate in ongoing standards development activities. The Office of

Management and Budget on February 18, 1998, revised Circular A-

119

to reflect these changes made in law.

(3) Following enactment of the National Technology Transfer and

Advancement Act of 1995, technical standards developed or adopted by

voluntary consensus standards bodies have replaced thousands of unique

Government standards and specifications allowing the national economy

to operate in a more unified fashion.