Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 4429 (rh) To require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses to successfully integrate and utilize electronic commerce technologies and business pract...H.R. 4429 (rh) To require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses to successfully integrate and utilize electronic commerce technologies and business pract...
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4429
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 27 (legislative day, September 22), 2000
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers and other
such businesses to successfully integrate and utilize electronic
commerce technologies and business practices, and to authorize the
National Institute of Standards and Technology to assess critical
enterprise integration standards and implementation
activities for major manufacturing industries and to develop a plan
for enterprise integration for each major manufacturing industry.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act
of 2000''.
TITLE I--ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
SEC. 101. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Commercial transactions on the Internet, whether retail
business-to-customer or business-to-business, are commonly
called electronic commerce.
(2) In the United States, business-to-business transactions
between small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses and their suppliers is rapidly growing, as many of
these businesses begin to use Internet connections for supply-
chain management, after-sales support, and payments.
(3) Small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses play a critical role in the United States economy.
(4) Electronic commerce can help small and medium-sized
manufacturers and other such businesses develop new products
and markets, interact more quickly and efficiently with
suppliers and customers, and improve productivity by increasing
efficiency and reducing transaction costs and paperwork. Small
and medium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses who
fully exploit the potential of electronic commerce activities
can use it to interact with customers, suppliers, and the
public, and for external support functions such as personnel
services and employee training.
(5) The National Institute of Standards and Technology's
Manufacturing Extension Partnership program has a successful
record of assisting small and medium-sized manufacturers and
other such businesses. In addition, the Manufacturing Extension
Partnership program, working with the Small Business
Administration, successfully assisted United States small
enterprises in remediating their Y2K computer problems.
(6) A critical element of electronic commerce is the
ability of different electronic commerce systems to exchange
information. The continued growth of electronic commerce will
be enhanced by the development of private voluntary
interoperability standards and testbeds to ensure the
compatibility of different systems.
SEC. 102. REPORT ON THE UTILIZATION OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE.
(a) Advisory Panel.--The Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (in this title referred to as the
``Director'') shall establish an Advisory Panel to report on the
challenges facing small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such
businesses in integrating and utilizing electronic commerce
technologies and business practices. The Advisory Panel shall be
comprised of representatives of the Technology Administration, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing
Extension Partnership program established under sections 25 and 26 of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k
and 278l), the Small Business Administration, and other relevant
parties as identified by the Director.
(b) Initial Report.--Within 12 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Advisory Panel shall report to the Director
and to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the
immediate requirements of small and medium-sized manufacturers and
other such businesses to integrate and utilize electronic commerce
technologies and business practices. The report shall--
(1) describe the current utilization of electronic commerce
practices by small and medium-sized manufacturers and other
such businesses, detailing the different levels between
business-to-retail customer and business-to-business
transactions;
(2) describe and assess the utilization and need for
encryption and electronic authentication components and
electronically stored data security in electronic commerce for
small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses;
(3) identify the impact and problems of interoperability to
electronic commerce, and include an economic assessment; and
(4) include a preliminary assessment of the appropriate
role of, and recommendations for, the Manufacturing Extension
Partnership program to assist small and medium-sized
manufacturers and other such businesses to integrate and
utilize electronic commerce technologies and business
practices.
(c) Final Report.--Within 18 months after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Advisory Panel shall report to the Director and to the
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 3-year
assessment of the needs of small and medium-sized manufacturers and
other such businesses to integrate and utilize electronic commerce
technologies and business practices. The report shall include--
(1) a 3-year planning document for the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership program in the field of electronic
commerce; and
(2) recommendations, if necessary, for the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to address
interoperability issues in the field of electronic commerce.
SEC. 103. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE PILOT PROGRAM.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing
Extension Partnership program, in consultation with the Small Business
Administration, shall establish a pilot program to assist small and
medium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses in integrating and
utilizing electronic commerce technologies and business practices. The
goal of the pilot program shall be to provide small and medium-sized
manufacturers and other such businesses with the information they need
to make informed decisions in utilizing electronic commerce-related
goods and services. Such program shall be implemented through a
competitive grants program for existing Regional Centers for the
Transfer of Manufacturing Technology established under section 25 of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C.
278k). In carrying out this section, the Manufacturing Extension
Partnership program shall consult with the Advisory Panel and utilize
the Advisory Panel's reports.
TITLE II--ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION
SEC. 201. ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION ASSESSMENT AND PLAN.
(a) Assessment.--The Director shall work to identify critical
enterprise integration standards and implementation activities for
major manufacturing industries underway in the United States. For each
major manufacturing industry, the Director shall work with industry
representatives and organizations currently engaged in enterprise
integration activities and other appropriate representatives as
necessary. They shall assess the current state of enterprise
integration within the industry, identify the remaining steps in
achieving enterprise integration, and work toward agreement on the
roles of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and of the
private sector in that process. Within 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director shall report to the Congress on
these matters and on anticipated related National Institute of
Standards and Technology activities for the then current fiscal year.
(b) Plans and Reports.--Within 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit to the Congress a plan
for enterprise integration for each major manufacturing industry,
including milestones for the National Institute of Standards and
Technology portion of the plan, the dates of likely achievement of
those milestones, and anticipated costs to the Government and industry
by fiscal year. Updates of the plans and a progress report for the past
year shall be submitted annually until for a given industry, in the
opinion of the Director, enterprise integration has been achieved.
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this title--
(1) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology;
(2) the term ``enterprise integration'' means the
electronic linkage of manufacturers, assemblers, and suppliers
to enable the electronic exchange of product, manufacturing,
and other business data among all businesses in a product
supply chain, and such term includes related application
protocols and other related standards; and
(3) the term ``major manufacturing industry'' includes the
aerospace, automotive, electronics, shipbuilding, construction,
home building, furniture, textile, and apparel industries and
such other industries as the Director designates.
Passed the House of Representatives September 26, 2000.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.
Pages: 1 Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
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