The U.S. Standards Strategy (USSS), Draft Second Edition, is now available for review and comments may be submitted until 5 p.m. EST on April 18; the document and supporting materials can be found online at www.ansi.org/usss.

The strategy, a revision of the National Standards Strategy for the United States, is intended to establish a framework that can be used by all interested parties to advance trade issues in the global marketplace, enhance consumer health and safety, meet stakeholder needs and, as appropriate, advance U.S. viewpoints in the regional and international arenas.

The responsible group, the U.S. Standards Strategy Committee, includes broad representation of the standards and conformity assessment community, has been revising the strategy since mid-2004. More than 100 representatives of industry; small, medium and large enterprise; standards developers and consortium; consumer groups; and federal and state government have participated in the strategy review process thus far. ASTM International President James A. Thomas has made a significant contribution to this work as a member of the USSS committee.

The original strategy was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) board of directors in August 2000, and grew out of the March 1998 remark to the ANSI board by Ray Kammer, then director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that "The United States needs an effective national standards strategy if we are to compete effectively in the global market." He called for the standardization community to work together to develop a framework to advance trade issues in the global marketplace, enhance consumer health and safety, and meet stakeholder needs. The strategy affirmed the United States’ commitment to a sector-based approach to voluntary standards development.

A public forum meeting on the USSS hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and ANSI will take place on Friday, April 15, 2005, at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. The public forum is meant to raise awareness of the strategy; to engage stakeholders in a dialogue of its principles, strategic initiatives and tactics; and to invite public comment. The results of the forum discussion will be included in a compilation to be considered for the final draft of the USSS.

There is no charge for the public forum but pre-registration is required. To register electronically, please send an e-mail message containing the attendee’s name, title, organization, telephone, telefax and e-mail address to: registration@ansi.org, or call 212/642-4956.

Comments on the U.S. Standards Strategy may be submitted anytime until the close of business on April 18, 2005, to Joseph Tretler, Jr., ANSI staff liaison for the U.S. Standards Strategy Committee (phone: 212/642-4977; jtretler@ansi.org).