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Today, the House Science Committee adopted Congressman Bill Posey’s (R-Rockledge) amendment to promote transparency and level the playing field when setting international standards for industries across the spectrum including commercial space and advanced technologies. Posey’s amendment was added to H.R. 4609, the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the Future Act of 2021. 

“The foundation of all our work with international partners must include fairness, openness, consensus and transparency. This applies broadly to international standards-setting activities that we participate in as well,” said Posey. “Not all countries behave this way. The People’s Republic of China, for example, has been working for years to co-opt and subvert international standards-setting bodies so that the standards they set disproportionally benefit Chinese interests.” 

Posey’s Amendment is designed to maintain U.S. participation in international standards-setting bodies where appropriate, while providing guidance to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding how those bodies it participates in should operate with respect to Chinese participation. The amendment is intended to reaffirm the importance of OMB guidance and to expand it to cover principles that the World Trade Organization set out in 2000, including transparency, openness, consensus, and impartiality.