Federal Agency Information

• Federal Agency Standards Web Sites
• Federal Standards-Related Laws, Policies and Guidance
• The Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP)

Federal Agency Standards Web Sites

The following Departments and Agencies maintain standards-specific websites:

Department of Commerce

• Commerce Standards Committee
  
• International Trade Administration Standards Home Page
• Standards Services Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Department of Defense

• Defense Standardization Program Office

Department of Energy

• Department of Energy Technical Standards Program

Department of Justice

• National Institute of Justice Standards and Testing Program

Department of Labor

• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Statutory and Regulatory Information
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Laws, Regulations and Interpretations

Department of Transportation

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) National Highway Specifications
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Regulations and Standards

Environmental Protection Agency

• Environmental Test Methods and Guidelines
• Laws and Regulations
• Voluntary Standards

Federal Aviation Administration

• The FAA Standards Website
• Regulatory and Guidance Library

Health and Human Services

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Standards Program (medical devices)
• Laws Enforced by the FDA and Regulated Statutes

General Services Administration

• Federal Regulation Policy

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

• NASA Technical Standards Program

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• NRC Standards Development site

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• DHS Science and Technology Directorate's Standards Portfolio

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Federal Standards-Related Laws, Policies and Guidance

• National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (P.L. 104-113) (NTTAA)
  Requires Federal agencies to adopt private sector standards, wherever possible, in lieu of creating proprietary, non-consensus standards and directs NIST to bring together Federal agencies as well as state and local governments to achieve greater reliance on voluntary standards and decreased dependence on in-house standards.
• Consumer Product Safety Act (P.L. 92-573) - PDF Document   
  Addresses CPSC's use of consumer product safety standards. Among other things, the Act requires CPSC to rely on voluntary consumer product safety standards where feasible rather than promulgate its own standards.
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) (P.L. 105-115)
  Contains a number of standards-related provisions that pertain to the regulation of food, drugs, devices, and biological products.
• Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) (P.L. 91-596)
  Addresses a number of issues related to the development, adoption and enforcement of occupational safety and health standards.
• Homeland Security Act of 2002 - PDF Document   
  Addresses a number of Homeland Security and Law Enforcment standards-related issues. Among other things, it establishes the Office of Science and Technology within the Department of Justice and authorizes it to develop and maintain performance standards in accordance with the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act and to test and evaluate law enforcement technologies that may be used by Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. It also authorizes the Office to establish and maintain a program to certify, validate, and mark or otherwise recognize law enforcement technology products that conform to standards established and maintained by the Office.
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1995 ( P.L. 104-191) (HIPAA)
  Contains general requirements for adoption of standards.
• Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L 104-104)
  Enhanced FCC's ability to regulate telecommunication services in a number on standards-related areas.
• Compactors and Balers Safety Standard Modernization Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-174)
  Explains responsibility of employers to make the initial determination that equipment to be loaded by 16- and 17-year-olds meets appropriate ANSI standards.
• Fastener Quality Act (P.L101-592) (As amended by P.L.104-113 and P.L. 105-234 and P.L. 106-34)
  Requires that certain fasteners sold in commerce conform to the specifications to which they are represented to be manufactured; provides for accreditation of laboratories engaged in fastener testing; and requires inspection, testing, and certification, in accordance with standardized methods, of fasteners used in critical applications.
• MEMORANDUM FOR THE GENERAL COUNSEL, OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS, August 24, 1998, APPLICATION OF 18 U.S.C. § 208 TO SERVICE BY EXECUTIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES ON BOARDS OF STANDARD-SETTING ORGANIZATIONS
  Under 18 U.S.C. § 208, a federal employee may serve as a member of the board of a private voluntary standards organization to the extent necessary to permit participation in his or her official capacity in the organization's standard-setting activities.
• OMB Circular A-119, Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities
  Establishes policies on Federal use and development of voluntary consensus standards and on conformity assessment activities. OMB issued this revision of the Circular in order to make the terminology of the Circular consistent with the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA).

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Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP)

• Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP)
  Made up of Standards Executives and their representatives, the ICSP serves as the body that is mainly responsible for overseeing the use of standards by Federal agencies in accordance with the NTTAA and the OMB Circular.