[Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)]
[Notices]
[Page 45020-45021]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28jy04-42]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program Workshop for
Laboratories Interested in the Help America Vote Act
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Workshop notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
(NVLAP) will hold a public workshop on August 17, 2004, at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. The
purpose of the workshop is the exchange of information among NVLAP,
laboratories interested in seeking accreditation for the testing of
voting systems under the Help America Vote Act, and other interested
parties. The results of the workshop discussions will be used in the
development of the NVLAP Voting Systems Laboratory Accreditation
Program (Voting LAP).
There is no charge for the workshop but pre-registration is
required. A registration form can be found at http://vote.nist.gov.
ADDRESSES: National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, 100
Bureau Drive/MS 2140, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2140.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Horlick, Program Manager,
NVLAP, 100 Bureau Drive/MS 2140,
[[Page 45021]]
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2140, phone: (301) 975-4016 or e-mail
nvlap.voting@nist.gov. Information regarding NVLAP and the
accreditation process can also be viewed at http://www.nist.gov/nvlap.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-252) was
signed into law by President Bush on October 29, 2002. Section 231 of
the HAVA requires the Director of NIST to provide for the accreditation
of laboratories that conduct testing on the hardware and software of
voting systems. In response to the HAVA, the National Voluntary
Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) is establishing a program for
laboratories that test voting systems.
NVLAP accreditation criteria is established in accordance with the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR, Title 15, Part 285), NVLAP Procedures
and General Requirements. Laboratories conducting this testing will be
required to meet ISO/IEC International Standard 17025, General
requirements for the competence of testing and calibration
laboratories, the 2002 Voting System Standards, and any other criteria
deemed necessary by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). For
each new laboratory accreditation program (LAP), NVLAP works with the
affected testing community to develop program-specific technical
requirements. These requirements tailor the general accreditation
criteria referenced in Sections 4 and 5 of NIST Handbook 150 to the
tests and services in the new LAP. Program-specific requirements
include the details of the Scope of Accreditation, test and measurement
equipment, personnel requirements, validation of test methods, and
reporting of test results.
PRA Clearance
This action contains a collection of information requirements
subject to review and approval by the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Collection
activities for the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
are currently approved by the Office of Management and Budget under
control number 0693-0003. Notwithstanding any other provision of the
law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be
subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
Executive Order 12866
This action has been determined to be not significant under
Executive Order 12866.
Dated: July 22, 2004.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 04-17103 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P