578 ORV 0F THE COMMITTEE ON SCIEM I AND TECHNOLOGY 



tect the public interest in the areas covered by the report fell within the 

 jurisdiction of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. 



Symington's bureau of standards bill 



As chairman of the Science Subcommittee, Symington became in- 

 creasingly disturbed with the fact that the National Bureau of Stan- 

 dards, in his words, had been "relegated to a rather obscure position 

 and has experienced only marginal growth or change.'* He charged 

 that being buried deep in the Department of Commerce had resulted 

 in "stagnation." Following the early departure of two Directors— 

 Branscomb and Roberts — after only brief tenures of office, Symington 

 pointedly remarked that the Commerce Department, which he said 

 "functions as an advocate for the business world", might not provide 

 the friendliest of surroundings for a Bureau engaged in developing 

 factual baselines for Federal regulations on highly controversial 

 issues like enhancing the environment. 



Confessing that he had not discussed the specific remedy with other 

 members of his subcommittee, Symington threw the Commerce 

 Department into a tizzy in December 1975 by introducing a very simple 

 bill which would sever the NBS from the Department of Commerce 

 and raise the salary of the NBS Director, as the head of a new inde- 

 pendent agency. Commerce Department lobbyists converged on Capital 

 Hill to ask everybody but Symington what his motives were. High 

 officials in the Commerce Department burned up the wires to try and 

 find out whether there was any serious support for the Symington 

 bill. Enterprising newsmen finally came around to confront Symington 

 to find out what he intended by his bill. Sphinx-like, Symington 

 responded that he had introduced the bill to "provoke careful 

 thought." Meanwhile, at the Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters of 

 NBS, although the official reaction was of course mum, there was 

 private delight at the prospect of enhancing the Bureau's status. 



The roseate glow produced by the Symington bill did not last long. 

 As Symington moved into his senatorial campaign in 1976, there 

 simply wasn't enough time for hearings, the administration did not 

 support the bill, and there was no further action. For Symington 

 and NBS, it was fun while it lasted. 



NBS OVERSIGHT HEARINGS IN 1977 



The National Bureau of Standards was 76 years old when the 

 Science Subcommittee decided on a one-day oversight hearing on 

 October 25, 1977. Six years had elapsed since the committee had taken 

 the blood pressure, run the customary series of investigative tests, 

 and assessed the vital signs. No hardening of the Bureau's arteries 



