Privatize NIST Hollings MEP and Baldridge; fold NTIS into NIST tech-transfer
Mandate proposes zeroing out ~$150M Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership and fully privatizing centers; handing Baldridge Performance Excellence to the private foundation; and moving obsolete NTIS functions into NIST Tech Transfer/ROI initiatives.
Mandate
Mandate Ch. 21 (Commerce) — NIST: privatize Hollings MEP (propose legislation to zero out ~$150 million and fully privatize centers); transfer Baldridge Performance Excellence Program entirely to the Baldridge Award Foundation; NTIS functions should be moved to NIST and consolidated with Tech Transfer and ROI initiatives.
Undo plan
1) Restore federal MEP funding supporting SME manufacturers, especially in distressed regions.
2) Keep Baldridge as a public excellence partnership if fees alone cannot sustain access for small firms.
3) Ensure any NTIS consolidation preserves public access to federally funded research.
4) Codify manufacturing-extension metrics before privatization experiments.
5) Verify: manufacturer participation and productivity outcomes post changes.