ANSI Board Approves By-Laws Changes
The changes clarify the roles and responsibilities of the four Committees of ANSI (the Executive Standards Council, Board of Standards Review, ANSI ISO Council, and the USNC Council) and underscore that members of these committees, because they make decisions on behalf of ANSI, are fiduciaries of ANSI and are subject to conflict of interest requirements.
The American National Standards Institute announced that its board of directors has approved proposed amendments to the ANSI By-Laws, as well as a Response to Comments document that addresses input from ANSI members on the proposed changes. Approved June 5, the By-Laws will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
The proposed changes were published and distributed in December 2018 and members were invited to comment during a 45-day comment period.
"ANSI believes that these modifications will continue to protect the integrity of ANSI's decision-making and further enhance ANSI's ability to serve the needs of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment communities," said ANSI president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia.
The organization reported that some of the more significant changes to the By-Laws are designed to:
- clarify the roles and responsibilities of the four Committees of ANSI (i.e., the Executive Standards Council, Board of Standards Review, ANSI ISO Council, and the USNC Council) and underscore that members of these committees, because they make decisions on behalf of ANSI, are fiduciaries of ANSI and are subject to conflict of interest requirements
- simplify and flatten ANSI's organizational structure, with all four Committees of ANSI reporting directly to the ANSI Executive Committee
- clarify that Policy Committees, now called Policy Advisory Groups, are advisory in nature and that their members are not fiduciaries, but also reconfirm their continued importance to ANSI in developing ANSI policy positions on international, national, and IP-related issues
- include a comprehensive Code of Conduct to replace the former Code of Ethics that provides guidance on how ANSI volunteers are expected to behave at any ANSI meeting or gatherings, including board, committee, forums, and Policy Advisory Groups
ANSI also has released a document of Frequently Asked Questions that provides members with details about why revisions were undertaken and a description of and rationale for proposed changes.