2021 NCWM Newsletter, Issue #2

2021 NCWM Newsletter, Issue #2

NCWM NEWS Nat ional Conference on Weights and Measures

Chairman ’ s Column Hal Prince, NCWM Chairman — State of Florida

2021 Issue 2

Chairman’s Column. .........................1 Tip of the Month................................2 NCWM Welcomes New Members...................................3 NTEP Column...................................4 106 th NCWM Annual Meeting............ 6 Event Calendar.................................8 2022 NCWM Interim Meeting............ 8 Safety Column. .................................9 NTEP FAQs. ...................................12

will be hosting virtual meetings and voting sessions. Over these past few months, Elisa and Don in the NCWM office have been closely monitoring the situation and communicatingwith thehotelmanagement in Rochester New York, the planned site of our July Annual Meeting. Because of the tentative nature of the pandemic response in New York, and the lack of certainty that we would be allowed to hold an in-person meeting there, we have arranged for other backup sites as well. On April 29th, the NCWM and the Board of Directors were notified that the State of New York was easing restrictions and all appearances now indicate that we will be able to hold an in-person meeting at our original hotel choice in Rochester. With this announcement, plans are underway! That being said, we understand that travel will still be difficult for many jurisdictions and that not everyone is comfortable with travel or in-person meetings yet. To accommodate as many as possible, we have decided to move forward with a “hybrid” meeting - meaning that anyone who can and will attend in person is welcome and anyone who cannot travel may attend virtually through the same Zoom platform that we used at the January Interim Meeting. Again, this will challenge us all with new technology and the associated gremlins, but we believe that the work of the NCWM is of utmost importance and are willing to accept the challenge. Continued on page 2

Dear NCWM Members,

What an incredible year! These past 13 months have been interspersed with challenges, problems, social unrest, political upheaval, and more. Yet the NCWM and its members remain focused on our mission and continue to forge forward. We were all hoping that 2021 would bring rapid change and the end of the pandemic. However, the return to normal has been so much slower than anticipated. The warm weather of spring and early summer may bring about the change that we eagerly anticipate, but there are still no assurances. As we are planning for upcoming regional meetings and our 106th Annual Meeting, a veil of uncertainty remains. On the bright side, I have heard frommany members and the consensus seems to be that our combined Interim and 105th Annual Meeting was a great success! I was hoping those combined meetings would be our only virtual venue, but it appears the 106th Annual Meeting in July will at least be partially virtual. With the continued travel restrictions for public health and budgetary reasons, I am doubtful we will be able to achieve an in- person quorum and that once again, we

NCWM Headquarters 1135 M Street, Suite 110 Lincoln, Nebraska 68508 P. 402.434.4880 F. 402.434.4878 E. [email protected] W. www.ncwm.com Don Onwiler Executive Director Darrell Flocken NTEP Administrator Mike Manheim NTEP Specialist Allen Katalinic NTEP Evaluator Elisa Stritt Meeting Planner Tyler Reeder Project Coordinator

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As you may recall from the discussions at the January Interim Meeting, the structure of the NCWM Bylaws, through the adoption of Robert’s Rules of Order, prohibits NCWM from conducting a virtual vote without ratification at the next in-person meeting. Normally, our next in- person meeting would be held in July. Then, ratification of our vote could take place at that time. However, if we are unable to achieve an in-person quorum in July, the vote would again have to be indefinitely postponed. The impact of the work of the NCWM is too important for this situation to occur! As a result, we have petitioned the District Court of Lancaster County, Nebraska to allow the NCWM to conduct virtual voting during our July Annual Meeting. I am ecstatic to be able to tell you that we just received a favorable ruling from the court which paves the way for the NCWM to proceed with virtual voting at our 106th Annual Meeting! Allowing a virtual vote will enable us to ratify the vote taken in January and also make a critical change to the NCWM Bylaws which grants the Board of Director’s limited authority to declare an emergency in times like this and hold a meeting “entirely or in part by internet meeting services”. The changes proposed in the upcoming item SPB-21.4 were drafted by the NCWM Bylaw Task Group. Again, I would like to recognize and thank the task group members for their tremendous work: Chair – Craig Van Buren (MI), Dr. Douglas Olson (NIST), Don Onwiler (NCWM), Lou Straub (Fairbanks Scales), Chuck Corr (Chuck Corr Consulting) and Scott Fenwick (National Biodiesel Board). Without their work, NCWM would not have been prepared to move forward with the court petition or our July Annual Meeting plans. The vote on SPB-21.4 represents a critical juncture for the NCWM and prepares us in case this pandemic continues, or some other national emergency threatens to disrupt the work of the NCWM in the future.

On the topic of continuing operations throughout the pandemic, several states have requested relaxing or removing the proctoring requirements for professional certification exams. While removing the proctoring requirements would jeopardize the integrity of the exams, the NCWM Board of Directors examined the prospect of adding online proctoring capabilities. Online proctoring would also solve the problem that some states are encountering with finding appropriate proctors to administer the exams. The NCWM staff have been working with different online proctoring organizations that could provide the secure proctoring necessary. We have had a couple of false starts and run into some roadblocks, but it is looking more promising now and we hope to be able to offer online proctoring of the professional certification exams by the time this newsletter is published. Once again, I would like to take a moment to thank our volunteer members, you are the backbone of this great organization. Our local, state, federal, international, and industry partners, work tirelessly, usually in addition to their day jobs, to meet and prepare with their committees, subcommittees, and task groups. Your dedication and commitment to the furtherance of the mission of the NCWM do not go unnoticed! I can truly say that the spirit of volunteerism and dedication in this organization is something to be emulated. I hope you all stay safe and healthy and to see you all, in person or virtually, at the 106th NCWM Annual Meeting in Rochester, New York.

Filling Up at the Pump Check that the price at the pump matches the street sign. Verify the SALE and GALLONS displays start at zero before you open the nozzle. Touch something metal before grabbing the nozzle to avoid a static electricity fire. Always get a receipt. Contact your local Weights and Measures Authority with questions or concerns.

2 NCWM-News

2021 Issue 2

NCWM Welcomes New Members (4/20/2021 - 5/1/2021)

A.J. Sackett and Sons Company Jordan Smith ABC Transport Services James Reynolds Alaska DOT & PF Div of Meas. Standards and Comm. Vehicle Compliant Katherine Hensley Michael Moose Aldi Joe Kelley Ametek Inc. Natercia Ball Bdt Ecommerce Group Inc. Ai Yang Boise Cascade Bob Taylor CCI Scale Company Tiffany Ulrich Cennox Michael Negley City of East Orange, CA David Seiden City of Methuen, MA Robert Armstrong Compression Technology

CynDes Solutions Scott Nelson >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13

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