Regions
The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) works in partnership with four regional associations to facilitate a grassroots approach to standards development. They are the Central, Northeastern, Southern and Western Weights and Measures Associations. These associations are stand-alone organizations comprised of volunteer leadership from the public and private sectors of the weights and measures community. The leadership and committee structure of these associations is traditionally very similar to that of NCWM.
Regional associations serve as the gateway for new proposals to amend the national standards. Any person or organization may submit a proposal to one or all of the regions by completing NCWM Form 15. The regional committees will conduct open hearings, deliberate and determine whether these new items will be forwarded to the national committees for further consideration. Regional associations also serve as a means to continue development of items on the agendas of the national committees. Finally, these associations provide an opportunity for state and local officials and private companies to conduct training events, build relationships and work together toward common goals of quality standards that are interpreted and applied uniformly.