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TGDC members press EAC on delays seating nominees and request follow-up meeting
Summary
TGDC members pressed EAC staff about long delays in seating nominees (including two Access Board seats) and sought clarity on statutory quorum and vetting procedures; the committee voted to meet again by month's end to draft detailed edits to VVSG 2.1.
During its review of VVSG 2.1 and the executive order, the TGDC shifted to an extended discussion about committee membership, statutory quorum and the pace of vetting for pending nominees.
Members raised the issue early in the meeting after the DFO's roll call confirmed a quorum but identified multiple vacancies. Paul Lux and others said roughly 40% of membership slots were unfilled or remained in a pending status. Judge Chot pressed the point: "Mandy Vhill ... was appointed 27 months ago to the TGDC and in those 27 months has not been seated," he said, urging the EAC to expedite seating.
EAC counsel Camden Keller and NIST's Craig Burkhart described the vetting process: Keller explained the EAC solicits representative nominations and that vetting for technical expert slots involves NIST/Department of Commerce processes; Burkhart said security clearance backlogs and the broader federal slowdown in the last 24'24 months had contributed to longer waits.
Several members said the absence of formally seated Access Board representatives was an acute problem given the VVSG 2.1 changes that touch accessibility features. Diane Golden warned she was uncomfortable moving forward with substantive accessibility changes without those seats filled.
Procedural clarification: The TGDC's adopted rules and Robert's Rules of Order were cited. Chair Burkhart (parliamentarian) said the TGDC's rules allow business to proceed when a quorum is present; the EAC's and NIST's staff interpretations differed in nuance but both urged collaboration to resolve pending appointments.
Outcome: The TGDC moved and carried a motion to hold another meeting by the end of the month to allow members to circulate specific draft edits and to permit seated and pending members to participate as appropriate. EAC staff committed to providing a channel for written edits and to hosting office hours for technical follow-up.
