ABSTRACT
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act was signed by President Ronald Reagan on 20 August 1987. The need for a national quality and productivity award was an idea that surfaced repeatedly during the computer networking sessions. The report also recommended the creation of a national quality association to promote quality in American products and services, similar to the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers. A representative of Florida Power and Light—which was already active in the concurrent effort to enact federal legislation for a national quality award-joined the committee’s efforts in May, 1986. The effort to legislate a national quality award began on 20 January 1985. The House unanimously agreed to the amendment, and on 20 August 1987 President Reagan signed the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement of 1987 into law. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is more than an annual presentation by the president.
