Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 89.djvu/1067

 PUBLIC LAW 94-168—DEC. 23, 1975

89 STAT. 1007

Public Law 94-168 94th Congress An Act To declare a national jwlicy of coordinating the increasing use of the metric system in the United States, and to establish a United States Metric Board to coordinate the voluntary conversion to the metric system.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Metric Conversion Act of 1975". SEC. 2. The Congress finds as follows: (1) The United States was an original signatory party to the 1875 Treaty of the Meter (20 Stat. 709), which established the General Conference of Weights and Measures, the International Committee of Weights and Measures and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. (2) Although the use of metric measurement standards in the United States has been authorized by law since 1866 (Act of July 28, 1866; 14 Stat. 339), this Nation today is the only industrially developed nation which has not established a national policy of committing itself and taking steps to facilitate conversion to the metric system. SEC. 3. It is therefore declared that the policy of the United States shall be to coordinate and plan the increasing use of the metric system in the United States and to establish a United States Metric Board to coordinate the voluntary conversion to the metric system. SEC. 4. As used in this Act, the term— (1) "Board" means the United States Metric Board, established under section 5 of this Act; (2) "engineering standard" means a standard which prescribes (A) a concise set of conditions and requirements that must be satisfied by a material, product, process, procedure, convention, or test method; and (B) the physical, functional, performance and/or conformance characteristics thereof; (3) "international standard or recommendation" means an engineering standard or recommendation which is (A) formulated and promulgated by an international organization and (B) recommended for adoption by individual nations as a national standard; and (4) "metric system of measurement" means the International System of Units as established by the General Conference of Weights and Measures in 1960 and as interpreted or modified for the United States by the Secretary of Commerce. SEC. 5, (a) There is established, in accordance with this section, an independent instrumentality to be known as a United States Metric Board. (b) The Board shall consist of 17 individuals, as follows: (1) the Chairman, a qualified individual who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) sixteen members who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, on the following basis—

Dec. 23, 1975 [H.R. 8674]

Metric Conversion Act of 1975. 15 USC 25a note. 15 USC 205a.

15 USC 205b.

Definitions. 15 USC 205c.

United States Metric Board. Establishment. 15 USC 205d. Membership.

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