15 U.S.C. § 205d — United States Metric Board

Page 637 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 205d but does not include (i) any Federal building or construction project the exclusion of which the President deems to be justified in the pub- lic interest, or (ii) any construction project or building owned or controlled by a State gov- ernment, local government, Indian tribe, or any private entity. (Pub. L. 94–168, § 4, Dec. 23, 1975, 89 Stat. 1007; Pub. L. 104–289, § 3, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3411.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION In par. (5), ‘‘section 107 of title 41’’ substituted for ‘‘section 403(6) of title 41, United States Code’’ on au- thority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts. In par. (8), ‘‘section 3501(a) of title 41’’ substituted for ‘‘section 304A of the Federal Property and Administra- tive Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 254b)’’ on authority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts. In par. (9), ‘‘section 3301(a) of title 40’’ substituted for ‘‘section 13 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 (40 U.S.C. 612)’’ on authority of Pub. L. 107–217, § 5(c), Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1303, the first section of which enacted Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works. AMENDMENTS 1996—Pars. (5) to (9). Pub. L. 104–289 added pars. (5) to (9). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1996 AMENDMENT; SAVINGS PROVISION Pub. L. 104–289, § 6, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3415, pro- vided that: ‘‘(a) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act [See Short Title of 1996 Amendment note set out under section 205a of this title] and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 11, 1996]. ‘‘(b) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.—This Act shall not apply to contracts awarded and solicitations issued on or before the effective date of this Act, unless the head of a Fed- eral agency makes a written determination in his or her sole discretion that it would be in the public inter- est to apply one or more provisions of this Act or its amendments to these existing contracts or solicita- tions.’’ § 205d. United States Metric Board (a) Establishment There is established, in accordance with this section, an independent instrumentality to be known as a United States Metric Board. (b) Membership; Chairman; appointment of mem- bers; term of office; vacancies 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— (A) one to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals recommended by engineers and organizations representative of engi- neering interests; (B) one to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals recommended by scientists, the scientific and technical community, and organizations representative of scientists and technicians; (C) one to be selected from a list of quali- fied individuals recommended by the Na- tional Association of Manufacturers or its successor; (D) one to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals recommended by the United States Chamber of Commerce, or its suc- cessor, retailers, and other commercial orga- nizations; (E) two to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals recommended by the Amer- ican Federation of Labor and Congress of In- dustrial Organizations or its successor, who are representative of workers directly af- fected by metric conversion, and by other organizations representing labor; (F) one to be selected from a list of quali- fied individuals recommended by the Na- tional Governors Conference, the National Council of State Legislatures, and organiza- tions representative of State and local gov- ernment; (G) two to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals recommended by organiza- tions representative of small business; (H) one to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals representative of the con- struction industry; (I) one to be selected from a list of quali- fied individuals recommended by the Na- tional Conference on Weights and Measures and standards making organizations; (J) one to be selected from lists of quali- fied individuals recommended by educators, the educational community, and organiza- tions representative of educational inter- ests; and (K) four at-large members to represent consumers and other interests deemed suit- able by the President and who shall be quali- fied individuals. As used in this subsection, each ‘‘list’’ shall in- clude the names of at least three individuals for each applicable vacancy. The terms of office of the members of the Board first taking office shall expire as designated by the President at the time of nomination; five at the end of the 2d year; five at the end of the 4th year; and six at the end of the 6th year. The term of office of the Chairman of such Board shall be 6 years. Mem- bers, including the Chairman, may be appointed to an additional term of 6 years, in the same manner as the original appointment. Successors to members of such Board shall be appointed in the same manner as the original members and shall have terms of office expiring 6 years from the date of expiration of the terms for which their predecessors were appointed. Any indi- vidual appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of any term of office shall be appointed for the remainder of that term. Beginning 45 days after the date of incor- poration of the Board, six members of such Board shall constitute a quorum for the trans- action of any function of the Board. (c) Compulsory powers Unless otherwise provided by the Congress, the Board shall have no compulsory powers. Page 638 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 205e (d) Termination The Board shall cease to exist when the Con- gress, by law, determines that its mission has been accomplished. (Pub. L. 94–168, § 5, Dec. 23, 1975, 89 Stat. 1007.) § 205e. Functions and powers of Board It shall be the function of the Board to devise and carry out a broad program of planning, co- ordination, and public education, consistent with other national policy and interests, with the aim of implementing the policy set forth in this subchapter. In carrying out this program, the Board shall— (1) consult with and take into account the interests, views, and conversion costs of United States commerce and industry, includ- ing small business; science; engineering; labor; education; consumers; government agencies at the Federal, State, and local level; nationally recognized standards developing and coordi- nating organizations; metric conversion plan- ning and coordinating groups; and such other individuals or groups as are considered appro- priate by the Board to the carrying out of the purposes of this subchapter. The Board shall take into account activities underway in the private and public sectors, so as not to dupli- cate unnecessarily such activities; (2) provide for appropriate procedures where- by various groups, under the auspices of the Board, may formulate, and recommend or sug- gest, to the Board specific programs for co- ordinating conversion in each industry and segment thereof and specific dimensions and configurations in the metric system and in other measurements for general use. Such pro- grams, dimensions, and configurations shall be consistent with (A) the needs, interests, and capabilities of manufacturers (large and small), suppliers, labor, consumers, educators, and other interested groups, and (B) the na- tional interest; (3) publicize, in an appropriate manner, pro- posed programs and provide an opportunity for interested groups or individuals to submit comments on such programs. At the request of interested parties, the Board, in its discretion, may hold hearings with regard to such pro- grams. Such comments and hearings may be considered by the Board; (4) encourage activities of standardization organizations to develop or revise, as rapidly as practicable, engineering standards on a metric measurement basis, and to take advan- tage of opportunities to promote (A) rational- ization or simplification of relationships, (B) improvements of design, (C) reduction of size variations, (D) increases in economy, and (E) where feasible, the efficient use of energy and the conservation of natural resources; (5) encourage the retention, in new metric language standards, of those United States en- gineering designs, practices, and conventions that are internationally accepted or that em- body superior technology; (6) consult and cooperate with foreign gov- ernments, and intergovernmental organiza- tions, in collaboration with the Department of State, and, through appropriate member bod- ies, with private international organizations, which are or become concerned with the en- couragement and coordination of increased use of metric measurement units or engineer- ing standards based on such units, or both. Such consultation shall include efforts, where appropriate, to gain international recognition for metric standards proposed by the United States, and, during the United States conver- sion, to encourage retention of equivalent cus- tomary units, usually by way of dual dimen- sions, in international standards or rec- ommendations; (7) assist the public through information and education programs, to become familiar with the meaning and applicability of metric terms and measures in daily life. Such programs shall include— (A) public information programs con- ducted by the Board, through the use of newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and other media, and through talks before appropriate citizens’ groups, and trade and public organizations; (B) counseling and consultation by the Secretary of Education; the Secretary of Labor; the Administrator of the Small Busi- ness Administration; and the Director of the National Science Foundation, with edu- cational associations, State and local edu- cational agencies, labor education commit- tees, apprentice training committees, and other interested groups, in order to assure (i) that the metric system of measurement is included in the curriculum of the Nation’s educational institutions, and (ii) that teach- ers and other appropriate personnel are properly trained to teach the metric system of measurement; (C) consultation by the Secretary of Com- merce with the National Conference of Weights and Measures in order to assure that State and local weights and measures officials are (i) appropriately involved in metric conversion activities and (ii) assisted in their efforts to bring about timely amend- ments to weights and measures laws; and (D) such other public information activi- ties, by any Federal agency in support of this subchapter, as relate to the mission of such agency; (8) collect, analyze, and publish information about the extent of usage of metric measure- ments; evaluate the costs and benefits of met- ric usage; and make efforts to minimize any adverse effects resulting from increasing met- ric usage; (9) conduct research, including appropriate surveys; publish the results of such research; and recommend to the Congress and to the President such action as may be appropriate to deal with any unresolved problems, issues, and questions associated with metric conver- sion, or usage, such problems, issues, and ques- tions may include, but are not limited to, the impact on workers (such as costs of tools and training) and on different occupations and in- dustries, possible increased costs to con- sumers, the impact on society and the econ- omy, effects on small business, the impact on the international trade position of the United