Metric Conversion Act of 1975
Public Law 94-168 · H.R. 8674 · 94th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Dec 23, 1975 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Olin Teague (D-TX-6)
Cosponsors (24): Rep. Charles Mosher, Rep. Kenneth Hechler,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Metric Conversion Act - Establishes the United States Metric Board, composed of 17 members, with a chairman, appointed by the President by and with the advice of the Senate. Requires such members to be representatives of groups and interests including engineers, scientists, manufacturers, retailers, labor, small business, and educators.
Directs the Board to carry out a program of planning, coordination and public education to implement the increasing use of the metric system in the United States. Requires the Board in carrying out such program to consider conversion costs, to provide procedures whereby groups may recommend methods of coordinating conversion in various industries, to encourage activities of standardization organizations to develop engineering standards on a metric measurement basis, to cooperate with foreign governments, to assist the public in becoming familiar with the use of metric terms and measures, to report annually to the Congress on its activities, and to submit to the Congress and to the President, not later than one year after the date of enactment of the Act authorizing appropriations for this Act, a report on the need to provide an effective structural mechanism for converting customary units to metric units in statutes, regulations, and other laws at all levels of government.
Authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Dec 23, 1975Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-168.
- Dec 15, 1975PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Dec 11, 1975Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Dec 8, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, in lieu of S. 100.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 8, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 5, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #497 (300-63).House roll call 497
- Jul 17, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- Jul 16, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.