Doesn't the law of 1866 make any law that restricts the use of metric an invalid law? Why should we care about Alabama or the FPLA when if someone were to label in metric only and defend their right via the law of 1866.
It shall be lawful throughout the United States of America to employ the weights and measures of the metric system; and no contract or dealing, or pleading in any court, shall be deemed invalid or liable to objection because the weights or measures expressed or referred to therein are weights or measures of the metric system. The very wording tells me that any person or organization can use the metric system without restriction. Jerry ________________________________ From: Paul Trusten <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2009 11:16:43 PM Subject: [USMA:43581] Re: Calling all Alabamans for the UPLR metric labeling option! Jerry: we cannot tolerate any opposing W&M departments on the metric-only option. Sure, 48 states and all territories make a strong case, but since we are dealing with the Nation's measurement standard, we must have the support of all jurisdictions to make our case for metric iron-clad. Ezra: No, not eliminating the need for amending the FPLA, but "moot" in the sense of "no-brainer" when it comes to pushing for the introduction of the FPLA amendment in Congress. FMI argues that the American people do not understand metric. However, if there is no opposition among U.S. jurisdictions to having metric units stand alone, then the case for making the national consumer regulations allow it is very powerful. It suggests that, according to all the jurisdictions, that American consumers living in all jurisdictions will understand metric. ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: 08 March, 2009 22:07 Subject: [USMA:43579] Re: Calling all Alabamans for the UPLR metric labeling option! Paul, Why would unanimous adoption of item 11.33 of the UPLR render amending the FPLA moot? It seems like the FPLA regulations would still be controlling for all goods under its scope. Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Trusten" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2009 7:35:03 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [USMA:43576] Calling all Alabamans for the UPLR metric labeling option! In 1999, the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) amended its model regulation, the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation (UPLR), to contain the following: 11.33. Inch-Pound Units, Exemptions - Consumer Commodities. – The requirements for statements of quantity in inch-pound units shall not apply to packages that bear appropriate SI units. This exemption does not apply to foods, drugs, or cosmetics or to packages subject to regulation by the Federal Trade Commission, meat and poultry products subject to the Federal Meat or Poultry Products Inspection Acts, and tobacco or tobacco products. Since this amendment was added to the UPLR, the governments of 48 states and all U.S. territories have incorporated it into their own regulations. Only New York and Alabama have not done so, and it has been strongly suggested to me that New York State will soon become the 49th state to adopt it. That leaves only Alabama, which could demonstrate considerable resistance to this simple option: an option for manufacturers to drop the customary units from the labeling of products not regulated by the federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). In other words, this is a "mirror" version our proposed FPLA amendment for the metric-only option, at the state or territorial level. Accordingly, I ask this list: do you know any Alabamans who are strong supporters of U.S. metrication? If so, don't have them write to Alabama officials in support of this UPLR amendment just yet! If they are Internet-proficient, please--tell them about this Listserver and ask them to subscribe (subscription is free; for instructions on how to subscribe, see http://www.metric.org/listserv.htm). I think it useful for them to talk here about what they know about the attitudes about metric in Alabama. We need to cultivate support of Alabama citizens for this measure, and I think it would be useful to collect some voices here, and raise their awareness and enthusiasm. Why is this potentially so important? If we can get unanimous agreement of the 55 several U.S. weights-and-measures jurisdictions that metric units are allowed to stand alone on U.S. consumer packaging, debate over the FPLA (federal) equivalent of this becomes almost moot. In fact, a unanimous roll call on UPLR may represent the most significant advance in U.S. metrication since the 1988 amendment to the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, because then, with unanimity on UPLR, metric units will be deemed both legally preferred and intrinsically legitimate in U.S. commerce. Try forwarding this post to interested Alabamans. From here, we'll give out addresses to which they should write if they want to express support. Thank you very much for your assistance. SI-incerely, Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Blvd. Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 US +1(432)528-7724 [email protected]
