Bob Dole: “I fully endorse and support my Kansas colleague, Senator Kassebaum, in this action to prohibit the Federal Government…”

“I fully endorse and support my Kansas colleague, Senator Kassebaum, in this action to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring States to convert highway signs to the metric system. Mr. President, here is an example of Federal intrusion at its worst. If one were to look for a mandate that makes less sense than this one, we would all be looking for a long, long time. I have been contacted by dozens of Kansas citizens who have discovered this mandate. Although the Appropriations Committee has taken action in the past to block the use of Federal highway funds by States to achieve metric conversion, apparently it is the interpretation of the Federal Highway Administration that legislation adopted in 1975 and later, amended in 1988 still requires the United States to convert to the metric system. It is my understanding that FHWA does have the option to reject this conversion based upon excessive cost and the hardship it may cause. However, I agree with Senator Kassebaum, we should not needlessly spend millions of taxpayer dollars and force the States to convert to the metric system.”