Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 4437 (ih) To grant to the United States Postal Service the authority to issue semipostals, and for other purposes. [Introduced in House] ...H.R. 4437 (ih) To grant to the United States Postal Service the authority to issue semipostals, and for other purposes. [Introduced in House] ...
H.R.4437
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand
An Act
To grant to the United States Postal Service the authority to issue
semipostals, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Semipostal Authorization Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO ISSUE SEMIPOSTALS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 416. Authority to issue semipostals
``(a) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
``(1) the term `semipostal' means a postage stamp which is
issued and sold by the Postal Service, at a premium, in order to
help provide funding for a cause described in subsection (b); and
``(2) the term `agency' means an Executive agency within the
meaning of section 105 of title 5.
``(b) Discretionary Authority.--The Postal Service is hereby
authorized to issue and sell semipostals under this section in order to
advance such causes as the Postal Service considers to be in the
national public interest and appropriate.
``(c) Rate of Postage.--The rate of postage on a semipostal issued
under this section shall be established by the Governors, in accordance
with such procedures as they shall by regulation prescribe (in lieu of
the procedures under chapter 36), except that--
``(1) the rate established for a semipostal under this section
shall be equal to the rate of postage that would otherwise
regularly apply, plus a differential of not to exceed 25 percent;
and
``(2) no regular rates of postage or fees for postal services
under chapter 36 shall be any different from what they otherwise
would have been if this section had not been enacted.
The use of any semipostal issued under this section shall be voluntary
on the part of postal patrons.
``(d) Amounts Becoming Available.--
``(1) In general.--The amounts becoming available from the sale
of a semipostal under this section shall be transferred to the
appropriate agency or agencies under such arrangements as the
Postal Service shall by mutual agreement with each such agency
establish.
``(2) Identification of appropriate causes and agencies.--
Decisions concerning the identification of appropriate causes and
agencies to receive amounts becoming available from the sale of a
semipostal under this section shall be made in accordance with
applicable regulations under subsection (e).
``(3) Determination of amounts.--
``(A) In general.--The amounts becoming available from the
sale of a semipostal under this section shall be determined in
a manner similar to that provided for under section 414(c)(2)
(as in effect on July 1, 2000).
``(B) Administrative costs.--Regulations under subsection
(e) shall specifically address how the costs incurred by the
Postal Service in carrying out this section shall be computed,
recovered, and kept to a minimum.
``(4) Other funding not to be affected.--Amounts which have or
may become available from the sale of a semipostal under this
section shall not be taken into account in any decision relating to
the level of appropriations or other Federal funding to be
furnished to an agency in any year.
``(5) Recovery of costs.--Before transferring to an agency in
accordance with paragraph (1) any amounts becoming available from
the sale of a semipostal over any period, the Postal Service shall
ensure that it has recovered the full costs incurred by the Postal
Service in connection with such semipostal through the end of such
period.
``(e) Regulations.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (c), the
Postal Service shall prescribe any regulations necessary to carry
out this section, including provisions relating to--
``(A) which office or other authority within the Postal
Service shall be responsible for making the decisions described
in subsection (d)(2);
``(B) what criteria and procedures shall be applied in
making those decisions; and
``(C) what limitations shall apply, if any, relating to the
issuance of semipostals (such as whether more than one
semipostal may be offered for sale at the same time).
``(2) Notice and comment.--Before any regulation is issued
under this section, a copy of the proposed regulation shall be
published in the Federal Register, and an opportunity shall be
provided for interested parties to present written and, where
practicable, oral comment. All regulations necessary to carry out
this section shall be issued not later than 30 days before the date
on which semipostals are first made available to the public under
this section.
``(f) Annual Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The Postmaster General shall include in each
report rendered under section 2402, with respect to any period
during any portion of which this section is in effect, information
concerning the operation of any program established under this
section.
``(2) Specific requirement.--If any semipostal ceases to be
offered during the period covered by such a report, the information
contained in that report shall also include--
``(A) the commencement and termination dates for the sale
of such semipostal;
``(B) the total amount that became available from the sale
of such semipostal; and
``(C) of that total amount, how much was applied toward
administrative costs.
For each year before the year in which a semipostal ceases to be
offered, any report under this subsection shall include, with
respect to that semipostal (for the year covered by such report),
the information described in subparagraphs (B) and (C).
``(g) Termination.--This section shall cease to be effective at the
end of the 10-year period beginning on the date on which semipostals
are first made available to the public under this section.''.
(b) Reports by Agencies.--Each agency that receives any funding in
a year under section 416 of title 39, United States Code (as amended by
this section) shall submit a written report under this subsection, with
respect to such year, to the congressional committees with jurisdiction
over the United States Postal Service. Each such report shall include--
(1) the total amount of funding received by such agency under
such section 416 during the year;
(2) an accounting of how any funds received by such agency
under such section 416 were allocated or otherwise used by such
agency in such year; and
(3) a description of any significant advances or
accomplishments in such year that were funded, in whole or in part,
out of amounts received by such agency under such section 416.
(c) Reports by the General Accounting Office.--
(1) Interim report.--The General Accounting Office shall submit
to the President and each House of Congress an interim report on
the operation of the program established under section 416 of title
39, United States Code (as amended by this section) not later than
4 years after semipostals are first made available to the public
under such section.
(2) Final report.--The General Accounting Office shall transmit
to the President and each House of Congress a final report on the
operation of the program established under such section 416, not
later than 6 months before the date on which it is scheduled to
expire. The final report shall contain a detailed statement of the
findings and conclusions of the General Accounting Office, together
with any recommendations it considers appropriate.
(d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 4 of
title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``416. Authority to issue semipostals.''.
(e) Effective Date.--The program under section 416 of title 39,
United States Code (as amended by this section) shall be established
within 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO ISSUE SEMIPOSTALS FOR BREAST CANCER
RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--Section 414(g) of title 39, United States Code, is
amended to read as follows:
``(g) This section shall cease to be effective after July 29, 2002,
or the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment
of the Semipostal Authorization Act, whichever is later.''.
(b) Reporting Requirement.--No later than 3 months and no earlier
than 6 months before the date as of which section 414 of title 39,
United States Code (as amended by this section) is scheduled to expire,
the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Congress a report on the operation of such section. Such report shall
be in addition to the report required by section 2(b) of Public Law
105-41, and shall address at least the same matters as were required to
be included in that earlier report.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
Pages: 1 Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
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