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[House Report 112-372]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


112th Congress                                            Rept. 112-372
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                      Part 1

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    WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM CONSERVATION SEMIPOSTAL STAMP ACT OF 2011

                                _______
                                

                January 18, 2012.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2236]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2236) to provide for the issuance of a Wildlife 
Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommend that the bill do pass.

                           PURPOSE OF THE BILL

     The purpose of H.R. 2236 is to provide for the issuance of 
a Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), 
semipostal stamps are: ``issued and sold by the Postal Service, 
at a premium, in order to help providing funding for a cause.'' 
This means that while a first-class stamp can now be purchased 
for 44 cents, a first-class semipostal stamp costs 55 cents 
with the 11 cent difference being deposited in a special 
account.
     While USPS has the legal authority, which was provided to 
them by Congress in the Semipostal Authorization Act of 2000 
(Public Law 106-253), to decide what causes to support through 
the sale of semipostal stamps, all semipostals issued thus far 
have been the result of legislative action. These have included 
a Stamp Out Breast Semipostal Stamp, a 9/11 Heroes Semipostal 
Stamp, a Domestic Violence Semipostal Stamp, and a Save 
Vanishing Species Semipostal Stamp. In each instance, USPS has 
fully recovered its expenses and there was no outlay of 
taxpayer money.
     Under H.R. 2236, USPS is directed to issue a new Wildlife 
Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp. This stamp would 
be sold at a premium price, and the proceeds from the 
differential above the cost of a first class stamp would be 
transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to be 
used exclusively for expenses incurred within the National 
Wildlife Refuge System. This semipostal stamp shall be 
available to the public for at least two years and any proceeds 
raised under this Act shall not be used to offset any money 
that may be appropriated for the operation and maintenance of 
the Refuge System.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2236 was introduced on June 16, 2011, by Congressman 
Gregorio Sablan (D-MP). The bill was referred primarily to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition 
to the Committee on Natural Resources. Within the Natural 
Resources Committee, the bill was referred to the Subcommittee 
on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. On October 
25, 2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On 
November 17, 2011, the Full Natural Resources Committee met to 
consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, 
Oceans, and Insular Affairs was discharged by unanimous 
consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered 
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 
consent.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

     Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

     1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) 
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

H.R. 2236--Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp Act of 
        2011

    CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2236 would have no 
significant costs to the federal government. Enacting the bill 
would affect direct spending, but such costs would not be 
significant. Because the legislation would affect direct 
spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The bill would not 
affect revenues.
    H.R. 2236 would direct the United States Postal Service to 
issue a special postage stamp for first-class mail that would 
cost participating customers at least 15 percent more than the 
regular rate. Any amount collected from the special stamp 
(called a semipostal), after accounting for the Postal 
Service's administrative costs, would be transferred to the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for expenditure 
on programs to support the National Wildlife Refuge System. The 
Postal Service would have 12 months after enactment to make the 
semipostal available to the public, and the program would 
terminate no sooner than two years after that.
    Payments of amounts above the regular first-class postage 
rate (currently 44 cents) would be treated as offsetting 
collections (that is, negative outlays) of the Postal Service. 
Based on sales of other semipostals in recent years, we expect 
that the increase in offsetting collections would be less than 
$1 million annually. Payments of those funds to the USFWS would 
be outlays of the Postal Service and offsetting collections to 
the USFWS, which would spend those amounts mostly in the same 
year. CBO estimates that the net change in outlays of the 
Postal Service (which is off-budget) and the USFWS (which is 
on-budget) would not be significant in any year.
    H.R. 2236 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. 
The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

    2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required 
by clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new budget 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures. Enacting the bill would affect 
direct spending, but such costs would not be significant. 
Because the legislation would affect direct spending, pay-as-
you-go procedures apply. The bill would not affect revenues. 
Payments of amounts above the regular first-class postage rate 
(currently 44 cents) would be treated as offsetting collections 
(that is, negative outlays) of the Postal Service. Based on 
sales of other semipostals in recent years, CBO expects that 
the increase in offsetting collections would be less than $1 
million annually. Payments of those funds to FWS would be 
outlays of the Postal Service and offsetting collections to 
FWS, which would spend those amounts mostly in the same year. 
CBO estimates that the net change in outlays of the Postal 
Service (which is off-budget) and FWS (which is on-budget) 
would not be significant in any year.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill is to provide for the issuance of a 
Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

     This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

     This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
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