19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPT. 112–372 " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session Part 1 

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 firstclass 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. 


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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 particiVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:00 Jan 19, 2012 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR372P1.XXX HR372P1

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pating 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. 


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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. 

Æ 


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