I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2874

To provide for a program under which postal benefits shall be made available 

for purposes of certain personal correspondence and other mail matter 

sent from within the United States to members of the Armed Forces 

serving on active duty in military operations abroad, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 14, 2005

Mr. FORD (for himself, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. GORDON, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. 

FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. BARROW, 

Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. BISHOP of 

Georgia, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. BERRY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, and Mr. HIGGINS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the 

Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To provide for a program under which postal benefits shall 

be made available for purposes of certain personal correspondence and other mail matter sent from within 

the United States to members of the Armed Forces 

serving on active duty in military operations abroad, 

and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supply Our Soldiers 

3 Act of 2005’’. 

4 SEC. 2. POSTAL BENEFITS PROGRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The United States Postal Service 

6 and the Secretary of Defense shall provide for a program 

7 under which postal benefits shall be made available to the 

8 designated representative of each qualified individual in 

9 accordance with succeeding provisions of this Act. 

10 (b) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—For pur11 poses of this Act, the term ‘‘qualified individual’’ means 

12 an individual who is—

13 (1)(A) a member of the Armed Forces of the 

14 United States on active duty (as defined in section 

15 101 of title 10, United States Code) or a civilian 

16 who is authorized to use postal services at Armed 

17 Forces installations and holds a position or performs 

18 one or more functions in support of military oper19 ations, as designated by the military theater com20 mander; and 

21 (B) serving in an overseas area, as designated 

22 by the President, where the Armed Forces of the 

23 United States are engaged in action against an 

24 enemy of the United States, engaged in military op25 erations involving armed conflict with a hostile for26 eign force, engaged in temporary military operations 
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1 under arduous circumstances, serving with a friendly 

2 foreign force in an armed conflict in which the 

3 United States is not a belligerent, or temporarily de4 ployed overseas for an operational contingency in ar5 duous circumstances, as determined by the Secretary 

6 of Defense; or 

7 (2) hospitalized in a facility of the Armed 

8 Forces of the United States as a result of disease or 

9 injury incurred as a result of service in an overseas 

10 area designated by the President under paragraph 

11 (1)(B). 

12 (c) POSTAL BENEFITS DESCRIBED.—

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The postal benefits made 

14 available to a designated representative pursuant to 

15 this Act shall consist of postage stamps (of such de16 nomination or denominations as the Postal Service 

17 may determine) equivalent to $150 in value per cal18 endar quarter, subject to subsection (d)(2)(B). 

19 (2) CONDITIONS RELATING TO MAILINGS.—

20 Postal benefits under this Act may not be used for 

21 the mailing of any mail matter other than mail mat22 ter which—

23 (A) is described in paragraph (3); 

24 (B) is sent—
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1 (i) from within an area served by a 

2 United States post office; and 

3 (ii) by an individual or a charitable 

4 organization; and 

5 (C) is addressed to a qualified individual. 

6 (3) MAIL MATTER DESCRIBED.—

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—The mail matter de8 scribed in this paragraph is—

9 (i) any letter mail or sound- or video10 recorded communications having the char11 acter of personal correspondence; and 

12 (ii) any parcel not exceeding—

13 (I) 10 pounds in weight and 60 

14 inches in length and girth combined, 

15 if sent by an individual; or 

16 (II) 70 pounds in weight and 108 

17 inches in length and girth combined, 

18 if sent by a charitable organization. 

19 (B) RESTRICTION.—Postal benefits under 

20 this Act may not be used for mail matter that 

21 contains any advertising. 

22 (4) DESIGN AND LIMITATIONS ON USE OF

23 STAMPS.—Stamps made available pursuant to this 

24 Act—
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1 (A) shall bear a design or other markings 

2 to identify the military operation to which they 

3 relate; and 

4 (B) may not be used—

5 (i) after the date (following the con6 clusion of such military operation) des7 ignated by the Secretary of Defense; or 

8 (ii) with respect to any other military 

9 operation. 

10 (5) COORDINATION RULE.—Postal benefits 

11 under this Act shall be in addition to, and not in lieu 

12 of, any reduced rates of postage or other similar 

13 benefits which might otherwise be available by or 

14 under law, including any rates of postage resulting 

15 from the application of section 3401(b) of title 39, 

16 United States Code. 

17 (d) REGULATIONS.—The Postal Service and the Sec18 retary of Defense shall jointly prescribe any regulations 

19 necessary to carry out this Act, including regulations to 

20 provide for the following: 

21 (1) IDENTIFICATION OF DESIGNATED REP22 RESENTATIVES.—The identification of designated 

23 representatives shall be made using procedures 

24 under which—
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1 (A) determinations shall be made based on 

2 the most current next-of-kin data available to 

3 or obtainable by the Secretary of Defense; and 

4 (B) a qualified individual may supersede a 

5 determination under subparagraph (A), to the 

6 extent procedures to carry out this subpara7 graph are practicable. 

8 (2) NOTICE TO AND ELECTIONS BY DES9 IGNATED REPRESENTATIVES.—

10 (A) NOTICE.—Notice shall be provided to 

11 all designated representatives informing them of 

12 their eligibility for postal benefits under this 

13 Act and the procedures (including any dead14 lines) for making an initial and any subsequent 

15 election of benefits. 

16 (B) ELECTIONS.—A designated represent17 ative shall not receive any postal benefits under 

18 this Act for any calendar quarter except upon 

19 the filing of an appropriate written election. A 

20 separate election under this subparagraph shall 

21 be required for each calendar quarter, and each 

22 such election shall require the individual to in23 dicate whether full, partial (in the increments 

24 allowed), or no benefits are requested for the 

25 quarter. Failure to make an effective election 
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1 shall be treated as a declination of benefits for 

2 the calendar quarter involved. 

3 (C) NO CARRYOVER.—Any benefits de4 clined (in whole or in part) with respect to a 

5 calendar quarter shall not be available for pur6 poses of any subsequent calendar quarter. 

7 (e) DIRECT BENEFITS FOR CHARITABLE ORGANIZA8 TIONS.—In addition to the benefits under subsections (a) 

9 through (d), the Postal Service and the Secretary of De10 fense shall by regulation allow any charitable organization 

11 to apply for direct postal benefits. Applications for benefits 

12 under this subsection shall be considered on a case-by-case 

13 basis in accordance with such criteria as shall apply under 

14 the regulations. Any benefits approved under this sub15 section shall be governed by subsection (c), subject to any 

16 modifications or special rules established by the regula17 tions which may be necessary to carry out the purposes 

18 of this subsection (including an alternative to the limita19 tion set forth in subsection (c)(1)). 

20 (f) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this Act, the term 

21 ‘‘charitable organization’’ means an organization that is 

22 described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code 

23 of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

24 of such Code. 
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1 SEC. 3. FUNDING. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the De3 partment of Defense each year a sum determined by the 

4 Secretary of Defense to be equal to the expenses incurred 

5 by the Department in providing the benefits described in 

6 section 2(c) (including any payments or reimbursements 

7 to the United States Postal Service under this Act), re8 duced or increased (as the case may be) by any amounts 

9 by which the Secretary finds that a determination under 

10 this section for a prior year was greater than or less than 

11 the amounts finally determined for such year. 

12 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

13 This Act shall take effect on the first day of the first 

14 fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of 

15 this Act.

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