I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 355

To amend title 39, United States Code, to prevent certain mass mailings

from being sent as franked mail, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 4, 1995

Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Mr. JACOBS, and Mr. CANADY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform

and Oversight and, in addition, to the Committee on House Oversight 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 amend title 39, United States Code, to prevent certain

mass mailings from being sent as franked mail, 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,

3 SECTION 1. MASS MAILINGS NOT MAILABLE AS FRANKED

4 MAIL.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (6)(A) of section

6 3210(a) of title 39, United States Code, is amended to

7 read as follows:
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1 ‘‘(6)(A) It is the intent of Congress that a Member

2 of, or Member-elect to, Congress may not mail any mass

3 mailing as franked mail.’’.

4 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

5 (1) TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE.—Section

6 3210 of title 39, United States Code, is amended—

7 (A) in subsection (a)(3)—

8 (i) in subparagraph (G) by striking ‘‘,

9 including general mass mailings,’’; and

10 (ii) in subparagraphs (I) and (J) by

11 striking ‘‘or other general mass mailing’’

12 and inserting ‘‘or other mailing’’;

13 (B) in subsection (a)(6) by repealing sub14 paragraphs (B), (C), and (F), and the second

15 sentence of subparagraph (D);

16 (C) by repealing paragraph (7) of sub17 section (a); and

18 (D) by repealing subsection (f).

19 (2) LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS

20 ACT, 1990.—Section 316 of the Legislative Branch

21 Appropriations Act, 1990 (39 U.S.C. 3210 note) is

22 repealed.

23 (3) LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS

24 ACT, 1991.—Subsection (f) of section 311 of the Leg-
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1 islative Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 (Public

2 Law 101–520; 104 Stat. 2280) is repealed.

3 (4) LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS

4 ACT, 1995.—Sections 5 and 6 of the Legislative

5 Branch Appropriations Act, 1995 (Public Law 103-

6 283; 108 Stat. 1427) are repealed.

7 SEC. 2. RETURN OF EXCESS AMOUNTS FROM OFFICIAL AL8 LOWANCES OF MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF

9 REPRESENTATIVES TO THE TREASURY FOR

10 DEFICIT REDUCTION.

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other law, or

12 any rule or other authority, any amount remaining in an

13 official allowance of a Member of the House of Represent14 atives at the end of the session of Congress or other period

15 for which the allowance is made available shall be returned

16 to the Treasury, to be used for deficit reduction.

17 (b) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section—

18 (1) the term ‘‘Member of the House of Rep19 resentatives’’ means a Representative in, or a Dele20 gate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress;

21 and

22 (2) the term ‘‘official allowance’’ means, with

23 respect to a Member of the House of Representa24 tives, the Official Mail Allowance.
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1 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

2 This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall

3 take effect at the beginning of, and shall apply with re4 spect to sessions of Congress beginning with, the first reg5 ular session of Congress beginning after the date of the

6 enactment of this Act.

Æ