I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4872

To allow postal patrons to invest in vanishing wildlife protection programs

through the voluntary purchase of specially issued postage stamps.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 18, 2000

Mr. GILMAN (for himself, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California,

and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) introduced the following bill; which was referred

to the Committee on Government Reform

A BILL

To allow postal patrons to invest in vanishing wildlife protection programs through the voluntary purchase of specially issued postage stamps.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vanishing Wildlife

5 Stamp Act of 2000’’.
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1 SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS RELATING TO VAN2 ISHING WILDLIFE PROTECTION.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 39, United

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 414 the

5 following:

6 ‘‘§ 414a. Special postage stamps relating to funding

7 vanishing wildlife protection programs

8 ‘‘(a) In order to afford the public a convenient way

9 to invest in vanishing wildlife protection programs, the

10 Postal Service shall establish a special rate of postage for

11 first-class mail under this section.

12 ‘‘(b) The rate of postage established under this

13 section—

14 ‘‘(1) shall be no more than 25 percent higher

15 than the rate that would otherwise apply;

16 ‘‘(2) may be established without regard to any

17 procedures under chapter 36 of title 39, United

18 States Code, and notwithstanding any other provi19 sion of law; and

20 ‘‘(3) shall be offered as an alternative to the

21 regular first class rate of postage.

22 ‘‘(c) The use of the rate of postage established under

23 this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal pa24 trons.

25 ‘‘(d)(1) Amounts becoming available from public in26 vestment in wildlife protection programs shall be paid by
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1 the Postal Service to the Department of Interior Multilat2 eral Species Conservation Fund. Payments under this sec3 tion shall be made under such arrangements as the Postal

4 Service shall, by mutual agreement with the Department

5 of Interior, establish in order to carry out the purposes

6 of this section, except that under those arrangements, pay7 ments to the Department of Interior shall be made at least

8 twice a year.

9 ‘‘(2) For purposes of this section, the term ‘amounts

10 becoming available from public investment in vanishing

11 wildlife protection programs’ means—

12 ‘‘(A) the total amount of revenues received by

13 the Postal Service that it would not have received

14 but for the enactment of this section; reduced by

15 ‘‘(B) an amount sufficient to cover reasonable

16 costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out

17 this section, including costs attributable to the print18 ing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this sec19 tion,

20 as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that

21 it shall prescribe.

22 ‘‘(e) It is the sense of Congress that nothing in this

23 section should—

24 ‘‘(1) directly or indirectly cause a net decrease

25 in total funds received by the Department of Interior
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1 or any other agency of the Government (or any com2 ponent or program thereof) below the level that

3 would otherwise have been received but for the en4 actment of this section; or

5 ‘‘(2) affect regular first-class rates of postage

6 or any other regular rates of postage.

7 ‘‘(f) Special postage stamps under this section shall

8 be made available to the public beginning on such date

9 as the Postal Service shall by regulation prescribe, but not

10 later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of

11 this section.

12 ‘‘(g) The Postmaster General shall include in each

13 report rendered under section 2402 with respect to any

14 period during any portion of which this section is in effect,

15 information concerning the operation of this section, ex16 cept that, at a minimum, each report shall include—

17 ‘‘(1) the total amount described in subsection

18 (d)(2)(A) which was received by the Postal Service

19 during the period covered by such report; and

20 ‘‘(2) of the amount under paragraph (1), how

21 much (in the aggregate and by category) was re22 quired for the purposes described in subsection

23 (d)(2)(B).

24 ‘‘(h) This section shall cease to be effective at the

25 end of the 2-year period beginning on the date on which
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1 special postage stamps under this section are first made

2 available to the public.’’.

3 (b) REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF

4 THE UNITED STATES.—Not later than 3 months (but no

5 earlier than 6 months) before the end of the 2-year period

6 referred to in section 414a(h) of title 39, United States

7 Code (as amended by subsection (a)), the Comptroller

8 General of the United States shall submit to the Congress

9 a report on the operation of such section. Such report shall

10 include—

11 (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness and the

12 appropriateness of the authority provided by such

13 section as a means of fund-raising; and

14 (2) a description of the monetary and other re15 sources required of the Postal Service in carrying

16 out such section.

17 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

18 (1) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections

19 for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is

20 amended by striking the item relating to section 414

21 and inserting the following:

‘‘414. Special postage stamps relating to breast cancer.

‘‘414a. Special postage stamps relating to funding vanishing wildlife protection

programs.’’.

22 (2) SECTION HEADING.—The heading for sec23 tion 414 of title 39, United States Code, is amended

24 to read as follows:
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1 ‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps relating to breast

2 cancer’’.

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