I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 597

To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for AIDS research and

education through the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued

United States postage stamps.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 4, 1999

Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD (for herself, Mr. COBURN, Mr. LATOURETTE,

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SERRANO,

Ms. KILPATRICK, Mrs. CLAYTON, Ms. PELOSI, Mrs. CHRISTIANCHRISTENSEN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. FORD, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr.

LANTOS, Mr. STARK, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. FROST, Mrs.

JONES of Ohio, Mr. BALDACCI, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr.

GREEN of Texas, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. NORTON, and Mr. DIXON) introduced

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government

Reform

A BILL

To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for AIDS

research and education through the voluntary purchase

of certain specially issued United States 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 ‘‘Faces of AIDS Stamp

5 Act of 1999’’.
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1 SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS FOR AIDS RESEARCH

2 AND EDUCATION.

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

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the follow5 ing:

6 ‘‘§ 415. Special postage stamps for AIDS research and

7 education

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

9 to contribute to funding for AIDS research and education,

10 the Postal Service shall establish a special rate of postage

11 for first-class mail under this section.

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

13 section—

14 ‘‘(1) shall be equal to the regular first-class rate

15 of postage, plus a differential of not to exceed 25

16 percent;

17 ‘‘(2) shall be set by the Governors in accord18 ance with such procedures as the Governors shall by

19 regulation prescribe (in lieu of the procedures under

20 chapter 36); and

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

22 regular first-class rate of postage.

23 The use of the special rate of postage established under

24 this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal pa25 trons.
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1 ‘‘(c)(1) Of the amounts becoming available for AIDS

2 research and education pursuant to this section, the

3 United States Postal Service shall pay—

4 ‘‘(A) 50 percent to the National Institutes of

5 Health for AIDS research; and

6 ‘‘(B) the remainder to the Department of

7 Health and Human Services for purposes of such

8 AIDS awareness education grant programs as the

9 Secretary of Health and Human Services considers

10 appropriate.

11 Payments under this section to an agency shall be made

12 under such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by

13 mutual agreement with that agency establish in order to

14 carry out the purposes of this section, except that, under

15 those arrangements, payments to such agency shall be

16 made at least twice a year.

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

18 becoming available for AIDS research and education pur19 suant to this section’ means—

20 ‘‘(A) the total amounts received by the Postal

21 Service that it would not have received but for the

22 enactment of this section, reduced by

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

24 costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out

25 this section, including those attributable to the
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1 printing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this

2 section,

3 as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that

4 it shall prescribe.

5 ‘‘(d) It is the sense of the Congress that nothing in

6 this section should—

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

8 in total funds received by the National Institutes of

9 Health, the Department of Health and Human Serv10 ices, or any other agency or instrumentality of the

11 Government (or any component or program thereof)

12 below the level that would otherwise have been re13 ceived but for the enactment of this section; or

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

15 or any other regular rates of postage.

16 ‘‘(e) Special postage stamps under this section shall

17 be made available to the public beginning on such date

18 as the Postal Service shall by regulation prescribe, but in

19 no event later than 12 months after the date of the enact20 ment of this section.

21 ‘‘(f) The Postmaster General shall include in each re22 port rendered under section 2402 with respect to any pe23 riod during any portion of which this section is in effect

24 information concerning the operation of this section, ex25 cept that, at a minimum, each shall include—
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1 ‘‘(1) the total amount described in subsection

2 (c)(2)(A) which was received by the Postal Service

3 during the period covered by such report; and

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

5 much (in the aggregate and by category) was re6 quired for the purposes described in subsection

7 (c)(2)(B).

8 ‘‘(g) This section shall cease to be effective at the

9 end of the 2-year period beginning on the date on which

10 special postage stamps under this section are first made

11 available to the public.

12 ‘‘(h) For purposes of this section, the term ‘AIDS

13 research and education’ means research and public edu14 cation with respect to acquired immune deficiency syn15 drome.’’.

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) The analysis

17 for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended

18 by striking the item relating to section 414 and inserting

19 the following:

‘‘414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer research.

‘‘415. Special postage stamps for AIDS research and education.’’.

20 (2) The heading for section 414 of title 39, United

21 States Code, is amended to read as follows:

22 ‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer re23 search.’’.

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