U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

49–010 

" ! SENATE 114TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

2015

114–144 

Calendar No. 233 

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STAMP 

REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2015 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

TO ACCOMPANY

S. 1170 

TO AMEND TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE, TO EXTEND THE 

AUTHORITY OF THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO ISSUE 

A SEMIPOSTAL TO RAISE FUNDS FOR BREAST CANCER 

RESEARCH, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015.—Ordered to be printed 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARINGcongress.#13
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin, Chairman 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

ROB PORTMAN, Ohio 

RAND PAUL, Kentucky 

JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma 

MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming 

KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire 

JONI ERNST, Iowa 

BEN SASSE, Nebraska 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

JON TESTER, Montana 

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota 

CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey 

GARY C. PETERS, Michigan 

KEITH B. ASHDOWN, Staff Director 

CHRISTOPHER R. HIXON, Chief Counsel 

PATRICK J. BAILEY, Chief Counsel for Governmental Affairs 

GABRIELLE D’ADAMO SINGER, Deputy Chief Counsel for Governmental Affairs 

JENNIFER L. SCHEAFFER, Professional Staff Member 

GABRIELLE A. BATKIN, Minority Staff Director 

JOHN P. KILVINGTON, Minority Deputy Staff Director 

MARY BETH SCHULTZ, Minority Chief Counsel 

JOHN A. KANE, Minority Senior Governmental Affairs Advisor 

S. ALEXANDER FISKE, Minority U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General Detailee 

BRUCE R. MARSH, Minority U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General Detailee 

LAURA W. KILBRIDE, Chief Clerk 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
Calendar No. 233 

114TH CONGRESS SENATE REPORT " ! 1st Session 114–144 

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STAMP REAUTHORIZATION 

ACT OF 2015 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. JOHNSON, from the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 1170] 

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 

to which was referred the bill (S. 1170) to amend title 39, United 

States Code, to extend the authority of the United States Postal 

Service to issue a semipostal to raise funds for breast cancer research, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports 

favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the 

bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Purpose and Summary .................................................................................. 1 

II. Background and Need for the Legislation ................................................... 2 

III. Legislative History ......................................................................................... 3 

IV. Section-by-Section Analysis .......................................................................... 3 

V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact .................................................................. 3 

VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate ................................................ 4 

VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ........................... 5 

I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

S. 1170, the Breast Cancer Research Reauthorization Act of 

2015, extends the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act, passed in 1997. 

The Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act authorized a special first-class 

mail postage stamp to raise funds for breast cancer research efforts. Under the program, purchasers pay a surcharge of not less 

than 15 percent above the regular rate for a stamp. The United 

States Postal Service (the Postal Service) remits the extra funds 

(minus the cost of running the program) for breast cancer research. 

The authorities under the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act are set to 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
2 

1Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer 

Institute. Report to Congress: Use of Funds Received for Semipostal Stamp for Breast Cancer 

Research, Fiscal Year 2010 (Jan. 2011), http://obf.cancer.gov/contribute/ 

BCStampReportFY2010.pdf. 2SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Breast Cancer, National Cancer Institute, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html (last visited 

Aug. 17, 2015). 3 National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from: http:// 

www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast. 4Pub. L. No. 105–41. 111 Stat. 1119 (Aug. 13, 1997) (codified as 39 U.S.C. § 414). 

5 39 U.S.C. § 414(a), (b). 

6 Id. at § 414(b). 7 Id. at § 414(c). 8 Id. 

9 Information provided by the United States Postal Service to Committee staff. 

10 U.S. Gov’t Accountability Office, GAO–08–45, U.S. Postal Service: Agencies Distribute 

Fund-Raising Stamp Proceeds and Improve Reporting 15 (Oct. 2007), available at http:// 

www.gao.gov/new.items/d0845.pdf. 

expire on December 31, 2015; S. 1170 would extend them through 

December 31, 2019. 

II. BACKGROUND AND THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women 

(after skin cancer) and kills more women than any cancer other 

than that of the lung.1 One in eight women in the United States 

will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.2 The 

National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that approximately 

232,300 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the United 

States annually.3

To supplement federal and private funding for breast cancer research, Congress in 1997 passed the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act, 

authorizing a special postage stamp to increase public awareness 

of the disease and allow the public to participate directly in raising 

funds for such research.4

The Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act requires the Postal Service to 

establish a special rate of postage for a first-class mail stamp, the 

Breast Cancer Research Semipostal (BCRS) to support breast cancer research.5 The Postal Service is required to sell the BCRS as 

an alternative to the regular first-class rate of postage, and postal 

patrons may choose to purchase it at the higher price.6 After deducting its reasonable costs incurred for making the BCRS available, the Postal Service is required to remit the remaining proceeds 

from the sale to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the 

Department of Defense (DOD) for breast cancer research.7 Under 

the Act, seventy percent of the net proceeds go to NIH, with the 

remaining thirty percent to DOD’s medical research program.8

From its first issuance in July 1998 through May 2015, the 

BCRS has raised nearly eighty-one million dollars for breast cancer 

research.9

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that 

the Breast Cancer Research stamp has been an effective fundraiser, with funds raised through sales of the stamp contributing 

to key insights and approaches for the treatment of breast cancer.10 For example, NIH has used the proceeds to support research 

into which patients may be most likely to benefit from chemotherapy, and DOD has used its share of the proceeds from the 

BCRS to fund Synergistic Idea Awards, a program that promotes 

new ideas and collaborations by funding innovative, high-risk, 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
3 

11 Id. 

high-reward breast cancer research projects involving two researchers working together.11

S. 1170 would extend the authorities in the Stamp Out Breast 

Cancer Act through the end of 2019. Additionally, S. 1170 clarifies 

that the proceeds obtained by NIH and DOD must be used for 

breast cancer research. 

The BCRS is supported by the American Cancer Society and the 

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, as well as by postal 

consumers who have contributed to strong annual sales of the 

stamp. The Committee also recognizes that with 23 cosponsors, the 

BCRS has broad, bipartisan support in the United States Senate. 

III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 1170 was introduced on April 30, 2015, by Senators Dianne 

Feinstein and Michael B. Enzi. Since introduction of S. 1170, Senators Kelly Ayotte, Tammy Baldwin, John Barrasso, Roy Blunt, 

Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Robert P. Casey, Jr., Thad Cochran, Christopher A. Coons, Richard Durbin, Lindsey Graham, 

Chuck Grassley, Orrin G. Hatch, Mazie K. Hirono, Amy Klobuchar, 

Robert Menendez, Harry Reid, Brian Schatz, Charles E. Schumer, 

Jeanne Shaheen, Debbie Stabenow, and Jon Tester have joined as 

cosponsors. The bill was referred to the Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs. 

The Committee considered the bill at a business meeting on July 

29, 2015. The Committee ordered the bill reported favorably by 

voice vote, en bloc, and without amendment. Senators Johnson, 

Portman, Lankford, Ernst, Sasse, Carper, Baldwin, Heitkamp, and 

Peters were present for the vote. 

IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE BILL, AS REPORTED

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides the bill’s short title, the ‘‘Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015’’. 

Section 2. Extension of postage stamp for breast cancer research 

This section extends the United States Postal Service’s authority 

to issue the Breast Cancer Research Stamp for an additional four 

years. 

Section 3. Ensuring that funds generated by special postage stamp 

sales are used for breast cancer research 

This section specifies that any funds generated by stamp sales 

that an agency receives from the Postal Service must be used for 

breast cancer research. 

V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of 

the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has considered 

the regulatory impact of this bill and determined that the bill will 

have no regulatory impact within the meaning of the rules. The 

Committee agrees with the Congressional Budget Office’s statement that the bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
4 

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

(UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015. 

Hon. RON JOHNSON, Chairman, 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. 

Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1170, the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark Grabowicz. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

S. 1170—Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 

2015 

Summary: The Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act (Public Law 105– 

41) authorized a special postage stamp for first-class mail. The 

price of this stamp is 60 cents, 11 cents above the current rate of 

49μcents. The authority to issue the stamp expires on December 

31, 2015. After accounting for the Postal Service’s administrative 

costs, amounts above the regular postal rate collected from sales of 

the special stamp are transferred to the National Institutes of 

Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to spend on 

breast cancer research. S. 1170 would extend this program until 

December 31, 2019. 

CBO estimates that enacting S. 1170 would result in a net reduc- tion in direct spending of $1 million over the 2016–2020 period, but 

those savings would be offset by increased direct spending in 2021 

and 2022. Thus, under the bill there would be no net effect on direct spending over the 2016–2025 period. Pay-as-you-go procedures 

apply because enacting the legislation would affect direct spending. 

Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues. 

S. 1170 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 

and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimated Cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of S. 1170 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget functions 050 (national defense), 370 (commerce and housing credit), and 550 (health). 

Basis of estimate: Extending the authority to issue the special 

breast cancer stamp would generate additional offsetting receipts 

that could be spent without further appropriation for research on 

the disease. The amounts collected and transferred by the Postal 

Service would be direct spending but are classified as ‘‘off-budget.’’ 

The amounts received and subsequently spent by NIH and DoD 

also would be direct spending and are classified as ‘‘on-budget.’’ 

The budgetary effects in individual years and in each category 

would vary because of the timing of such collections and spending, 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
5 

but CBO estimates that enacting this bill would have no net effect 

on the unified budget over the 2016–2025 period. 

Based on sales of the special breast cancer stamp in recent years, 

CBO estimates that enacting S. 1170 would generate collections 

above the regular postage rate of roughly $6 million over the next 

five years. After covering its administrative costs (less than 

$100,000 in total over the period), the Postal Service would transfer those collections to NIH and DoD in May and November of each 

year. In fiscal year 2016, for example, the Postal Service would 

transfer about $0.5 million to NIH and DoD. 

Those transfers from the Postal Service would increase NIH and 

DoD collections by about $6.3 million over the 2016–2020 period. 

Because spending of those collections would lag behind the 

amounts collected by several months, we estimate that the NIH 

and DoD accounts would show net outlay reductions totaling 

$1μmillion over the 2016–2020 period and a corresponding increase 

in outlays from 2021 through 2022. CBO estimates that enacting 

S. 1170 would have no net impact on the unified budget (including 

on-budget and off-budget effects) over the 2016–2025 period. 

Pay-As-You-Go considerations: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act 

of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures 

for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. The net 

changes in outlays that are subject to those pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in the following table. Only on-budget changes to 

outlays or revenues are subject to pay-as-you-go procedures. Enacting S. 1170 would affect on-budget direct spending by NIH and 

DoD. 

CBO ESTIMATE OF PAY-AS-YOU-GO EFFECTS FOR S. 1170 AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS ON JULY 29, 2015 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2016– 

2020 

2016– 

2025 

NET INCREASE OR DECREASE (¥) IN THE ON-BUDGET DEFICIT 

Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Impact ................................... 0 ¥1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ¥1 0 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 1170 contains no 

intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA 

and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Mark Grabowicz; Impact on 

state, local, and tribal governments: Melissa Merrell; Impact on the 

private sector: Logan Smith. 

Estimate approved by: H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 

VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by S. 1170 as 

reported are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted 

is enclosed in brackets, new matter is printed in italic, and existing 

law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
6 

TITLE 39—POSTAL SERVICE 

* * * * * * * 

PART I—GENERAL 

* * * * * * * 

CHAPTER 4—GENERAL AUTHORITY 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 414. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS. 

(a) * * * 

(b) * * * 

(c)(1) Of the amounts becoming available for breast cancer research pursuant to this section, the Postal Service shall pay— 

(A) 70 percent to the National Institutes of Health; and 

(B) the remainder to the Department of Defense. 

Payments under this paragraph to an agency shall be made 

under such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual 

agreement with such agency establish in order to carry out the purposes of this section, except that, under those arrangements, payments to such agency shall be made at least twice a year. An agency that receives amounts from the Postal Service under this paragraph shall use the amounts for breast cancer research. 

* * * * * * * 

(h) This section shall cease to be effective after December 31, 

ø2015¿ 2019. 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING