29–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPT. 113–100 " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session Part 1 

WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM CONSERVATION SEMIPOSTAL 

STAMP ACT OF 2013 

JUNE 6, 2013.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1384] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 1384) to provide for the issuance of a Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp, having considered the same, 

report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that 

the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1384 is to provide for the issuance of a Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), semipostal 

stamps are ‘‘issued and sold by the Postal Service, at a premium, 

in order to help providing funding for a cause.’’ What this means 

is that a first-class stamp can now be purchased for 46 cents but 

a first-class semipostal costs 55 cents with the 9 cent difference 

being deposited in a special account. 

While USPS has the legal authority, which was provided to it by 

Congress in the Semipostal Authorization Act of 2000 (Public Law 

106–253), to decide what causes to support through the sale of 

semipostal stamps, all semipostals issued thus far have been the 

result of legislative action. These have included a Stamp Out 

Breast Semipostal Stamp, a 9/11 Heroes Semipostal Stamp, a Domestic Violence Semipostal Stamp and a Save Vanishing Species 

Semipostal Stamp. In each instance, USPS has fully recovered its 

expenses and there was no outlay of taxpayer money. 


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Under H. R. 1384, USPS is directed to issue a new Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp. This stamp would be 

sold at a premium price, and the proceeds from the differential 

above the cost of a first class stamp would be transferred to the 

Fish and Wildlife Service to be used exclusively for expenses incurred within the National Wildlife Refuge System. This semipostal 

stamp shall be available to the public for at least two years and 

any proceeds raised under this Act shall not be used to offset any 

money that may be appropriated for the operation and maintenance of the National Refuge System. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1384 was introduced on March 21, 2013, by Delegate 

Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D–MP). The bill was referred primarily to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 

and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources. Within the 

Committee on Natural Resources, the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs. On 

April 25, 2013, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On 

May 15, 2013, the full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and 

Insular Affairs was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was then adopted and ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 

consent. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 1384—Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp 

Act of 2013 

CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1384 would have no significant costs to the federal government. Enacting the bill would affect direct spending, but such costs would not be significant. Because the legislation would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go 

procedures apply. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues. 


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H.R. 1384 would direct the United States Postal Service to issue 

a special postage stamp for first-class mail that would cost participating customers at least 15 percent more than the regular rate. 

Any amount collected from the special stamp (called a semipostal), 

after accounting for the Postal Service’s administrative costs, would 

be transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) and would be available for spending on programs to support the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Postal Service would 

have 12 months after enactment to make the semipostal available 

to the public, and the program would terminate no sooner than two 

years after that. 

Payments of amounts above the regular first-class postage rate 

(currently 46 cents) would be treated as offsetting collections (that 

is, negative outlays) of the Postal Service. Based on sales of other 

semipostals in recent years, we expect that the increase in offsetting collections would be less than $1 million annually. Payments 

of those funds to the USFWS would be outlays of the Postal Service 

and offsetting collections to the USFWS, which would spend those 

amounts mostly in the same year. CBO estimates that the net 

change in outlays of the Postal Service (which is classified as offbudget) and the USFWS (which is classified as on-budget ) would 

not be significant in any year. 

H.R. 1384 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

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

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. The 

estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required by 

clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 

this bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or 

tax expenditures. CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1384 

would have no significant costs to the federal government. 

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill is to provide for the issuance of a Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that this 

bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any specific 

rule-making proceedings. 


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Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or 

reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95–220, 

as amended by Public Law 98–169) as relating to other programs. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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