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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1169

To amend the formula for determining the Official Mail Allowance for Members of the House of Representatives; to prevent Members from using

the franking privilege to send congressional newsletters; to require that

unobligated funds in the Official Mail Allowance of Members be used

to reduce the Federal deficit; and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 2, 1993

Mr. GOSS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Post Office and Civil Service

A BILL

To amend the formula for determining the Official Mail

Allowance for Members of the House of Representatives;

to prevent Members from using the franking privilege

to send congressional newsletters; to require that unobligated funds in the Official Mail Allowance of Members

be used to reduce the Federal deficit; 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,
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1 SECTION 1. FORMULA REDUCTION.

2 Section 311(e)(2)(B)(i) of the Legislative Branch Ap3 propriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(e)(2)(B)(i)) is

4 amended by striking ‘‘3’’ and inserting ‘‘1.5’’.

5 SEC. 2. NEWSLETTERS.

6 (a) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—Section 3210(a) of title

7 39, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end

8 the following:

9 ‘‘(8) It is the intent of Congress that a Member of

10 or Member-elect to Congress (other than a Senator or a

11 Senator-elect) may not mail a congressional newsletter as

12 franked mail.’’.

13 (b) EXCLUSION FROM LIST OF FRANKABLE MAIL.—

14 Section 3210(a)(3) of title 39, United States Code, is

15 amended—

16 (1) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ‘‘subject

17 to paragraph (8),’’ before ‘‘the usual and cus18 tomary’’; and

19 (2) in subparagraphs (I) and (J) by striking

20 ‘‘newsletter or other’’.

21 (c) EXCLUSION RELATING TO MASS MAILINGS.—

22 Section 3210(a)(6)(E) of title 39, United States Code, is

23 amended—

24 (1) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘or’’ after the

25 semicolon;
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1 (2) in clause (iii) by striking the period and in2 serting ‘‘; or’’; and

3 (3) by adding after clause (iii) the following:

4 ‘‘(iv) of congressional newsletters, to the extent

5 intended by Congress to be nonmailable as franked

6 mail under subsection (a)(8).’’.

7 (d) EXCLUSION RELATING TO PERMISSIBLE FORMS

8 OF FRANKED MAIL.—Section 3210(c) of title 39, United

9 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘subsection (a)(4)

10 and (5) of this section.’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (4), (5),

11 or (8) of subsection (a).’’.

12 SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS RELATING TO MEMBERS’ OFFICIAL

13 MAIL ALLOWANCE.

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this sub15 section—

16 (1) the term ‘‘Member’’ means a Member of the

17 House of Representative, as defined by section

18 311(g)(1) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations

19 Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(g)(1)); and

20 (2) the term ‘‘Official Mail Allowance’’, as used

21 with respect to a Member, means the Official Mail

22 Allowance of such Member under section 311(e) of

23 such Act.

24 (b) RULE AGAINST FUND TRANSFERS.—Section

25 101(c)(2) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act,
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1 1993 (2 U.S.C. 95b(c)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘ ‘OFFI2 CIAL MAIL COSTS’, ’’.

3 (c) DEFICIT REDUCTION.—Any unobligated funds re4 maining in the Official Mail Allowance of a Member at

5 the end of a session of Congress shall be deposited into

6 the general fund of the Treasury of the United States and

7 applied toward the reduction of the Federal budget deficit.

8 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), this Act

10 and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect

11 on the date of the enactment of this Act.

12 (b) SPECIAL RULE.—The amendment made by sec13 tion 1 shall apply with respect to sessions of Congress be14 ginning with the first regular session of Congress begin15 ning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

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