I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3640 

To provide for the issuance of a Mental Health Awareness Semipostal Stamp. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 

Mr. CURBELO of Florida (for himself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. FARENTHOLD, 

Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. NORTON, and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 

Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 

Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide for the issuance of a Mental Health Awareness 

Semipostal Stamp. 

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 ‘‘Mental Health Aware5 ness Semipostal Stamp Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS SEMIPOSTAL STAMP. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to afford a convenient 

8 way for members of the public to contribute to funding 


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1 for mental illness research and suicide prevention pro2 grams within the National Institute of Mental Health, the 

3 United States Postal Service shall issue a semipostal 

4 stamp (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Mental 

5 Health Awareness Semipostal Stamp’’) in accordance with 

6 succeeding provisions of this section. 

7 (b) COST AND USE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Mental Health Aware9 ness Semipostal Stamp shall be offered at a cost 

10 equal to the cost of mailing a letter weighing 1 

11 ounce or less at the nonautomation single-piece first12 ounce letter rate, in effect at the time of purchase, 

13 plus a differential of not less than 15 percent. 

14 (2) VOLUNTARY USE.—The use of any 

15 semipostal issued under this section shall be vol16 untary on the part of postal patrons. 

17 (3) SPECIAL RATE.—The special rate of postage 

18 of an individual stamp under this section shall be an 

19 amount that is evenly divisible by 5. 

20 (c) OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The issuance 

21 and sale of the Mental Health Awareness Semipostal 

22 Stamp shall be governed by the provisions of section 416 

23 of title 39, United States Code, and regulations issued 

24 under such section, subject to subsection (b) and the fol25 lowing: 


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1 (1) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—All amounts becoming 

3 available from the sale of the Mental Health 

4 Awareness Semipostal Stamp (as determined 

5 under section 416(d) of such title 39) shall be 

6 transferred to the National Institute of Mental 

7 Health, for the purpose described in subsection 

8 (a), through payments which shall be made at 

9 least twice a year, to fund the Brain Research 

10 Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnolo11 gies (BRAIN) Initiative. 

12 (B) PROCEEDS NOT TO BE OFFSET.—In 

13 accordance with section 416(d)(4) of such title 

14 39, amounts becoming available from the sale 

15 of the Mental Health Awareness Semipostal 

16 Stamp (as so determined) shall not be taken 

17 into account in any decision relating to the level 

18 of appropriations or other Federal funding to 

19 be furnished in any year to the National Insti20 tute of Mental Health. 

21 (2) DURATION.—The Mental Health Awareness 

22 Semipostal Stamp shall be made available to the 

23 public for a period of at least 6 years, beginning no 

24 later than 12 months after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act. 


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1 (3) LIMITATION.—The Mental Health Aware2 ness Semipostal Stamp shall not be subject to, or 

3 taken into account for purposes of applying, any lim4 itation under section 416(e)(1)(C) of such title 39. 

5 (d) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this Act, the term 

6 ‘‘semipostal stamp’’ refers to a stamp described in section 

7 416(a)(1) of title 39, United States Code. 

Æ 


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