II

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 712

To amend title 39, United States Code, to allow postal patrons to contribute

to funding for highway-rail grade crossing safety through the voluntary

purchase of certain specially issued United States postage stamps.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 24, 1999

Mr. LOTT (for himself, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. BREAUX, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To amend title 39, United States Code, to allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for highway-rail grade

crossing safety 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 ‘‘Look, Listen, and Live

5 Stamp Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS TO BENEFIT HIGHWAY2 RAIL GRADE CROSSING SAFETY.

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

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 414 the

5 following:

6 ‘‘§ 414a. Special postage stamps for highway-rail

7 grade crossing safety

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

9 to contribute to funding for highway-rail grade crossing

10 safety, the Postal Service shall establish a special rate of

11 postage 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 ‘‘(c) The use of the special rate of postage established

24 under this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal

25 patrons.
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1 ‘‘(d)(1) Amounts becoming available for highway-rail

2 grade crossing safety under this section shall be paid by

3 the Postal Service to the Department of Transportation

4 for Operation Lifesaver. Payments under this section shall

5 be made under such arrangements as the Postal Service

6 shall by mutual agreement with the Department of Trans7 portation establish in order to carry out the purposes of

8 this section, except that, under those arrangements, pay9 ments to the Department of Transportation shall be made

10 at least twice a year.

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

12 becoming available for highway-rail grade crossing safety

13 under this section’ means—

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

15 Service that the Postal Service would not have re16 ceived but for the enactment of this section, reduced

17 by

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

19 costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out

20 this section, including those attributable to the

21 printing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this

22 section,

23 as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that

24 it shall prescribe.
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1 ‘‘(e) It is the sense of Congress that nothing in this

2 section should—

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

4 in total funds received by the Department of Trans5 portation for Operation Lifesaver below the level

6 that would otherwise have been received but for the

7 enactment of this section; or

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

9 or any other regular rates of postage.

10 ‘‘(f) Special postage stamps under this section shall

11 be made available to the public beginning on such date

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

13 no event later than 12 months after the date of the enact14 ment of this section.

15 ‘‘(g) The Postmaster General shall include in each

16 report rendered under section 2402 with respect to any

17 period during any portion of which this section is in effect

18 information, concerning the operation of this section, ex19 cept that, at a minimum, each report shall include—

20 ‘‘(1) the total amount described in subsection

21 (d)(2)(A) which was received by the Postal Service

22 during the period covered by such report; and

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

24 much (in the aggregate and by category) was re-
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1 quired for the purposes described in subsection

2 (d)(2)(B).

3 ‘‘(h) This section shall cease to be effective at the

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

5 special postage stamps under this section are first made

6 available to the public.’’.

7 (b) REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF

8 THE UNITED STATES.—Not later than 3 months (but not

9 earlier than 6 months) before the end of the 2-year period

10 referred to in section 414a(h) of title 39, United States

11 Code (as amended by subsection (a)), the Comptroller

12 General of the United States shall submit to Congress a

13 report on the operation of such section. Such report shall

14 include—

15 (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness and the

16 appropriateness of the authority provided by such

17 section as a means of fundraising; and

18 (2) a description of the monetary and other re19 sources required of the Postal Service in carrying

20 out such section.

21 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

22 (1) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections

23 for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is

24 amended by striking the item relating to section 414

25 and inserting the following:
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‘‘414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer research.

‘‘414a. Special postage stamps for highway-rail grade crossing safety.’’.

1 (2) SECTION HEADING.—The heading for sec2 tion 414 of title 39, United States Code, is amended

3 to read as follows:

4 ‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer re5 search’’.

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