I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1472

To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for diabetes research through

the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued United States postage

stamps.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 15, 1999

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. WATKINS, Mr. CHAMBLISS,

Mr. LANTOS, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. HINCHEY,

Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr.

MCNULTY, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey, Mr. KOLBE, Mr.

HOEKSTRA, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. FROST, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr.

COSTELLO, Mr. REYES, Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr.

ISAKSON, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO ́, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs.

MORELLA, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. SHOWS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas,

Mr. DIXON, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. WEINER, Mr. RUSH, Mr. BALLENGER,

Mr. PASTOR, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. STARK, Mrs. KELLY, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr.

GONZALEZ, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. FORBES, Mr. SHERWOOD, Mr. CANADY of Florida, and Mr.

CRAMER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform

A BILL

To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for diabetes

research 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,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stamp Out Diabetes

3 Act of 1999’’.

4 SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS FOR DIABETES RE5 SEARCH.

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

7 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing:

9 ‘‘§ 415. Special postage stamps for diabetes research

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

11 to contribute to funding for diabetes research, the Postal

12 Service shall establish a special rate of postage for first13 class mail under this section.

14 ‘‘(b) The rate of postage established under this

15 section—

16 ‘‘(1) shall be equal to the regular first-class rate

17 of postage, plus a differential of not to exceed 25

18 percent;

19 ‘‘(2) shall be set by the Governors in accord20 ance with such procedures as the Governors shall by

21 regulation prescribe (in lieu of the procedures under

22 chapter 36); and

23 ‘‘(3) shall be offered as an alternative to the

24 regular first-class rate of postage.
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1 The use of the special rate of postage established under

2 this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal pa3 trons.

4 ‘‘(c)(1) Amounts becoming available for diabetes re5 search pursuant to this section shall be paid to the Na6 tional Institutes of Health. Payments to the National In7 stitutes of Health under this section shall be made under

8 such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual

9 agreement with that agency establish in order to carry out

10 the purposes of this section, except that, under those ar11 rangements, payments to such agency shall be made at

12 least twice a year.

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

14 becoming available for diabetes research pursuant to this

15 section’ means—

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

17 Service that it would not have received but for the

18 enactment of this section, reduced by

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

20 costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out

21 this section, including those attributable to the

22 printing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this

23 section,

24 as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that

25 it shall prescribe.
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1 ‘‘(d) It is the sense of the Congress that nothing in

2 this section should—

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

4 in total funds received by the National Institutes of

5 Health (or any component or program thereof)

6 below the level that would otherwise have been re7 ceived but for the enactment of this section; or

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

9 or any other regular rates of postage.

10 ‘‘(e) 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 ‘‘(f) The Postmaster General shall include in each re16 port rendered under section 2402 with respect to any pe17 riod 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 shall include—

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

21 (c)(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 (c)(2)(B).

3 ‘‘(g) 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) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) The analysis

8 for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended

9 by striking the item relating to section 414 and inserting

10 the following:

‘‘414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer research.

‘‘415. Special postage stamps for diabetes research.’’.

11 (2) The heading for section 414 of title 39, United

12 States Code, is amended to read as follows:

13 ‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer re14 search.’’.

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