II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2044

To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for domestic violence

programs through the voluntary purchase of specially issued postage stamps.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY 9, 2000

Mr. CAMPBELL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and

referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for domestic

violence programs through the voluntary purchase of specially issued 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 ‘‘Stamp Out Domestic

5 Violence Act of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS RELATING TO DOMES7 TIC VIOLENCE.

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

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

10 following:
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1 ‘‘§ 414a. Special postage stamps relating to domestic

2 violence

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

4 to contribute to funding for domestic violence programs,

5 the Postal Service shall establish a special rate of postage

6 for first-class mail under this section.

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

8 section—

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

10 of postage, plus a differential not to exceed 25 per11 cent;

12 ‘‘(2) shall be set by the Governors in accord13 ance with such procedures as the Governors shall by

14 regulation prescribe (in lieu of the procedures under

15 chapter 36); and

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

17 regular first class rate of postage.

18 ‘‘(c) The use of the rate of postage established under

19 this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal pa20 trons.

21 ‘‘(d)(1) Amounts becoming available for domestic vio22 lence programs under this section shall be paid by the

23 Postal Service to the Department of Justice. Payments

24 under this section shall be made under such arrangements

25 as the Postal Service shall, by mutual agreement with the

26 Department of Justice, establish in order to carry out the
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1 purposes of this section, except that under those arrange2 ments, payments to the Department of Justice shall be

3 made at least twice a year.

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

5 becoming available for domestic violence programs under

6 this section’ means—

7 ‘‘(A) the total amount of revenues received by

8 the Postal Service that it would not have received

9 but for the enactment of this section; reduced by

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

11 costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out

12 this section, including costs attributable to the print13 ing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this sec14 tion,

15 as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that

16 it shall prescribe.

17 ‘‘(e) It is the sense of Congress that nothing in this

18 section should—

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

20 in total funds received by the Department of Justice

21 or any other agency of the Government (or any com22 ponent or program thereof) below the level that

23 would otherwise have been received but for the en24 actment of this section; or
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1 ‘‘(2) affect regular first-class rates of postage

2 or any other regular rates of postage.

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

4 be made available to the public beginning on such date

5 as the Postal Service shall by regulation prescribe, but not

6 later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of

7 this section.

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

9 report rendered under section 2402 with respect to any

10 period during any portion of which this section is in effect,

11 information concerning the operation of this section, ex12 cept that, at a minimum, each report shall include—

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

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

15 during the period covered by such report; and

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

17 much (in the aggregate and by category) was re18 quired for the purposes described in subsection

19 (d)(2)(B).

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

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

22 special postage stamps under this section are first made

23 available to the public.’’.

24 (b) REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF

25 THE UNITED STATES.—Not later than 3 months (but no
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1 earlier than 6 months) before the end of the 2-year period

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

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

4 General of the United States shall submit to the Congress

5 a report on the operation of such section. Such report shall

6 include—

7 (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness and the

8 appropriateness of the authority provided by such

9 section as a means of fund-raising; and

10 (2) a description of the monetary and other re11 sources required of the Postal Service in carrying

12 out such section.

13 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

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

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

16 amended by striking the item relating to section 414

17 and inserting the following:

‘‘414. Special postage stamps relating to breast cancer.

‘‘414a. Special postage stamps relating to domestic violence.’’.

18 (2) SECTION HEADING.—The heading for sec19 tion 414 of title 39, United States Code, is amended

20 to read as follows:

21 ‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps relating to breast can22 cer’’.

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