II 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2676 

To amend chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, to provide for the 

issuance of a semipostal stamp in order to provide funding for childhood 

drinking prevention and education, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 15, 2004 

Mrs. HUTCHISON (for herself and Ms. MIKULSKI) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, to 

provide for the issuance of a semipostal stamp in order 

to provide funding for childhood drinking prevention and 

education, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SEMIPOSTAL STAMP TO BENEFIT CHILDHOOD 

4 DRINKING PREVENTION AND EDUCATION. 

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

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

7 following: 
2 

•S 2676 IS 

1 ‘‘§ 414a. Special postage stamps to benefit childhood 

2 drinking prevention and education 

3 ‘‘(a) In this section the term ‘childhood drinking’ 

4 means the consumption of alcoholic beverages by children 

5 who are between 9 and 15 years of age. 

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

7 to contribute to funding for childhood drinking prevention 

8 and education, the Postal Service shall establish a special 

9 rate of postage for first-class mail under this section. 

10 ‘‘(c)(1) The rate of postage established under this 

11 section— 

12 ‘‘(A) shall be equal to the regular first-class 

13 rate of postage, plus a differential of not to exceed 

14 25 percent; 

15 ‘‘(B) shall be set by the Governors in accord16 ance with such procedures as the Governors shall by 

17 regulation prescribe (in lieu of the procedures under 

18 chapter 36); and 

19 ‘‘(C) shall be offered as an alternative to the 

20 regular first-class rate of postage. 

21 ‘‘(2) The use of the special rate of postage established 

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

23 patrons. 

24 ‘‘(d)(1) Amounts becoming available for childhood 

25 drinking prevention and education under this section shall 

26 be paid to the Department of Health and Human Services. 
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1 Payments under this section shall be made under such ar2 rangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual agree3 ment with the Department of Health and Human Services 

4 establish in order to carry out the purposes of this section, 

5 except that, under those arrangements, payments to the 

6 Department of Health and Human Services shall be made 

7 at least twice a year. 

8 ‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘amounts becoming 

9 available for childhood drinking prevention and education 

10 under this section’ means— 

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

12 Service that it would not have received but for the 

13 enactment of this section, reduced by 

14 ‘‘(B) an amount sufficient to cover full costs in15 curred by the Postal Service in carrying out this sec16 tion, including those attributable to the printing, 

17 sale, and distribution of stamps under this section, 

18 as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that 

19 it shall prescribe. 

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

21 this section should— 

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

23 in total Federal funding for childhood drinking pre24 vention and education below the level that would 
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1 otherwise have been received but for the enactment 

2 of this section; or 

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

4 or any other regular rates of postage. 

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

6 be made available to the public beginning on such date 

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

8 no event later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

9 of this section. 

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

11 report rendered under section 2402 with respect to any 

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

13 information concerning the operation of this section, ex14 cept that, at a minimum, each shall include— 

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

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

17 during the period covered by such report; and 

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

19 much (in the aggregate and by category) was re20 quired for the purposes described in subsection 

21 (d)(2)(B). 

22 ‘‘(h) Section 416 shall not apply to this section. For 

23 purposes of section 416 (including any regulation pre24 scribed under subsection (e)(1)(C) of that section), the 

25 special postage stamp issued under this section shall not 
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1 apply to any limitation relating to whether more than 1 

2 semipostal may be offered for sale at the same time. 

3 ‘‘(i) This section shall cease to be effective 2 years 

4 after the date of enactment of this section.’’. 

5 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

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

8 amended by striking the item relating to section 414 

9 and inserting the following: 

‘‘414. Special postage stamps to benefit breast cancer research. 

‘‘414a. Special postage stamps to benefit childhood drinking prevention and education.’’. 

10 (2) AMENDMENT TO HEADING.—The heading 

11 for section 414 of title 39, United States Code, is 

12 amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps to benefit breast can14 cer research’’. 

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