I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5261 

To amend title 39, United States Code, to provide for free mailing privileges 

for personal correspondence and parcels sent by family members from 

within the United States to members of the Armed Forces serving 

on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 7, 2004 

Mr. FOSSELLA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Government Reform 

A BILL 

To amend title 39, United States Code, to provide for free 

mailing privileges for personal correspondence and parcels sent by family members from within the United 

States to members of the Armed Forces serving on active 

duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

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 ‘‘Mailing Support to 

5 Troops Act of 2004’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. FREE MAILING PRIVILEGES. 

2 Chapter 34 of title 39, United States Code, is amend3 ed by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘§ 3407. Free postage for personal correspondence 

5 and parcels sent by family members to 

6 members of the Armed Forces of the 

7 United States serving in Iraq or Afghani8 stan 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Any mail matter to which this 

10 section applies may be mailed free of postage if such mail 

11 matter— 

12 ‘‘(1) is addressed to an individual who— 

13 ‘‘(A) is a member of the Armed Forces of 

14 the United States on active duty (as defined in 

15 section 101 of title 10); and 

16 ‘‘(B)(i) is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan; 

17 or 

18 ‘‘(ii) is hospitalized at a facility under the 

19 jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the United 

20 States as a result of a disease or injury in21 curred as a result of service in Iraq or Afghani22 stan; and 

23 ‘‘(2) is sent— 

24 ‘‘(A) by a family member (as defined in 

25 section 411h of title 37) of the individual re26 ferred to in paragraph (1); and 
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1 ‘‘(B) from within an area served by a 

2 United States post office. 

3 ‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY.—The free mailing privilege 

4 made available by this section— 

5 ‘‘(1) shall apply with respect to— 

6 ‘‘(A) letter mail or sound- or video-re7 corded communications having the character of 

8 personal correspondence; and 

9 ‘‘(B) parcels not exceeding the maximum 

10 size allowed by the Postal Service and the De11 partment of Defense for parcels sent to mem12 bers of the Armed Forces serving in Iraq or Af13 ghanistan; and 

14 ‘‘(2) shall not apply with respect to mail matter 

15 that contains any advertising. 

16 ‘‘(c) RATE OF POSTAGE.—Any mail matter mailed 

17 under this section shall be mailed at the equivalent rate 

18 of postage which assures that such mail matter will be 

19 sent by the most economical means practicable. 

20 ‘‘(d) MARKING.—All mail matter mailed under this 

21 section shall bear, in the upper right-hand corner of the 

22 address area, the words ‘Free Matter for Member of the 

23 Armed Forces of the United States’ or words to that effect 

24 specified by the Postal Service. 
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1 ‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 30 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this section, the Postal Serv3 ice shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, 

4 prescribe any regulations necessary to carry out this sec5 tion. 

6 ‘‘(f) DURATION.—The free mailing privilege made 

7 available by this section shall apply with respect to mail 

8 matter sent during the 1-year period beginning on the 

9 date on which the regulations under subsection (e) take 

10 effect.’’. 

11 SEC. 3. FUNDING. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Sections 2401(c) and 3627 of title 

13 39, United States Code, are amended by striking ‘‘3406’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘3407’’. 

15 (b) AIR TRANSPORTATION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2401 of title 39, 

17 United States Code, is amended by redesignating 

18 subsections (d) through (g) as subsections (e) 

19 through (h), respectively, and by inserting after sub20 section (c) the following: 

21 ‘‘(d) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

22 Postal Service each year a sum determined by the Postal 

23 Service to be equal to the expenses incurred by the Postal 

24 Service in providing air transportation for mail sent to 

25 members of the Armed Forces of the United States free 
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1 of postage under section 3407, not including the expense 

2 of air transportation that is provided by the Postal Service 

3 at the same postage rate or charge for mail which is not 

4 addressed to an Armed Forces post office.’’. 

5 (2) AMENDMENT TO PREVENT DUPLICATIVE

6 FUNDING.—Section 3401(e) of title 39, United 

7 States Code, is amended— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘transportation or (2)’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘transportation, (2)’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘office.’’ and inserting ‘‘of11 fice, or (3) for which amounts are authorized to 

12 be appropriated to the Postal Service under sec13 tion 2401(d).’’. 

14 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

15 (a) ANNUAL BUDGET.—Section 2009 of title 39, 

16 United States Code, is amended in the next to last sen17 tence by striking ‘‘(b) and (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘(b), (c), 

18 and (d)’’. 

19 (b) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REFERENCES.—Sections 

20 2803(a) and 2804(a) of title 39, United States Code, are 

21 amended by striking ‘‘2401(g)’’ and inserting ‘‘2401(f)’’. 

22 (c) CHAPTER ANALYSIS.—The analysis for chapter 

23 34 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding 

24 at the end the following: 
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‘‘3407. Free postage for personal correspondence and parcels sent by family 

members to members of the Armed Forces of the United 

States serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.’’. 

Æ