IB
Union Calendar No. 415
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4437
[Report No. 106–734, Part I]
To grant to the United States Postal Service the authority to issue
semipostals, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 11, 2000
Mr. MCHUGH (for himself and Mr. FATTAH) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in ad-
dition to the Committees on Commerce, and Armed Services, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
JULY 17, 2000
Reported from the Committee on Government Reform with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
JULY 17, 2000
Referral to the Committees on Commerce and Armed Services extended for
a period ending not later than July 17, 2000
JULY 17, 2000
Committees on Commerce and Armed Services discharged; committed to the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered
to be printed
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 11, 2000]
A BILL
To grant to the United States Postal Service the authority
to issue semipostals, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Semipostal Authoriza-
tion Act’’.
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO ISSUE SEMIPOSTALS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 39, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘§ 416. Authority to issue semipostals
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section—
‘‘(1) the term ‘semipostal’ means a postage
stamp which is issued and sold by the Postal Service,
at a premium, in order to help provide funding for
a cause described in subsection (b); and
‘‘(2) the term ‘agency’ means an Executive agen-
cy within the meaning of section 105 of title 5.
‘‘(b) DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY.—The Postal Service
is hereby authorized to issue and sell semipostals under this
section in order to advance such causes as the Postal Service
considers to be in the national public interest and appro-
priate.
‘‘(c) RATE OF POSTAGE.—The rate of postage on a
semipostal issued under this section shall be established by
the Governors, in accordance with such procedures as they
shall by regulation prescribe (in lieu of the procedures
under chapter 36), except that—
‘‘(1) the rate established for a semipostal under
this section shall be equal to the rate of postage that
would otherwise regularly apply, plus a differential of
not to exceed 25 percent; and
‘‘(2) no regular rates of postage or fees for postal
services under chapter 36 shall be any different from
what they otherwise would have been if this section
had not been enacted.
The use of any semipostal issued under this section shall
be voluntary on the part of postal patrons.
‘‘(d) AMOUNTS BECOMING AVAILABLE.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The amounts becoming
available from the sale of a semipostal under this sec-
tion shall be transferred to the appropriate agency or
agencies under such arrangements as the Postal Serv-
ice shall by mutual agreement with each such agency
establish.
‘‘(2) IDENTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE CAUSES
AND AGENCIES.—Decisions concerning the identifica-
tion of appropriate causes and agencies to receive
amounts becoming available from the sale of a
semipostal under this section shall be made in accord-
ance with applicable regulations under subsection (e).
‘‘(3) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNTS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The amounts becoming
available from the sale of a semipostal under this
section shall be determined in a manner similar
to that provided for under section 414(c)(2) (as
in effect on July 1, 2000).
‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Regulations
under subsection (e) shall specifically address
how the costs incurred by the Postal Service in
carrying out this section shall be computed, re-
covered, and kept to a minimum.
‘‘(4) OTHER FUNDING NOT TO BE AFFECTED.—
Amounts which have or may become available from
the sale of a semipostal under this section shall not
be taken into account in any decision relating to the
level of appropriations or other Federal funding to be
furnished to an agency in any year.
‘‘(5) RECOVERY OF COSTS.—Before transferring
to an agency in accordance with paragraph (1) any
amounts becoming available from the sale of a
semipostal over any period, the Postal Service shall
ensure that it has recovered the full costs incurred by
the Postal Service in connection with such semipostal
through the end of such period.
‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
section (c), the Postal Service shall prescribe any reg-
ulations necessary to carry out this section, including
provisions relating to—
‘‘(A) which office or other authority within
the Postal Service shall be responsible for making
the decisions described in subsection (d)(2);
‘‘(B) what criteria and procedures shall be
applied in making those decisions; and
‘‘(C) what limitations shall apply, if any,
relating to the issuance of semipostals (such as
whether more than 1 semipostal may be offered
for sale at the same time).
‘‘(2) NOTICE AND COMMENT.—Before any regula-
tion is issued under this section, a copy of the pro-
posed regulation shall be published in the Federal
Register, and an opportunity shall be provided for in-
terested parties to present written and, where prac-
ticable, oral comment. All regulations necessary to
carry out this section shall be issued not later than
30 days before the date on which semipostals are first
made available to the public under this section.
‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Postmaster General
shall include in each report rendered under section
2402, with respect to any period during any portion
of which this section is in effect, information con-
cerning the operation of any program established
under this section.
‘‘(2) 
SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENT.—If 
any
semipostal ceases to be offered during the period cov-
ered by such a report, the information contained in
that report shall also include—
‘‘(A) the commencement and termination
dates for the sale of such semipostal;
‘‘(B) the total amount that became available
from the sale of such semipostal; and
‘‘(C) of that total amount, how much was
applied toward administrative costs.
For each year before the year in which a semipostal
ceases to be offered, any report under this subsection
shall include, with respect to that semipostal (for the
year covered by such report), the information de-
scribed in subparagraphs (B) and (C).
‘‘(g) TERMINATION.—This section shall cease to be ef-
fective at the end of the 10-year period beginning on the
date on which semipostals are first made available to the
public under this section.’’.
(b) REPORTS BY AGENCIES.—Each agency that re-
ceives any funding in a year under section 416 of title 39,
United States Code (as amended by this section) shall sub-
mit a written report under this subsection, with respect to
such year, to the congressional committees with jurisdiction
over the United States Postal Service. Each such report
shall include—
(1) the total amount of funding received by such
agency under such section 416 during the year;
(2) an accounting of how any funds received by
such agency under such section 416 were allocated or
otherwise used by such agency in such year; and
(3) a description of any significant advances or
accomplishments in such year that were funded, in
whole or in part, out of amounts received by such
agency under such section 416.
(c) REPORTS
BY
THE GENERAL ACCOUNTING OF-
FICE.—
(1) INTERIM REPORT.—The General Accounting
Office shall submit to the President and each House
of Congress an interim report on the operation of the
program established under section 416 of title 39,
United States Code (as amended by this section) not
later than 4 years after semipostals are first made
available to the public under such section.
(2) FINAL
REPORT.—The General Accounting
Office shall transmit to the President and each House
of Congress a final report on the operation of the pro-
gram established under such section 416, not later
than 6 months before the date on which it is scheduled
to expire. The final report shall contain a detailed
statement of the findings and conclusions of the Gen-
eral Accounting Office, together with any rec-
ommendations it considers appropriate.
(d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for
chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
‘‘416. Authority to issue semipostals.’’.
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The program under section
416 of title 39, United States Code (as amended by this
section) shall be established within 6 months after the date
of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO ISSUE SEMIPOSTALS
FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 414(g) of title 39, United
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(g) This section shall cease to be effective after July
29, 2002, or the end of the 2-year period beginning on the
date of enactment of the Semipostal Authorization Act,
whichever is later.’’.
(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—No later than 3
months and no earlier than 6 months before the date as
of which section 414 of title 39, United States Code (as
amended by this section) is scheduled to expire, the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall submit to the Con-
gress a report on the operation of such section. Such report
shall be in addition to the report required by section 2(b)
of Public Law 105–41, and shall address at least the same
matters as were required to be included in that earlier re-
port.
Union Calendar No. 415
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4437
[Report No. 106–734, Part I]
A BILL
To grant to the United States Postal Service the
authority to issue semipostals, and for other pur-
poses.
JULY 17, 2000
Reported from the Committee on Government Reform
with an amendment
JULY 17, 2000
Referral to the Committees on Commerce and Armed
Services extended for a period ending not later than
July 17, 2000
JULY 17, 2000
Committees on Commerce and Armed Services dis-
charged; committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union and ordered to be
printed