IB 
Union Calendar No. 147 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 923 
[Report No. 109–268] 
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 
FEBRUARY 17, 2005 
Mr. FOSSELLA (for himself, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. PETRI, 
and Mr. KIND) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Government Reform 
NOVEMBER 3, 2005 
Additional sponsors: Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GOODE, 
Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. 
GORDON, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. MEEHAN, Mrs. DRAKE, Ms. GINNY BROWN- 
WAITE of Florida, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ABER-
CROMBIE, Mr. OWENS, Mr. CASE, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 
SPRATT, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. GONZALEZ, 
Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. JONES of 
North Carolina, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. 
DEFAZIO, Mr. SWEENEY, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. CARTER, Mr. 
WALDEN of Oregon, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. PAUL, Mr. BISHOP of 
New York, Mr. HULSHOF, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, 
Mr. WOLF, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. MCNULTY, 
Mr. CUMMINGS, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. ISSA, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. NORWOOD, 
Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. EMANUEL, Ms. CARSON, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 
DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. HARRIS, 
Mr. FOLEY, Mr. FARR, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, Mr. 
MCCAUL of Texas, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. HART, Mr. OTTER, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
LEVIN, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. VAN
HOLLEN, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. 
BOUSTANY, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. MCCOTTER, Ms. BERK-
LEY, Ms. HERSETH, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. FOXX, Mr. WEXLER, Mr.
MCHUGH, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. DENT, Mrs. 
CHRISTENSEN, Mr. PLATTS, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. DUNCAN, 
Mr. SIMPSON, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
WALSH, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. PORTER, Mr. SIMMONS, Mr. EDWARDS, Mr. 
HOEKSTRA, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. FORTUN˜O, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. 
MARCHANT, Mr. HALL, Mr. FORD, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. BISHOP 
of Georgia, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. 
BERRY, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. REYNOLDS, Mr. KUHL of New 
York, Mr. DEAL
of Georgia, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 
SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, Mr. 
DAVIS of Tennessee, and Mr. WEINER 
NOVEMBER 3, 2005 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 17, 2005] 
A BILL 
To amend title 39, United States Code, to provide for free 
mailing privileges for personal correspondence and par-
cels sent by family members from within the United 
States to members of the Armed Forces serving on active 
duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. 
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 ‘‘Supply Our Soldiers 
Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. POSTAL BENEFITS PROGRAM FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
ARMED FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in con-
sultation with the United States Postal Service, shall pro-
vide for a program under which postal benefits shall be pro-
vided to qualified individuals in accordance with suc-
ceeding provisions of this Act. 
(b) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of this Act, 
the term ‘‘qualified individual’’ means an individual who 
is— 
(1) a member of the Armed Forces of the United 
States on active duty (as defined in section 101 of 
title 10, United States Code); and 
(2)(A) serving in Iraq or Afghanistan; or 
(B) hospitalized at a facility under the jurisdic-
tion of the Armed Forces of the United States as a 
result of a disease or injury incurred as a result of 
service in Iraq or Afghanistan. 
(c) POSTAL BENEFITS DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The postal benefits provided 
under this Act shall consist of such coupons or other 
similar evidence of credit (whether in printed, elec-
tronic, or other format, and hereinafter in this Act re-
ferred to as ‘‘vouchers’’) as the Secretary of Defense 
(in consultation with the Postal Service) shall deter-
mine, entitling the bearer or user to make qualified 
mailings free of postage.
(2) QUALIFIED MAILING.—For purposes of this 
Act, the term ‘‘qualified mailing’’ means the mailing 
of any mail matter which— 
(A) is described in subparagraph (A), (B), 
(C), or (D) of paragraph (3); 
(B) is sent from within an area served by 
a United States post office; and 
(C) is addressed to a qualified individual. 
(3) MAIL MATTER DESCRIBED.—The mail matter 
described in this paragraph is— 
(A) any letter mail not exceeding 13 ounces 
in weight and having the character of personal 
correspondence; 
(B) any sound- or video-recorded commu-
nications not exceeding 15 pounds in weight and 
having the character of personal correspondence; 
(C) any ground parcel not exceeding 15 
pounds in weight; and 
(D) any bound printed matter not exceeding 
15 pounds in weight. 
(4) LIMITATIONS.— 
(A) NUMBER.—An individual shall be eligi-
ble for 1 voucher for each month in which such 
individual is a qualified individual.