I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1472
To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for diabetes research through
the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued United States postage
stamps.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 15, 1999
Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. WATKINS, Mr. CHAMBLISS,
Mr. LANTOS, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. HINCHEY,
Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr.
MCNULTY, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey, Mr. KOLBE, Mr.
HOEKSTRA, Mrs. MINK
of Hawaii, Mr. FROST, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr.
COSTELLO, Mr. REYES, Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr.
ISAKSON, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO´, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs.
MORELLA, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. SHOWS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas,
Mr. DIXON, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. WEINER, Mr. RUSH, Mr. BALLENGER,
Mr. PASTOR, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. STARK, Mrs. KELLY, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr.
GONZALEZ, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. FRELING-
HUYSEN, Mr. FORBES, Mr. SHERWOOD, Mr. CANADY of Florida, and Mr.
CRAMER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Government Reform
A BILL
To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for diabetes
research through the voluntary purchase of certain spe-
cially issued United States postage stamps.
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 ‘‘Stamp Out Diabetes
Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS FOR DIABETES RE-
SEARCH.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 39, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘§ 415. Special postage stamps for diabetes research
‘‘(a) In order to afford the public a convenient way
to contribute to funding for diabetes research, the Postal
Service shall establish a special rate of postage for first-
class mail under this section.
‘‘(b) The rate of postage established under this
section—
‘‘(1) shall be equal to the regular first-class rate
of postage, plus a differential of not to exceed 25
percent;
‘‘(2) shall be set by the Governors in accord-
ance with such procedures as the Governors shall by
regulation prescribe (in lieu of the procedures under
chapter 36); and
‘‘(3) shall be offered as an alternative to the
regular first-class rate of postage.
The use of the special rate of postage established under
this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal pa-
trons.
‘‘(c)(1) Amounts becoming available for diabetes re-
search pursuant to this section shall be paid to the Na-
tional Institutes of Health. Payments to the National In-
stitutes of Health under this section shall be made under
such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual
agreement with that agency establish in order to carry out
the purposes of this section, except that, under those ar-
rangements, payments to such agency shall be made at
least twice a year.
‘‘(2) For purposes of this section, the term ‘amounts
becoming available for diabetes research pursuant to this
section’ means—
‘‘(A) the total amounts received by the Postal
Service that it would not have received but for the
enactment of this section, reduced by
‘‘(B) an amount sufficient to cover reasonable
costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out
this section, including those attributable to the
printing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this
section,
as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that
it shall prescribe.
‘‘(d) It is the sense of the Congress that nothing in
this section should—
‘‘(1) directly or indirectly cause a net decrease
in total funds received by the National Institutes of
Health (or any component or program thereof)
below the level that would otherwise have been re-
ceived but for the enactment of this section; or
‘‘(2) affect regular first-class rates of postage
or any other regular rates of postage.
‘‘(e) Special postage stamps under this section shall
be made available to the public beginning on such date
as the Postal Service shall by regulation prescribe, but in
no event later than 12 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this section.
‘‘(f) The Postmaster General shall include in each re-
port rendered under section 2402 with respect to any pe-
riod during any portion of which this section is in effect
information concerning the operation of this section, ex-
cept that, at a minimum, each shall include—
‘‘(1) the total amount described in subsection
(c)(2)(A) which was received by the Postal Service
during the period covered by such report; and
‘‘(2) of the amount under paragraph (1), how
much (in the aggregate and by category) was re-
quired for the purposes described in subsection
(c)(2)(B).
‘‘(g) This section shall cease to be effective at the
end of the 2-year period beginning on the date on which
special postage stamps under this section are first made
available to the public.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) The analysis
for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended
by striking the item relating to section 414 and inserting
the following:
‘‘414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer research.
‘‘415. Special postage stamps for diabetes research.’’.
(2) The heading for section 414 of title 39, United
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘§ 414. Special postage stamps for breast cancer re-
search.’’.
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