I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7512 
To rename the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards as 
the House Communications Standards Commission, to extend the author-
ity of the Commission to regulate mass mailings of Members and Mem-
bers-elect of the House of Representatives to all unsolicited mass commu-
nications of Members and Members-elect of the House, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 9, 2020 
Mrs. DAVIS of California (for herself, Mr. STEIL, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. RODNEY 
DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. WALKER, and Mr. 
LOUDERMILK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees 
on Oversight and Reform, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To rename the House Commission on Congressional Mailing 
Standards as the House Communications Standards 
Commission, to extend the authority of the Commission 
to regulate mass mailings of Members and Members- 
elect of the House of Representatives to all unsolicited 
mass communications of Members and Members-elect of 
the House, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Communications Out-
reach Media and Mail Standards Act’’ or the ‘‘COMMS 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. RENAMING HOUSE COMMISSION ON CONGRES-
SIONAL MAILING STANDARDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5(a) of the Act entitled 
‘‘An Act to amend title 39, United States Code, to clarify 
the proper use of the franking privilege by Members of 
Congress, and for other purposes’’, approved December 
18, 1973 (2 U.S.C. 501(a)), is amended by striking 
‘‘House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards’’ 
and inserting ‘‘House Communications Standards Com-
mission’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) TITLE 39.—Title 39, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ‘‘House Commission on Con-
gressional Mailing Standards’’ and inserting ‘‘House 
Communications Standards Commission’’ each place 
it appears in the following sections: 
(A) Section 3210(a)(5), (a)(6)(D), (b)(3), 
(d)(5), and (d)(6)(A). 
(B) Section 3216(e)(1) and (e)(2). 
(C) Section 3220(b). 
(2) OTHER PROVISIONS.—Section 311 of the 
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 
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U.S.C. 503) is amended by striking ‘‘House Com-
mission on Congressional Mailing Standards’’ and 
inserting ‘‘House Communications Standards Com-
mission’’ each place it appears in subsections (a)(3), 
(e)(1)(B), and (f). 
(c) REFERENCES IN OTHER DOCUMENTS.—Any ref-
erence in any rule, regulation, or other document to the 
House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards 
shall be deemed to be a reference to the House Commu-
nications Standards Commission. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF COMMISSION OVER OFFICIAL MASS 
COMMUNICATIONS. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE REGARDING 
DISSEMINATION OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5(d) of the Act enti-
tled ‘‘An Act to amend title 39, United States Code, 
to clarify the proper use of the franking privilege by 
Members of Congress, and for other purposes’’, ap-
proved December 18, 1973 (2 U.S.C. 501(d)), is 
amended— 
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘The 
Commission’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) The Commis-
sion’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
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‘‘(2) In addition to the guidance, assistance, ad-
vice, and counsel described in paragraph (1), the 
Commission shall provide— 
‘‘(A) guidance, assistance, advice, and 
counsel, through advisory opinions or consulta-
tions, in connection with any law and with any 
rule or regulation of the House of Representa-
tives governing the dissemination of mass com-
munications other than franked mail; and 
‘‘(B) guidance, assistance, advice, and 
counsel in connection with any law and with 
any rule or regulation of the House of Rep-
resentatives governing the official content of 
other official communications of any quantity, 
whether solicited or unsolicited.’’. 
(2) 
AUTHORITY
TO
INVESTIGATE
COM-
PLAINTS.—Section 5(e) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
501(e)) is amended— 
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Any 
complaint’’ and all that follows through ‘‘is 
about to occur’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘Any complaint that a violation of any provi-
sion of law or any rule or regulation of the 
House of Representatives to which subsection 
(d) applies is about to occur’’; and 
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(B) in the sentence beginning with ‘‘Not-
withstanding any other provision of law’’, by 
striking ‘‘a violation of the franking laws or an 
abuse of the franking privilege by any person 
listed under subsection (d) of this section as en-
titled to send mail as franked mail,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘a violation of any provision of law or any 
rule or regulation of the House of Representa-
tives to which subsection (d) applies,’’. 
(3) MASS COMMUNICATION DEFINED.—Section 
5 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 501) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) In this section, the term ‘mass communication’ 
means a mass mailing described in section 3210(a)(6)(E) 
of title 39, United States Code, or any other unsolicited 
communication of substantially identical content which is 
transmitted to 500 or more persons in a session of Con-
gress, as provided under regulations of the Commission, 
except that such term does not include— 
‘‘(1) any communication from an individual de-
scribed in subsection (d) to another individual de-
scribed in subsection (d), a Senator, or any Federal, 
State, local, or Tribal government official; 
‘‘(2) any news release to the communications 
media; 
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‘‘(3) any such mass mailing or unsolicited com-
munication made in direct response to a communica-
tion from a person to whom the mass mailing or un-
solicited communication was transmitted; or 
‘‘(4) in the case of any such unsolicited commu-
nication which is transmitted in a digital format, a 
communication for which the cost of the content is 
less than a threshold amount established under reg-
ulations of the House Communications Standards 
Commission.’’. 
(b) AUTHORITY TO REVIEW ALL UNSOLICITED MASS 
COMMUNICATIONS.— 
(1) REQUIRING
REVIEW
BEFORE
DISSEMINA-
TION.—Section 311(f) of the Legislative Branch Ap-
propriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 503(f)) is amend-
ed— 
(A) by striking ‘‘any mass mailing’’ and in-
serting ‘‘any mass communication’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘mail matter’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘matter’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘such proposed mailing’’ 
and inserting ‘‘such proposed communication’’. 
(2) EXCEPTION
FOR
CERTAIN
COMMUNICA-
TIONS.—Section 311(f) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
503(f)) is amended— 
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(A) by striking ‘‘A Member’’ and inserting 
‘‘(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 
Member’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply in the case of any 
type of mass communication which is designated as ex-
empt from the requirements of such paragraph as pro-
vided under regulations of the House Communications 
Standards Commission.’’. 
(3) DEFINITION.—Section 311(g) of such Act 
(2 U.S.C. 503(g)) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (1); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (2) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) the term ‘mass communication’ means a 
mass mailing described in section 3210(a)(6)(E) of 
title 39, United States Code, or any other unsolic-
ited communication of substantially identical content 
which is transmitted to 500 or more persons in a 
session of Congress, as provided under regulations of 
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the House Communications Standards Commission, 
except that such term does not include— 
‘‘(A) any communication from a Member 
of the House of Representatives to another 
Member of the House of Representatives, a 
Senator, or any Federal, State, or local govern-
ment official; 
‘‘(B) any news release to the communica-
tions media; 
‘‘(C) any such mass mailing or unsolicited 
communication made in direct response to a 
communication from a person to whom the 
mass mailing or unsolicited communication was 
transmitted; or 
‘‘(D) in the case of any such unsolicited 
communication which is transmitted in a digital 
format, a communication for which the cost of 
the content is less than a threshold amount es-
tablished under regulations of the House Com-
munications Standards Commission.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO RULES OF THE 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—Clause 9 of rule XXIV 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended 
by inserting after ‘‘that session,’’ the following: ‘‘or any 
other unsolicited communication of substantially identical 
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content which is transmitted to 500 or more persons in 
that session or, in the case of a digital communication of 
substantially identical content, which is disseminated at 
a cost exceeding a designated amount, as provided under 
regulations of the House Communications Standards 
Commission,’’. 
SEC. 4. REVISION TO MASS MAILING NOTICE ON TAXPAYER 
FUNDING. 
Section 311(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropria-
tions Act, 1997 (2 U.S.C. 506(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(a) Each mass mailing’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(a)(1) Each mass mailing’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘the following notice:’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘or a notice’’ and inserting 
‘‘one of the notices described in paragraph (2) or a 
notice’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) The notices described in this paragraph are as 
follows: 
‘‘(A) ‘Paid for with official funds from the of-
fice of lllll.’, with the blank filled in with 
the name of the Member sending the mailing. 
‘‘(B) ‘Paid for by the funds authorized by the 
House of Representatives for District ll of 
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lllll.’, with the first blank filled in with the 
name of the congressional district number, and the 
second blank filled in with the name of the State, of 
the Member sending the mailing. 
‘‘(C) ‘Paid for by official funds authorized by 
the House of Representatives.’ ’’. 
SEC. 5. REVISIONS TO RESTRICTIONS ON MAIL MATTER 
CONSIDERED FRANKABLE. 
(a) EXPRESSIONS OF CONGRATULATIONS.—Section 
3210(a)(3)(F) of title 39, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ‘‘to a person who has achieved some public 
distinction’’. 
(b) BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION RELATED TO OF-
FICIAL
AND
REPRESENTATIONAL
DUTIES.—Section 
3210(a)(3)(I) of such title is amended by striking ‘‘publi-
cation or in response to a specific request therefor’’ and 
inserting the following: ‘‘publication, in response to a spe-
cific request therefor, or which relates to the Member’s 
or Member-elect’s official and representational duties,’’. 
(c) PHOTOS AND LIKENESSES INCLUDED IN NEWS-
LETTERS
OR
GENERAL
MASS
MAILINGS.—Section 
3210(a)(3) of such title is amended— 
(1) by adding ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 
(H); 
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(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to the reg-
ularly scheduled general election for Federal office 
held in November 2020 and each succeeding election 
for public office. 
(g) NONAPPLICATION
OF BLACKOUT PERIOD
TO 
PARTY NOMINATING CONVENTIONS OR CAUCUSES.—Sec-
tion 3210(a)(6) of such title is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(G) For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘pri-
mary election’ does not include a convention or caucus of 
a political party which has authority to nominate a can-
didate.’’. 
(h) INFORMATION ON CERTAIN MATTERS.—Section 
3210(a)(6)(E) of such title is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of clause (ii); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of clause 
(iii) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(iv) providing information exclusively on com-
petitions which are officially sanctioned by the 
House of Representatives or Senate, nominations to 
military service academies, official employment list-
ings for positions in the House of Representatives 
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(including listings for positions in the Wounded 
Warrior Program or the Gold Star Family Fellow-
ship Program), or natural disasters or other threats 
to public health and life safety.’’. 
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
Except as provided in section 5(f)(2), this Act and 
the amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect 
to communications disseminated on or after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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