‘‘(B) before making any mailing of substantially
identical mail which totals 250 pieces or less (but
more than 50) in the same session, and which in
every other respect meets the definition of a mass
mailing (determined disregarding the exclusion
under subclause (II) of paragraph (8)(A)(i)), submit
a sample of the mail matter involved to such Com-
mission; and
‘‘(C) before making any mailing of substantially
identical mail, in the nature of a town meeting no-
tice, which totals more than 50 pieces in the same
session, and which in every other respect (aside from
such nature and number) meets the definition of a
mass mailing, submit a sample of the mail matter
involved to such Commission.
‘‘(7)(A) The regulations prescribed in connection with
subsection (a)(3) shall be amended to require, in addition
to the information otherwise required to be included in the
quarterly report referred to therein, a statement of—
‘‘(i) costs charged against the Official Mass
Mailing Allowance of each Member; and
‘‘(ii) the number of pieces of mail in any mass
mailing sent by a Member.
‘‘(B)(i) The House Commission on Congressional
Mailing Standards shall by regulation establish procedures
under which there shall be made available to the public
for review and copying any matter submitted to the Com-
mission under paragraph (6). Any copying under the pre-
ceding sentence shall be at the expense of the person who
requests the copying.
‘‘(ii) Under the regulations, mail matter shall be
made available within 2 weeks after the date on which it
is requested in accordance with applicable procedures.
‘‘(8) For the purpose of this subsection—
‘‘(A) the term ‘mass mailing’ means, with re-
spect to a session of Congress, any mailing of news-
letters or other pieces of mail with substantially
identical content (whether such mail is deposited sin-
gly or in bulk, or at the same time or different
times), totaling more than 250 pieces in that ses-
sion, except that such term does not include—
‘‘(i)(I) any mailing of matter in direct re-
sponse to a communication from a person to
whom the matter is mailed; or
‘‘(II) a single follow-up to any such direct
response, if it is made before the end of the
Congress in which the direct response was
made, it occurs within 6 weeks after any signifi-
cant congressional action (as defined by the
House Commission on Congressional Mailing
Standards) on the subject matter involved, and
it complies with any requirements which would
be applicable to it under clause (i) or (ii)(II)
of section 3210(a)(6)(A) of title 39, United
States Code, if it were a mass mailing;
‘‘(ii) any mailing from a Member of Con-
gress to other Members of Congress, or to Fed-
eral, State, or local government officials;
‘‘(iii) any mailing of a news release to the
communications media; or
‘‘(iv) any mailing described in clause (iv)
or (v) of section 6(b)(1)(B) of the Legislative
Branch Appropriations Act, 1995 (39 U.S.C.
3210 note), subject to the same restriction as
specified in such clause (iv) with respect to a
Member of the Senate;
‘‘(B) the term ‘franked mail’ has the meaning
given such term by section 3201(4) of title 39,
United States Code; and
‘‘(C) the term ‘town meeting notice’ means (in-
cluding for purposes of subparagraph (A)(iv)) any
mailing which—
‘‘(i) relates solely to a notice of the time
and place at which a Member of the House of
Representatives or 1 or more members of the
Member’s staff will be available to meet con-
stituents regarding legislative issues or prob-
lems with Federal programs;
‘‘(ii) appears on a mailing 51⁄2″ x 8″ or
smaller;
‘‘(iii) includes not more than 3 references
to the Member (excluding any reference appear-
ing as the frank, consisting of the signature
and name at the end of the mailing, or other-
wise specified in regulations of the House Com-
mission on Congressional Mailing Standards);
and
‘‘(iv) does not include any picture, sketch,
or other likeness of the Member.’’.
SEC. 305. PROVISIONS RELATING TO MEMBERS’ OFFICIAL
MAIL ALLOWANCE.
(a) REDUCTION IN MAXIMUM ALLOCATION.—Section
311(e)(2)(B)(i) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations
Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(e)(2)(B)(i)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘3’’ and inserting ‘‘0.5’’.
(b) LIMITATION ON TRANSFERS.—Paragraph (3) of
section 311(e) of such Act is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), no
amount may be transferred to or from the Official Mail
Allowance of a Member of the House of Representatives.
‘‘(B) A Member of the House of Representatives may
transfer amounts from the Official Mass Mailing Allow-
ance of the Member to the Official Mail Allowance of the
Member.’’.
SEC. 306. INTENT OF CONGRESS.
It is the intent of Congress that any funds realized
by section 304 of the Federal Election Reform Act of 1996
shall be designated to pay for the benefits provided in sec-
tion 103.
SEC. 307. EXPEDITED REVIEW OF CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES.
(a) DIRECT APPEAL TO SUPREME COURT.—An ap-
peal may be taken directly to the Supreme Court of the
United States from any interlocutory order or final judg-
ment, decree, or order issued by any court ruling on the
constitutionality of any provision of this Act or amend-
ment made by this Act.
(b) ACCEPTANCE AND EXPEDITION.—The Supreme
Court shall, if it has not previously ruled on the question
addressed in the ruling below, accept jurisdiction over, ad-
vance on the docket, and expedite the appeal to the great-
est extent possible.
SEC. 308. EFFECTIVE DATE.
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the amend-
ments made by, and the provisions of, this Act shall take
effect on January 1, 1997.
SEC. 309. REGULATIONS.
The Federal Election Commission shall prescribe any
regulations required to carry out this Act not later than
9 months after the effective date of this Act.
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