I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4872
To allow postal patrons to invest in vanishing wildlife protection programs
through the voluntary purchase of specially issued postage stamps.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 18, 2000
Mr. GILMAN (for himself, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California,
and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Government Reform
A BILL
To allow postal patrons to invest in vanishing wildlife protec-
tion programs through the voluntary purchase of spe-
cially issued 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 ‘‘Vanishing Wildlife
Stamp Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS RELATING TO VAN-
ISHING WILDLIFE PROTECTION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 39, United
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 414 the
following:
‘‘§ 414a. Special postage stamps relating to funding
vanishing wildlife protection programs
‘‘(a) In order to afford the public a convenient way
to invest in vanishing wildlife protection programs, 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 no more than 25 percent higher
than the rate that would otherwise apply;
‘‘(2) may be established without regard to any
procedures under chapter 36 of title 39, United
States Code, and notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law; and
‘‘(3) shall be offered as an alternative to the
regular first class rate of postage.
‘‘(c) The use of the rate of postage established under
this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal pa-
trons.
‘‘(d)(1) Amounts becoming available from public in-
vestment in wildlife protection programs shall be paid by
the Postal Service to the Department of Interior Multilat-
eral Species Conservation Fund. Payments under this sec-
tion shall be made under such arrangements as the Postal
Service shall, by mutual agreement with the Department
of Interior, establish in order to carry out the purposes
of this section, except that under those arrangements, pay-
ments to the Department of Interior shall be made at least
twice a year.
‘‘(2) For purposes of this section, the term ‘amounts
becoming available from public investment in vanishing
wildlife protection programs’ means—
‘‘(A) the total amount of revenues 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 costs attributable to the print-
ing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this sec-
tion,
as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that
it shall prescribe.
‘‘(e) It is the sense of Congress that nothing in this
section should—
‘‘(1) directly or indirectly cause a net decrease
in total funds received by the Department of Interior
or any other agency of the Government (or any com-
ponent or program thereof) below the level that
would otherwise have been received but for the en-
actment of this section; or
‘‘(2) affect regular first-class rates of postage
or any other regular rates of postage.
‘‘(f) 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 not
later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of
this section.
‘‘(g) 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 concerning the operation of this section, ex-
cept that, at a minimum, each report shall include—
‘‘(1) the total amount described in subsection
(d)(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
(d)(2)(B).
‘‘(h) 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) REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF
THE UNITED STATES.—Not later than 3 months (but no
earlier than 6 months) before the end of the 2-year period
referred to in section 414a(h) of title 39, United States
Code (as amended by subsection (a)), the Comptroller
General of the United States shall submit to the Congress
a report on the operation of such section. Such report shall
include—
(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness and the
appropriateness of the authority provided by such
section as a means of fund-raising; and
(2) a description of the monetary and other re-
sources required of the Postal Service in carrying
out such section.
(c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections
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 relating to breast cancer.
‘‘414a. Special postage stamps relating to funding vanishing wildlife protection
programs.’’.
(2) SECTION HEADING.—The heading for sec-
tion 414 of title 39, United States Code, is amended
to read as follows: