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 ‘‘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 
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: 
‘‘(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 
(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; 
‘‘(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— 
(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: