Title: Semipostal Stamp Clarification Act of 2017
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Semipostal Stamp Clarification Act of 2017
This bill removes the authority of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue semipostal stamps (stamps sold at a premium to raise funds for causes of national public interest) except as provided by an Act of Congress. (Currently, the USPS issues semipostals using its own discretion to determine the causes it considers to be in the national public interest.)
The bill also makes entities (currently, only agencies) eligible to receive amounts that become available from the sale of semipostals. Congress must determine the appropriate agencies or entities that receive such amounts.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 128 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 128

  To amend section 416 of title 39, United States Code, to remove the 
  authority of the United States Postal Service to issue semipostals 
 except as provided for by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2017

 Mr. Burgess introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend section 416 of title 39, United States Code, to remove the 
  authority of the United States Postal Service to issue semipostals 
 except as provided for by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Semipostal Stamp Clarification Act 
of 2017''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE SEMIPOSTAL STAMP 
              AUTHORITY.

    Section 416 of title 39, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Limited Authority.--The Postal Service may issue and sell 
semipostals under this section only for such purposes or causes as 
provided for by an Act of Congress.'';
            (2) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``appropriate agency or 
                        agencies'' and inserting ``appropriate agency 
                        or entity, as provided for by an Act of 
                        Congress pursuant to subsection (b),''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``such agency'' and 
                        inserting ``such agency or entity'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2); and
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (2);
            (3) by striking subsection (e); and
            (4) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections 
        (e) and (f), respectively.
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