Title: United States Postal Service Shipping Equity Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
United States Postal Service Shipping Equity Act
This bill authorizes the mailing of alcoholic beverages by a covered entity in accordance with the delivery requirements otherwise applicable to a privately carried shipment. Covered entity is defined as an entity (including a winery, brewery, or beverage distilled spirits plant, or other wholesale, distributer, or retailer of alcoholic beverages) that has registered with, obtained a permit from, or obtained approval of an application from the Department of the Treasury pursuant to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act or the Internal Revenue Code provisions regarding alcohol, tobacco, and certain other excise taxes.
The bill directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to prescribe regulations: (1) requiring such mailing to be through a means that ensures direct delivery to a duly authorized agent at a postal facility or to the addressee, who must be at least 21 years of age and present a valid, government-issued photo identification at the time of delivery; (2) prohibiting such alcoholic beverages from being for resale or any other commercial purpose; and (3) requiring such covered entity to certify that the mailing is not in violation of applicable laws or regulations and to provide other information as directed by the USPS, including with respect to the prepayment of state alcohol beverage taxes.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2517 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2517

  To amend title 18, United States Code, and title 39, United States 
Code, to provide the United States Postal Service the authority to mail 
              alcoholic beverages, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2019

Ms. Speier (for herself, Mr. Biggs, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Davis 
of California, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
 LaMalfa, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Pocan) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight 
 and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 18, United States Code, and title 39, United States 
Code, to provide the United States Postal Service the authority to mail 
              alcoholic beverages, 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 ``United States Postal Service 
Shipping Equity Act''.

SEC. 2. SHIPPING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

    (a) Mailability.--
            (1) Nonmailable articles.--Section 1716(f) of title 18, 
        United States Code, is amended by striking ``mails'' and 
        inserting ``mails, except to the extent that the mailing is 
        allowable under section 3001(p) of title 39''.
            (2) Alcoholic beverages.--Section 1154(a) of title 18, 
        United States Code, is amended, by inserting ``or, with respect 
        to the mailing of alcoholic beverages to the extent allowed 
        under section 3001(p) of title 39'' after ``mechanical 
        purposes''.
    (b) Regulations.--Section 3001 of title 39, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(p)(1) Alcoholic beverages shall be considered mailable if 
mailed--
            ``(A) by a covered entity in accordance with applicable 
        regulations under paragraph (2); and
            ``(B) in accordance with the delivery requirements 
        otherwise applicable to a privately carried shipment of an 
        alcoholic beverage in the State, territory, or district of the 
        United States where the addressee or duly authorized agent 
        takes delivery.
    ``(2) The Postal Service shall prescribe such regulations as may be 
necessary to carry out this subsection, including regulations providing 
that--
            ``(A) the mailing shall be by a means established by the 
        Postal Service to ensure direct delivery to the addressee or a 
        duly authorized agent at a postal facility;
            ``(B) the addressee (and any duly authorized agent) shall 
        be an individual at least 21 years of age, and shall present a 
        valid, Government-issued photo identification at the time of 
        delivery;
            ``(C) the alcoholic beverage may not be for resale or other 
        commercial purpose; and
            ``(D) the covered entity involved shall--
                    ``(i) certify in writing to the satisfaction of the 
                Postal Service, through a registration process 
                administered by the Postal Service, that the mailing is 
                not in violation of any provision of this subsection or 
                regulation prescribed under this subsection; and
                    ``(ii) provide any other information or affirmation 
                that the Postal Service may require, including with 
                respect to the prepayment of State alcohol beverage 
                taxes.
    ``(3) For purposes of this subsection--
            ``(A) the term `alcoholic beverage' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 203 of the Federal Alcohol Administration 
        Act (27 U.S.C. 214); and
            ``(B) the term `covered entity' means an entity (including 
        a winery, brewery, or beverage distilled spirits plant, or 
        other wholesaler, distributer, or retailer of alcoholic 
        beverages) that has registered with, obtained a permit from, or 
        obtained approval of a notice or an application from, the 
        Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to--
                    ``(i) the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (27 
                U.S.C. 201 et seq.); or
                    ``(ii) Chapter 51 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
                1986 (26 U.S.C. 5001 et seq.).''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the earlier of--
            (1) the date on which the Postal Service issues regulations 
        under section 3001(p) of title 39, United States Code, as 
        amended by this section; or
            (2) 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
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