[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5272 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5272

To improve accountability regarding official mail by repealing the use 
        of the frank for official mail, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 7, 1994

Mr. Minge introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to 
       the Committees on Post Office and Civil Service and House 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve accountability regarding official mail by repealing the use 
        of the frank for official mail, 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 ``Official Mail Accountability Act of 
1994''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF FRANK; REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO THE USE OF OFFICIAL 
              MAIL.

    (a) Official Mail Transmitted by the Vice President, Members of 
Congress, and Congressional Officials.--Section 3210 of title 39, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking out ``mail as franked mail'' in 
                paragraph (1) and inserting in lieu thereof ``official 
                mail'';
                    (B) by striking out ``frankable'' in paragraph (3) 
                and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail'';
                    (C) by striking out ``under the franking 
                privilege'' in paragraph (3)(I) and inserting in lieu 
                thereof ``as official mail'';
                    (D) in paragraph (4)--
                            (i) by striking out ``the franking 
                        privilege'' in paragraph (4) and inserting in 
                        lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
                            (ii) by striking out ``franked mail'' and 
                        inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail'';
                    (E) in paragraph (5)--
                            (i) by striking out ``franked mail'' in the 
                        matter that precedes subparagraph (A) and 
                        inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''; 
                        and
                            (ii) by striking out ``frankable mail'' in 
                        subparagraph (B)(i) and inserting in lieu 
                        thereof ``official mail''; and
                    (F) by striking out ``franked mail'' in 
                subparagraphs (A) and (C) of paragraph (6) and 
                inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking out ``franked mail'' both places it 
                appears in paragraph (1) and inserting in lieu thereof 
                ``official mail'';
                    (B) by striking out ``franking privilege'' and 
                inserting in lieu thereof ``under paragraph (1)''; and
                    (C) by striking out ``franked mail'' and inserting 
                in lieu thereof ``official mail'';
            (3) in subsection (c), by striking out ``Franked mail'' 
        both places it appears and inserting in lieu thereof ``Official 
        mail'';
            (4) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking out ``franked mail'' each place it 
                appears in paragraphs (1) through (6) and inserting in 
                lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
                    (B) by striking out ``Franked mail'' and inserting 
                in lieu thereof ``Official mail'';
            (5) by striking out subsection (e);
            (6) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by striking out ``franked mail'' and inserting 
                in lieu thereof ``official mail'';
                    (B) by striking out ``frankable mass mailing'' and 
                inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail mass 
                mailing''; and
                    (C) by striking out ``frankable'' and inserting in 
                lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
            (7) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) by striking out ``franked mail mailed under the 
                frank of the Vice President or a Member of Congress'' 
                and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail mailed 
                under this section'';
                    (B) by striking out ``frankable'' and inserting in 
                lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
                    (C) by striking out ``frank'' and inserting in lieu 
                thereof ``section''; and
            (8) by amending the section heading to read as follows:
``Sec. 3210. Official mail transmitted by the Vice President, Members 
              of Congress, and congressional officials''.
    (b) Public Documents.--Section 3211 of such title is amended by 
striking out ``franked mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``official 
mail''.
    (c) Congressional Record as Official Mail of Members of Congress.--
Section 3212 of such title is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``franked mail'' each place it appears 
        and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
            (2) by amending the section heading to read as follows:
``Sec. 3212. Congressional Record as official mail of Members of 
              Congress''.
    (d) Seeds and Reports from the Department of Agriculture.--Section 
3213 of such title is amended by striking out ``franked mail'' and 
inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''.
    (e) Mailing Privilege of Former President; Surviving Spouse of 
Former President.--Section 3214 of such title is amended by striking 
out ``franked mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''.
    (f) Lending or Permitting Use of Frank.--Section 3215 of such title 
is repealed.
    (g) Reimbursement for Official Mailings.--Section 3216 of such 
title--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking out ``under the franking 
                privilege'' in paragraph (1)(A) and inserting in lieu 
                thereof ``as official mail'';
                    (B) by striking out ``franked mail'' in paragraph 
                (2) and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''; 
                and
                    (C) by striking out the last sentence thereof;
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking out ``under the frank'' 
        and inserting in lieu thereof ``as official mail'';
            (3) in subsection (d), by striking out ``under the franking 
        privilege'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``as official mail'';
            (4) in subsection (e)(1), by striking out ``franked mail'' 
        and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
            (5) by amending the section heading to read as follows:
``Sec. 3216. Reimbursement for official mailings''.
    (h) Franked Mail for Survivors of Members of Congress.--Section 
3218 of such title is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``franked mail'' and inserting in lieu 
        thereof ``official mail''; and
            (2) by amending the section heading to read as follows:
``Sec. 3218. Official mail for survivors of Members of Congress''.
    (i) Mailgrams.--Section 3219 of such title is amended by striking 
out ``franked mail'' both places it appears and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``official mail''.
    (j) Use of Official Mail in the Location and Recovery of Missing 
Children.--Section 3220(b) of such title is amended by striking out 
``franked mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''.
    (k) Definitions.--Section 3201 of such title is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking out ``other than franked 
        mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``other than official mail 
        subject to section 3210 of this title''; and
            (2) by striking out paragraphs (3) and (4).
    (l) Shipment by Most Economical Means.--Section 3208 of such title 
is amended by striking out ``other than franked mail''.
    (m) Tables of Sections and Chapters.--(1) The chapter heading and 
table of sections at the beginning of chapter 32 of such title are 
amended to read as follows:

                ``CHAPTER 32--PENALTY AND OFFICIAL MAIL

``Sec.
``3201. Definitions.
``3202. Penalty mail.
``3203. Endorsements on penalty covers.
``3204. Restrictions on use of penalty mail.
``3205. Accounting for penalty covers.
``3206. Reimbursement for penalty mail service.
``3207. Limit of weight of penalty mail; postage on overweight matter.
``3208. Shipment by most economical means.
``3209. Executive departments to supply information.
``3210. Official mail transmitted by the Vice President, Members of 
                            Congress, and congressional officials.
``3211. Public documents.
``3212. Congressional Record as official mail of Members of Congress.
``3213. Seeds and reports from Department of Agriculture.
``3214. Mailing privilege of former President; surviving spouse of 
                            former President.
``3215. [repealed]
``3216. Reimbursement for official mailings.
``3217. Correspondence of members of diplomatic corps and consuls of 
                            countries of Postal Union of Americas and 
                            Spain.
``3218. Official mail for survivors of Members of Congress.
``3219. Mailgrams.
``3220. Use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing 
                            children.''.
    (2) The item in the table of chapters at the beginning of part IV 
of such title is amended to read as follows:

``32. Penalty and official mail.............................    3201''.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO THE CONGRESS.

    (a) Official Mail Privileges of Former Speakers.--The provisions of 
H. Res. 1238, Ninety-first Congress, as enacted into permanent law by 
the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1971 (84 Stat. 1989), as extended 
to former Speakers of the House of Representatives by Public Law 93-532 
(88 Stat. 1723), are deemed to be amended by substituting ``official 
mail'' for ``franked mail'' each place it appears.
    (b) Transportation of Official Records and Papers to House Member's 
District.--The provisions of H. Res. 1280, Ninety-fifth Congress, and 
House Resolution 1297, Ninety-fifth Congress, as enacted into permanent 
law by Public Law 98-51 (97 Stat. 269) are deemed to be amended by 
substituting ``official mail'' for ``franked mail''.
    (c) Official Mail of Certain Persons Formerly Entitled to Use the 
Congressional Frank.--Section 311 of the Legislative Branch 
Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e) is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``entitled to use the congressional 
        frank'' each place it occurs and inserting in lieu thereof 
        ``entitled to send congressional official mail''; and
            (2) in subsections (a)(3) and (g), by striking out ``the 
        frank'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''; and
            (3) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by striking out ``franked 
        mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''.
    (d) Mass Mailing Information by Senators.--Section 320 of the 
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59g) is amended 
by striking out ``under the frank'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``as 
official mail''.
    (e) House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards.--Section 5 
of Public Law 93-191 (2 U.S.C. 501) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (d), by striking out ``franked mail'' 
        both places it appears and inserting in lieu thereof ``official 
        mail''; and
            (2) in the ninth sentence of subsection (e), by striking 
        out ``franking laws'' and all that follows through ``franked 
        mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``or abuse of the official 
        mailing laws by any person listed under subsection (d) of this 
        section as entitled to send mail as official mail''.
    (f) Select Committee on Standards and Conduct.--Section 6 of Public 
Law 93-191 (2 U.S.C. 502) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking out ``franked mail'' both places it 
                appears and inserting in lieu thereof ``official 
                mail''; and
                    (B) by striking out ``the franking privilege'' and 
                inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail'';
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking out ``franking laws'' 
        and all that follows through ``franked mail'' and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``or abuse of the official mailing laws by any 
        person listed under subsection (a) of this section as entitled 
        to send mail as official mail''.
    (g) House Legislative Counsel.--Section 525 of Public Law 91-510 (2 
U.S.C. 282d) is amended by striking out ``franked mail'' and inserting 
in lieu thereof ``official mail''.
    (h) Documents and Reports.--(1) The second and third undesignated 
paragraphs of section 733 of title 44, United States Code, are 
repealed.
    (2) Section 907 of such title is amended by striking out ``franked 
mail'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``official mail''.
                                 <all>