[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 407 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 407

  To allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for breast-cancer 
  research through the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued 
                     United States postage stamps.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 1997

 Mr. Fazio of California (for himself, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Mr. Norwood, 
 and Ms. Woolsey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, and in addition to 
 the Committee on Commerce, 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 allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for breast-cancer 
  research through the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued 
                     United States postage stamps.

    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 ``Breast-Cancer Research Stamp Act''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS.

    (a) In General.--In order to afford the public a convenient way to 
contribute to funding for breast-cancer research, the United States 
Postal Service shall establish a special rate of postage for first-
class mail under this section.
    (b) Higher Rate.--The rate of postage established under this 
section--
            (1) shall be 1 cent 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 provision of law; and
            (3) shall be offered as an alternative to the rate that 
        would otherwise apply.
The use of the rate of postage established under this section shall be 
voluntary on the part of postal patrons.
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--The amounts attributable to the 1-cent 
        differential established under this Act shall be paid by the 
        United States Postal Service to the National Institutes of 
        Health under such arrangements as those agencies shall by 
        mutual agreement establish in order to carry out the purposes 
        of this Act, except that under those arrangements, payments 
        shall be made at least twice a year.
            (2) Amounts attributable to the 1-cent differential.--For 
        purposes of this subsection, the term ``amounts attributable to 
        the 1-cent differential established under this Act'' means, as 
        determined by the United States Postal Service under 
        regulations that it shall prescribe--
                    (A) the total amount of revenues received by the 
                United States Postal Service that it would not have 
                received but for the enactment of this Act, reduced by
                    (B) an amount sufficient to cover reasonable 
                administrative and other costs of the United States 
                Postal Service attributable to carrying out this Act.
    (d) Special Postage Stamps.--The United States Postal Service may 
provide for the design and sale of special postage stamps to carry out 
this Act.
    (e) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) nothing in this Act should directly or indirectly cause 
        a net decrease in total funds received by the National 
        Institutes of Health or any other agency or instrumentality of 
        the Government (or any component or other aspect thereof) below 
        the level that would otherwise have been anticipated absent 
        this Act; and
            (2) nothing in this Act should affect regular first-class 
        rates or any other regular rate of postage.

SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORTS.

    The Postmaster General shall include in each annual report rendered 
under section 2402 of title 39, United States Code, information 
concerning the operation of this Act.
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