[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 19 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           EXPLANATION OF MINK PRIVATE DELIVERY SERVICE BILL

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                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 1997

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced legislation to 
provide consumers access and ease of transmission to Federal agencies 
where time of receipt is required to preserve a right or to meet a 
filing deadline. Currently, in many instances, documents required to be 
received by Federal agencies within a certain deadline are recognized 
as arriving on time by the date of postmark affixed by the U.S. Postal 
Service [USPS]. Such documents include grant applications, court 
notices, sealed bids, and several other types of official documents.
  My legislation would provide the same recognition to the date affixed 
on such items delivered by private delivery services, such as Federal 
Express or United Parcel Service.
  My bill uses the same definition of designated private delivery 
services as is used by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights II, Public Law 104-
168, section 1210, which was passed by the last Congress and signed 
into law on July 30, 1996. This timely-mailing-as-timely-filing rule 
applied to filing of income tax returns has been adopted by my bill and 
extended to all documents filed with Federal agencies.
  The date of receipt or date otherwise recorded on the item by the 
delivery company will constitute date of receipt by the Federal agency 
same as filing of Federal income taxes is deemed received by the 
postmark placed on the parcel or letter by USPS. With expanded delivery 
services now available, this procedure should be deemed applicable to 
these services as well.
  I urge my colleagues to support my bill, to provide greater ease of 
compliance by our constituents in meeting filing deadlines.

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