[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS REGARDING REPORTS BY POSTMASTER GENERAL ON 
               OFFICIAL MAIL OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the 
bill (H.R. 705) to make technical corrections with respect to the 
monthly reports submitted by the Postmaster General on official mail of 
the House of Representatives, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Calvert). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Michigan?
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I have no 
intention of objecting, but I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Ehlers) for the purposes of explaining the bill in question.
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 705 improves the efficiency of mail 
reporting for Members by removing the requirement that the percentage 
of the mail allowance expended each month be reported. As our Committee 
on House Administration has increased the flexibility of Members with 
regard to the Member's allowance, this percentage report has become 
unnecessary and also creates inefficient paperwork. The actual amount 
used for mail each month will be reported, but this will remove the 
monthly reporting requirement and increase the administrative 
efficiency of the House.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his explanation.
  As this technical amendment was explained to me, Mr. Speaker, current 
Postal Service reporting requirements are continued with a modification 
which conforms those reports to the way the House now administers 
Members' allowances. I understand that there are additional technical 
amendments to this section which need to be worked out but that this 
particular amendment is time-sensitive, and that staff will present 
additional amendments for committee consideration in the next few 
months.
  Is that the gentleman's understanding?
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Maryland would 
continue to yield, that is my understanding, and I believe it is a good 
action that we should take at this point.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), and, Mr. Speaker, based 
upon the gentleman's representation, if that is all this technical 
amendment does, then I will certainly withdraw my reservation of 
objection.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                                H.R. 705

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

     SECTION 1. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS REGARDING REPORTS BY 
                   POSTMASTER GENERAL ON OFFICIAL MAIL OF HOUSE OF 
                   REPRESENTATIVES.

       (a) In General.--Section 311(b)(2) of the Legislative 
     Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(b)(2)) is 
     amended by striking ``any person with an allocation under 
     subsection (a)(2)'' and inserting the following: ``any person 
     with an allocation under subsection (a)(2)(A) as to the 
     amount that has been used and any person with an allocation 
     under subsection (a)(2)(B)''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall apply with respect to January 1999 and each succeeding 
     month.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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