[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S621-S622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Baucus, 
        Mr. Cleland, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Levin, and Mr. Sessions):
  S. 2062. A bill to amend chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, 
to allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for organ and tissue 
donation awareness through the voluntary purchase of certain specially 
issued United States postage stamps; to the Committee on Governmental 
Affairs.


       ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION AWARENESS ``SEMI-POSTAL'' STAMP

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I am pleased to be here today with my 
friend and colleague from Illinois, Senator Durbin, to introduce 
legislation that would authorize the issuance of the organ and tissue 
donation awareness ``semi-postal'' stamp. With 67,000 people on the 
organ donation waiting list, we have no time to lose in educating the 
public about the importance of life-giving organ and tissue donations.
  In August 1998, as a result of strong public and congressional 
interest, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 32-cent organ and tissue 
donation commemorative stamp. But, just five months later, the postal 
rate increased to 33-cents. To use the stamp, that meant purchasers 
would have to buy an additional one-cent stamp to make up the postage 
difference. Yet, despite this hassle, more than 47 million of the 50 
million stamps originally printed have been purchased, demonstrating 
the strong demand for an organ and tissue donation awareness postage 
stamp.
  Since the U.S. Postal Service does not re-issue commemorative stamps, 
we are seeking authorization for a ``semi-postal'' stamp. This stamp 
would sell for up to 25 percent above the value of a first-class stamp, 
regardless of the price of the first-class stamp, itself. The surplus 
revenues would be directed to programs that increase organ and tissue 
donation awareness. The decision to donate an organ or tissue is a 
life-saving one. However, it is frequently one that family members and 
loved ones fail to communicate to one another. Every effort we make to 
remind people that this is a decision that should be communicated 
before a tragedy strikes is an effort toward saving lives. Whether it 
is an organ and tissue donation postage stamp or a box that drivers can 
mark as they renew their drivers' licenses, they are steps that raise 
awareness of the importance of communicating to family and friends the 
decision to become an organ or tissue donor.
  I would like to thank my colleague, Senator Durbin, for joining me in 
introducing this legislation, and Senators Abraham, Baucus, Cleland, 
Dodd, and Levin for their co-sponsorship. I have appreciated their 
support for this bill and for their tremendous work on behalf of organ 
and tissue donation awareness. I would also like to thank a number of 
organ and tissue donation groups who support this legislation--the 
Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP); the 
National Kidney Foundation (NKF); the United Network for Organ Sharing 
(UNOS); Transplant Recipients International Organization, Inc. (TRIO); 
the Coalition on Donation; Hadassah; the Eye Bank Association of 
America; the American Society of Transplantation; the American Society 
of Transplant Surgeons; LifeBanc; and the Association of Organ 
Procurement Organizations.
  I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this important 
legislation. Time is of the essence. The waiting list for organs 
includes 67,000 people, with a new name added to that list every 16 
minutes. Moreover, ten to twelve people die every day waiting for an 
organ to become available. There is simply no time to lose. Every 
effort we make to increase, and in this case help generate, funds for 
organ and tissue donation awareness will help to save someone's life.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this 
legislation be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2062

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

     SECTION 1. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMPS TO BENEFIT ORGAN AND TISSUE 
                   DONATION AWARENESS.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, 
     is amended by inserting after section 414 the following:

     ``Sec. 414a. Special postage stamps for organ and tissue 
       donation awareness

       ``(a) In order to afford the public a convenient way to 
     contribute to funding for organ and tissue donation 
     awareness, the Postal Service shall establish a special rate 
     of postage for first-class mail under this section.
       ``(b) The rate of postage established under this section--
       ``(1) shall be equal to the regular first-class rate of 
     postage, plus a differential of not to exceed 25 percent;
       ``(2) shall be set by the Governors in accordance with such 
     procedures as the Governors shall by regulation prescribe (in 
     lieu of the procedures under chapter 36); and
       ``(3) shall be offered as an alternative to the regular 
     first-class rate of postage.
       ``(c) The use of the special rate of postage established 
     under this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal 
     patrons.
       ``(d)(1) The Postal Service shall pay the amounts becoming 
     available for organ and tissue donation awareness under this 
     section to the Department of Health and Human Services for 
     organ and tissue donation awareness programs. Payments under 
     this paragraph to the Department of Health and Human Services 
     shall be made under such arrangements as the Postal Service 
     shall by mutual agreement with the Department establish in 
     order to carry out the purposes of this section, except that, 
     under those arrangements, payments to the Department shall be 
     made at least twice a year. In consultation with donor 
     organizations and other members of the transplant community, 
     the Department of Health and Human Services may make any 
     funds paid to the Department under this section available to 
     donor organizations and other members of the transplant 
     community for donor awareness programs.
       ``(2) For purposes of this section, the term `amounts 
     becoming available for organ and tissue donation awareness 
     under this section' means--
       ``(A) the total amounts received by the Postal Service that 
     it would not have received but for the enactment of this 
     section, reduced by
       ``(B) an amount sufficient to cover reasonable costs 
     incurred by the Postal Service in

[[Page S622]]

     carrying out this section, including those attributable to 
     the printing, sale, and distribution of stamps under this 
     section,
     as determined by the Postal Service under regulations that 
     the Postal Service shall prescribe.
       ``(e) It is the sense of Congress that nothing in this 
     section should--
       ``(1) directly or indirectly cause a net decrease in total 
     funds received by the Department of Health and Human Services 
     or any other agency of the Government (or any component or 
     program thereof) below the level that would otherwise have 
     been received but for the enactment of this section; or
       ``(2) affect regular first-class rates of postage or any 
     other regular rates of postage.
       ``(f) Special postage stamps under this section shall be 
     made available to the public beginning on such date as the 
     Postal Service shall by regulation prescribe, but in no event 
     later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this 
     section.
       ``(g) The Postmaster General shall include in each report 
     rendered under section 2402 with respect to any period during 
     any portion of which this section is in effect information 
     concerning the operation of this section, except that, at a 
     minimum, each shall include--
       ``(1) the total amount described in subsection (d)(2)(A) 
     which was received by the Postal Service during the period 
     covered by such report; and
       ``(2) of the amount under paragraph (1), how much (in the 
     aggregate and by category) was required for the purposes 
     described in subsection (d)(2)(B).
       ``(h) This section shall cease to be effective at the end 
     of the 2-year period beginning on the date on which special 
     postage stamps under this section are first made available to 
     the public.''.
       (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Table of sections.--The table of sections for chapter 4 
     of title 39, United States Code, is amended by striking the 
     item relating to section 414 and inserting the following:

``414. Special postage stamps to benefit breast cancer research.
``414a. Special postage stamps to benefit organ and tissue donation 
              awareness.''.
       (2) Section heading.--The heading for section 414 of title 
     39, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

     ``Sec. 414. Special postage stamps to benefit breast cancer 
       research''.

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