[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 2 (Friday, January 3, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 375-376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-31443]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 2 / Friday, January 3, 2014 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 375]]
POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 111
Revised Postage and Fee Refund Criteria
AGENCY: Postal Service TM.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Postal Service TM proposes to revise Mailing
Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual
(DMM[supreg]) section 604.9 to update the hourly charges and related
postage threshold used in assessing certain types of postage refunds
and to provide the allowable time periods for requesting refunds for
extra service fees.
DATES: Submit comments on or before February 3, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the manager, Product
Classification, U.S. Postal Service[supreg], 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW.,
Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015. You may inspect and photocopy all
written comments at USPS[supreg] Headquarters Library, 475 L'Enfant
Plaza SW., 11th Floor N, Washington, DC by appointment only between the
hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling 202-268-
2906 in advance. Email comments, containing the name and address of the
commenter, may be sent to: [email protected], with a
subject line of ``Revised Postage and Fee Refund Criteria''. Faxed
comments are not accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Germer, Revenue/Field
Accounting, [email protected], 202-268-8522; Karen Key, Manager
Shipping Products, [email protected], 202-268-7492; or Suzanne
Newman, Product Classification, [email protected], 202-268-
5581.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 14, 2013, the Postal Service
published a notice of proposed rulemaking (78 FR 16213-16220) to
eliminate hourly charges for processing refunds and replace it with a
charge of 10% of the face value of the postage refund amount being
requested. This proposal affected postage refunds for dated or undated,
unused postage meter indicia and for stamps affixed to Business Reply
Mail[supreg] (BRM) pieces.
The proposed rule also included adding general language to the DMM
on refund periods for extra service fees of not less than 10 days, or
more than 18 months, for services not rendered. The proposed rule
included a 30-day comment period. After review of the comments and
further analysis, the Postal Service is publishing this revision of its
proposed rule.
The Postal Service proposes to align the current assessments for
processing postage refunds, in effect since 2003, with current costs.
Therefore, if this revised rule is adopted, the Postal Service will
update the hourly factor used in various refund assessments from $35.00
an hour to $50.00 an hour. Additionally, the threshold for assessing
certain postage refunds at the hourly factor will be updated from
postage amounts exceeding $350.00 to postage amounts exceeding $500.00.
The refund assessment amounts in this proposed rule would not revise
the current standards for providing service failure refunds or when
USPS[supreg] is at fault.
The Postal Service also proposes to add language to the DMM to
provide customers with information on refund time periods for extra
service fees that align with the revised claims filing periods (being
made effective January 26, 2014) to promote timely adjudication.
Therefore, if this proposed rule is adopted, the Postal Service will
include the following information in the DMM: Refund requests for
Registered Mail TM, Certified Mail[supreg], Signature
Confirmation TM, USPS Tracking TM, Adult
Signature services, and insurance fees must be made by the mailer no
sooner than 10 days, or more than 60 days, from the date the service
was purchased.
Additionally, if these proposed changes are adopted, PS Form 3533,
Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer
Accounts, will be revised to reflect the changes.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111
Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.
Although we are exempted from the notice and comment requirements
of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(b), (c)) regarding
proposed rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 410(a), we invite public comments on
the following proposed revisions to Mailing Standards of the United
States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), incorporated by
reference in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 111.1.
Accordingly, 39 CFR part 111 is proposed to be amended as follows:
PART 111--[AMENDED]
0
1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 111 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 13 U.S.C. 301-307; 18 U.S.C. 1692-
1737; 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 414, 416, 3001-3011, 3201-3219,
3403-3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3632, 3633, and 5001.
0
2. Revise the following sections of Mailing Standards of the United
States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), as follows:
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail
Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
* * * * *
604 Postage Payment Methods
* * * * *
9.0 Exchanges and Refunds
* * * * *
9.2 Postage and Fee Refunds
* * * * *
9.2.4 Postage Refunds Not Available
Refunds are not made for the following:
* * * * *
[Add new item 9.2.4h to read as follows:]
h. For extra service fees paid for Registered Mail, Certified Mail,
Signature Confirmation, USPS Tracking, Adult Signature services and
insurance when a refund request is made by the mailer less than 10
days, or more than 60 days, from the date the service was purchased.
* * * * *
[[Page 376]]
9.2.6 Postage Affixed to Business Reply Mail
[Revise the seventh sentence of 9.2.6 to read as follows:]
* * * A charge of $50.00 per hour, or fraction thereof, is assessed
for the workhours used to process the credit or refund. * * *
* * * * *
9.3.2 General Standards for Metered Indicia Refunds
* * * For both types of unused metered indicia, submit refund
requests as follows:
* * * * *
b. * * * Charges for processing a refund request for unused, dated
meter indicia are as follows, depending on the total face value of the
indicia:
[Revise 9.3.2b1 and 9.3.2b2 to read as follows:]
1. When the total face value of the indicia is $500.00 or less, the
amount refunded is 90% of the face value. USPS may process the refund
payment via a no-fee postal money order; or
2. When the total face value of the indicia is more than $500.00,
the amount refunded is the total face value reduced by $50.00 per hour
for the USPS time to process the refund, with a minimum charge of
$50.00. The charge is $50.00 for each hour spent, with the last
fraction of an hour treated as a full hour. Payment processing for
refunds of $500.01 or more is through the Accounting Service Center.
* * * * *
We will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to
reflect these changes if our proposal is adopted.
* * * * *
Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Legal Policy & Legislative Advice.
[FR Doc. 2013-31443 Filed 1-2-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P