39 U.S.C. § 416: Authority to issue semipostals

the term “semipostal” means a postage stamp which is issued and sold by the Postal Service, at a premium, in order to help provide funding for a cause described in subsection (b); and the term “agency” means an Executive agency within the meaning of section 105 of title 5 . The Postal Service is hereby authorized to issue and sell semipostals under this section in order to advance such causes as the Postal Service considers to be in the national public interest and appropriate. the rate established for a semipostal under this section shall be equal to the rate of postage that would otherwise regularly apply, plus a differential of not less than 15 percent; and no regular rates of postage or fees for postal services under chapter 36 shall be any different from what they otherwise would have been if this section had not been enacted. The amounts becoming available from the sale of a semipostal under this section shall be transferred to the appropriate agency or agencies under such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual agreement with each such agency establish. Decisions concerning the identification of appropriate causes and agencies to receive amounts becoming available from the sale of a semipostal under this section shall be made in accordance with applicable regulations under subsection (e). The amounts becoming available from the sale of a semipostal under this section shall be determined in a manner similar to that provided for under section 414(c)(2) (as in effect on July 1, 2000 ). Regulations under subsection (e) shall specifically address how the costs incurred by the Postal Service in carrying out this section shall be computed, recovered, and kept to a minimum. Amounts which have or may become available from the sale of a semipostal under this section shall not be taken into account in any decision relating to the level of appropriations or other Federal funding to be furnished to an agency in any year. Before transferring to an agency in accordance with paragraph (1) any amounts becoming available from the sale of a semipostal over any period, the Postal Service shall ensure that it has recovered the full costs incurred by the Postal Service in connection with such semipostal through the end of such period. which office or other authority within the Postal Service shall be responsible for making the decisions described in subsection (d)(2); what criteria and procedures shall be applied in making those decisions; and what limitations shall apply, if any, relating to the issuance of semipostals (such as whether more than one semipostal may be offered for sale at the same time). Before any regulation is issued under this section, a copy of the proposed regulation shall be published in the Federal Register, and an opportunity shall be provided for interested parties to present written and, where practicable, oral comment. All regulations necessary to carry out this section shall be issued not later than 30 days before the date on which semipostals are first made available to the public under this section. 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 any program established under this section. the commencement and termination dates for the sale of such semipostal; the total amount that became available from the sale of such semipostal; and of that total amount, how much was applied toward administrative costs. This section shall cease to be effective at the end of the 10-year period beginning on the date on which semipostals are first made available to the public under this section. “This Act may be cited as the ‘Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010’. In order to afford a convenient way for members of the public to contribute to funding for the operations supported by the Multinational Species Conservation Funds, the United States Postal Service shall issue a semipostal stamp (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ‘Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp’) in accordance with succeeding provisions of this section. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp shall be offered at a cost equal to the cost of mailing a letter weighing 1 ounce or less at the nonautomation single-piece first-ounce letter rate, in effect at the time of purchase, plus a differential of not less than 15 percent. The use of any semipostal issued under this section shall be voluntary on the part of postal patrons. The special rate of postage of an individual stamp under this section shall be an amount that is evenly divisible by 5. All amounts becoming available from the sale of the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp (as determined under section 416(d) of such title 39) shall be transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, for the purpose described in subsection (a), through payments which shall be made at least twice a year, with the proceeds to be divided equally among the African Elephant Conservation Fund, the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, and other international wildlife conservation funds authorized by the Congress after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Sept. 30, 2010 ] and administered by the Service as part of the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; or any of the funds identified in subparagraph (A). The Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp shall be made available to the public for a period beginning no later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Sept. 30, 2010 ] and ending not earlier than the date on which the United States Postal Service provides notice to Congress under paragraph (5). The Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp shall not be subject to, or taken into account for purposes of applying, any limitation under section 416(e)(1)(C) of such title 39. Amounts transferred under paragraph (1) shall not be used to fund or support the Wildlife Without Borders Program or to supplement funds made available for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The United States Postal Service shall sell each copy of the Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp that the United States Postal Service prints under this Act. The United States Postal Service shall notify the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in the Senate, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, the Committee on Oversight and Reform [now Committee on Oversight and Accountability] of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives when all copies of the Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp printed under this Act have been sold. For purposes of this Act, the term ‘semipostal stamp’ refers to a stamp described in section 416(a)(1) of title 39 , United States Code.” This section may be cited as the ‘9/11 Heroes Stamp Act of 2001’. In order to afford the public a direct and tangible way to provide assistance to the families of emergency relief personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty in connection with the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001 , the United States Postal Service shall issue a semipostal in accordance with subsection (c). All amounts becoming available from the sale of the semipostal (as determined under such section) shall be transferred to the Federal Emergency Management Agency under such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual agreement with such agency establish in order to carry out the purposes of this section. beginning on the earliest date practicable; and for such period of time as the Postal Service considers necessary and appropriate, but in no event after December 31, 2004 . For purposes of section 416 of title 39 , United States Code (including any regulation prescribed under subsection (e)(1)(C) of that section), the semipostal postage stamp issued under this section shall not apply to any limitation relating to whether more than one semipostal may be offered for sale at the same time. It is the sense of the Congress that the semipostal issued under this section should depict, by such design as the Postal Service considers to be most appropriate, the efforts of emergency relief personnel at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. the term ‘emergency relief personnel’ means firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, members of the clergy, and other individuals (including employees of legally organized and recognized volunteer organizations, whether compensated or not) who, in the course of professional duties, respond to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other similar emergencies; and the term ‘semipostal’ has the meaning given such term by section 416 of title 39 , United States Code.” This section may be cited as the ‘Stamp Out Domestic Violence Act of 2001’. In order to afford the public a direct and tangible way to contribute to funding for domestic violence programs, the United States Postal Service shall issue a semipostal in accordance with subsection (c). All amounts becoming available from the sale of the semipostal (as determined under such section) shall be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services under such arrangements as the Postal Service shall by mutual agreement with such agency establish in order to carry out the purposes of this section. beginning on the earliest date practicable, but not later than January 1, 2004 ; and for such period of time as the Postal Service considers necessary and appropriate, but in no event after December 31, 2006 . For purposes of section 416 of title 39 , United States Code (including any regulation prescribed under subsection (e)(1)(C) of that section), the semipostal stamp issued under this section shall not apply to any limitation relating to whether more than one semipostal may be offered for sale at the same time. For purposes of this section the term ‘semipostal’ has the meaning given such term by section 416 of title 39 , United States Code.” the total amount of funding received by such agency under such section 416 during the year; an accounting of how any funds received by such agency under such section 416 were allocated or otherwise used by such agency in such year; and a description of any significant advances or accomplishments in such year that were funded, in whole or in part, out of amounts received by such agency under such section 416.”