H. Rept. 116-285 - MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUNDS SEMIPOSTAL STAMP REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019116th Congress (2019-2020)
116th Congress    }                                 {   Rept. 116-285
1st Session      }                                 {          Part 1
MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUNDS SEMIPOSTAL STAMP
REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
November 13, 2019.--Ordered to be printed
the bill (H.R. 1446) to require the United States Postal
Service to continue selling the Multinational Species
Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp until all remaining stamps
are sold, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
This Act may be cited as the ``Multinational Species Conservation
Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION; REQUIREMENT TO SELL ALL STAMPS.
(a) In General.--Section 2(c) of the Multinational Species
Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 (39 U.S.C. 416 note;
Public Law 111-241) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``of at least 6 years,''; and
(B) by inserting before the period at the end the
following: ``and ending not earlier than the date on
which the United States Postal Service provides notice
to Congress under paragraph (5)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Requirement to sell all stamps printed.--
``(A) In general.--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.
``(B) Notification of congress.--The United States
Postal Service shall notify the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the
Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of
Representatives when all copies of the Multinational
Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp printed
under this Act have been sold.''.
(b) Retroactive Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall take effect as if enacted on the day after the date of enactment
of the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp
Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-165; 128 Stat. 1878).
The purpose of H.R. 1446 is to require the United States
Postal Service to continue selling the Multinational Species
are sold.
The Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal
Stamp Act of 2010\1\ authorized a semipostal stamp from the
U.S. Postal Service to support international conservation
efforts. A semipostal stamp is a postage stamp that is sold at
a higher rate than the normal price for an ordinary one-ounce
first-class stamp. The extra charge serves as a contribution by
the purchaser to a specific fund or cause.
\1\ Pub. L. No. 111-241, 124 Stat. 2605 (2010) (codified at 39
U.S.C. Sec. 416 note).
A portion of the proceeds of the Multinational Species
Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamps is transferred to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which divides the funds among
the Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF). The MSCF
include five grant programs: the African Elephant Conservation
Fund, the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Great Ape
Conservation Fund, the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund, and the
Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, all reauthorized in
S.47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and
Recreation Act,\2\ signed into law earlier this year.
\2\ Pub. L. No. 116-9, Sec. 7001(c), 133 Stat. 580, 784-88 (2019).
According to the FWS, the sale of nearly 51 million MSCF
semipostal stamps has raised more than $5.7 million for the
MSCF,\3\ supporting conservation projects related to anti-
poaching efforts, conservation capacity building, community
engagement and outreach, habitat restoration, and raising
public awareness of wildlife trafficking.\4\
\3\ Hearing on H.R. 967, H.R. 1162, H.R. 1446, H.R. 1976, H.R.
2473, H.R. 2685, Migratory Bird Protection Act Discussion Draft Before
the Subcomm. on Water, Oceans & Wildlife of the H. Comm. on Nat. Res.,
116th Cong. (2019) (statement for the record of the U.S. Dep't of the
Interior), https://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II13/20190613/109633/
HHRG-116-II13-20190613-SD008.pdf.
\4\ Pervaze A. Sheikh, Michelle D. Christensen & Kalyn R. Dorheim,
Cong. Research Serv., R44809, Multinational Species Conservation Fund
Semipostal Stamp 3 (2017).
The authorization for offering the MSCF semipostal stamp
expired in 2017, at which point the U.S. Postal Service
suspended the sale of the stamp, despite still having more than
49 million printed and unsold stamps on hand at this time.\5\
H.R. 1446 reauthorizes the MSCF semipostal stamp until all
stamps that have been printed have been sold.
\5\ Hearing, supra note 3, at 2.
H.R. 1446 was introduced on February 28, 2019, by
Representative Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO). The bill was referred to
the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the
Committee on Natural Resources. Within the latter Committee,
the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and
Wildlife. On June 13, 2019, the Subcommittee held a hearing on
the bill. On September 18, 2019, the Natural Resources
Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was
discharged by unanimous consent. Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
offered an amendment designated Grijalva #1, which was adopted
by unanimous consent. No additional amendments were offered,
and the bill, as amended, was ordered favorably reported to the
House of Representatives by unanimous consent.
For the purposes of section 103(i) of H.Res. 6 of the 116th
Congress--the following hearing was used to develop or consider
H.R. 1446: legislative hearing by the Subcommittee on Water,
Oceans, and Wildlife held on June 13, 2019.
Compliance With House Rule XIII and Congressional
Budget Act
Reauthorization Act of 2019.
Stamp Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-241) directed the Postal
Service (USPS) to issue a special stamp for first-class mail.
Any amounts collected from the special stamp (called a
semipostal), after accounting for USPS administrative costs,
were transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
for programs to support endangered species. The Postal Service
stopped selling these stamps at the end of 2018; H.R. 1446
would direct USPS to continue selling these stamps until all
remaining stamps are sold.
CBO anticipates that the Postal Service would charge 60
cents for each multinational species semipostal stamp, and that
payments above the regular first-class postage rate (currently
55 cents) would be treated as offsetting collections (that is,
as a credit against spending) of the Postal Service. Based on
past sales of this semipostal, we expect that the increase in
offsetting collections under H.R. 1446 would be less than $1
million annually. The collections and spending by the Postal
Service, including the transfer to the USFWS, are classified as
off-budget. The receipt of the transfer and subsequent spending
by the USFWS are classified as on budget. CBO estimates that
both agencies would spend their collections soon after they
receive them so that the net change in outlays for both
agencies would not be significant in any year.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
objectives of this bill are to require the United States Postal
MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUNDS SEMIPOSTAL STAMP ACT OF 2010
SEC. 2. MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUNDS SEMIPOSTAL STAMP.
(a) In general.--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.
(b) Cost and Use.--
(1) In general.--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.
(2) Voluntary use.--The use of any semipostal issued
under this section shall be voluntary on the part of
postal patrons.
(3) Special rate.--The special rate of postage of an
individual stamp under this section shall be an amount
that is evenly divisible by 5.
(c) Other Terms and Conditions.--The issuance and sale of the
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp shall
be governed by the provisions of section 416 of title 39,
United States Code, and regulations issued under such section,
subject to subsection (b) and the following:
(1) Disposition of proceeds.--
(A) In general.--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 and administered by the Service as
part of the Multinational Species Conservation
(B) Proceeds not to be offset.--In accordance
with section 416(d)(4) of such title 39,
amounts becoming available from the sale of the
Multinational Species Conservation Funds
Semipostal Stamp (as so determined) shall not
be taken into account in any decision relating
to the level of appropriations or other Federal
funding to be furnished in any year to--
(i) the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service; or
(ii) any of the funds identified in
subparagraph (A).
(2) Duration.--The Multinational Species Conservation
Funds Semipostal Stamp shall be made available to the
public for a period [of at least 6 years,] beginning no
later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of
this Act and ending not earlier than the date on which
the United States Postal Service provides notice to
Congress under paragraph (5).
(3) Limitation.--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.
(4) Restriction on use of funds.--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.
(5) Requirement to sell all stamps printed.--
(A) In general.--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.
(B) Notification of congress.--The United
States Postal Service shall notify the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Oversight and Reform of the House of
Representatives when all copies of the
Semipostal Stamp printed under this Act have
been sold.
(d) Definition.--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.
Supplemental, Minority, Additional, or Dissenting Views