Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 95.djvu/1068

 95 STAT. 1042 Rules and regulations.

"Mass mailing.'

Rules and regulations.

Samples.

Effective date. 39 USC 3210 note.

PUBLIC LAW 97-69—OCT. 26, 1981

"(D) The Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate and the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards shall prescribe for their respective Houses rules and regulations, and shall take other action as the Committee or the Commission considers necessary and proper for Members and Members-elect to comply with the provisions of this paragraph and applicable rules and reflations. The rules and regulations shall include provisions prescribing the time within which mailings shall be mailed at or delivered to any postal facility and the time when the mailings shall be deemed to have been mailed or delivered to comply with the provisions of this paragraph. "(E) For purposes of this section, the term 'mass mailing* means newsletters and similar mailings of more than five hundred pieces in which the content of the matter mailed is substantially identical but shall not apply to mailings— "(i) which are in direct response to communications from persons to whom the matter is mailed; "(ii) to colleagues in the Congress or to government officials (whether Federal, State, or local); or "(iii) of news releases to the communications media.". SEC. 3. (a) Section 3210(d) of title 39, United States Code, is amended by(1) striking "the House" and substituting "Congress" in paragraph (1); (2) inserting "or State" after "district" in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1); (3) inserting "with respect to a Member of the House of Representatives" after "(B)" in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1); (4) striking "House of Representatives" and substituting "Congress" in paragraph (2); (5) inserting "or the State" after "district" in paragraph (2); (6) redesignating paragraph (4) and paragraph (5) as paragraph (7) and paragraph (8), respectively; and (7) inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraphs: "(4) Any franked maU which is mailed under this subsection shall be mailed at the equivalent rate of postage which assures that the mail will be sent by the most economical means practicable. "(5) The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards shall prescribe for their respective Houses rules and regulations governing any franked mail which is mailed under this subsection and shall by regulation limit the number of such mailings allowed under th& subsection. "(6)(A) Any Member of, or Member-elect to, the House of Representatives entitled to make any mailing as franked mail under this subsection shall, before making any mailing, submit a sample or description of the mail matter involved to the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards for an advisory opinion as to whether the proposed mailing is in compliance with the provisions of this subsection. "(B) The Senate Select Committee on Ethics may require any Member of, or Member-elect to, the Senate entitled to make any mailings as franked mail under this subsection to submit a sample or description of the mail matter to the Committee for an advisory opinion as to whether the proposed mailing is in compliance with the provisions of this subsection.". 0>) This section shall become effective 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

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