[DOCID: f:hr409p1.110]
From the House Reports Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
110th Congress Rept. 110-409,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session Part 1
======================================================================
TO AMEND TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE, TO EXTEND THE AUTHORITY OF THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO ISSUE A SEMIPOSTAL TO RAISE FUNDS FOR
BREAST CANCER RESEARCH
_______
October 25, 2007.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Dingell, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1236]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1236) to make permanent the authority of the
United States Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp
to support breast cancer research, having considered the same,
report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the
bill as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Amendments....................................................... 1
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 2
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Hearings......................................................... 2
Committee Consideration.......................................... 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 3
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 3
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures 3
Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits............................. 3
Committee Cost Estimate.......................................... 3
Congressional Budget Office Estimate............................. 3
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 7
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 7
Constitutional Authority Statement............................... 7
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 7
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 7
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 7
Amendments
The amendments are as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY.
Section 414(h) of title 39, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``2007'' and inserting ``2011''.
SEC. 2. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
The National Institutes of Health shall submit to Congress and the
Government Accountability Office an annual report concerning the use of
any amounts that it received under section 414(c) of title 39, United
States Code, including a description of any significant advances or
accomplishments, during the year covered by the report, that were
funded, in whole or in part, with such amounts.
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to amend title 39, United States Code, to extend
the authority of the United States Postal Service to issue a
semipostal to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Purpose and Summary
The purpose of H.R. 1236 is to extend for four years the
authority of the United States Postal Service to issue a
special first-class postage stamp to contribute funding for
breast cancer research.
Background and Need for Legislation
Breast cancer continues to have a devastating effect on the
health of women and men and imposes a large financial burden on
the general public. Breast cancer is the most commonly
diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of
cancer deaths among women. Each year, approximately 175,000
women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and more
than 40,000 will succumb to the disease. Breast cancer affects
women of all ages, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic strata,
and geographical areas.
In 1997, Congress passed the ``Stamp Out Breast Cancer
Act'' (P.L. 105-41) to help support breast cancer research and
to raise public awareness about the disease. This act
authorized the sale of breast cancer postage stamps (known as
semipostals) by the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Semipostal stamps, postage sold at a premium to raise funds for
a particular cause, have only recently been authorized for use
in the United States. After accounting for the Postal Service's
administrative costs, amounts above the regular postal rate
collected from sales of the special stamp are transferred to
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of
Defense for breast cancer research. As of December 2006, the
Breast Cancer Research Stamp (BCRS) had raised more than $53.4
million to support breast cancer research. The BCRS is offered
through the U.S. Postal Service as an alternative to a First
Class postage stamp.
The Semipostal Authorization Act of 2000 extended the
breast cancer stamp for two years and authorized the USPS to
issue other semipostals until 2010. In the Treasury-Postal
Service Appropriations Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-67), Congress
extended the BCRS through 2003. The 109th Congress further
extended the BCRS until December 31, 2007 (P.L. 109-100). H.R.
1236 would extend this program until December 31, 2011.
Hearings
The Committee on Energy and Commerce has not held hearings
on the legislation.
Committee Consideration
On Wednesday, October 10, 2007, the Subcommittee on Health
met in open markup session and favorably forwarded H.R. 1236,
amended, to the full Committee for consideration, by a voice
vote. On Tuesday, October 16, 2007, the full Committee met in
open markup session and ordered H.R. 1236 favorably reported to
the House, as amended by the Subcommittee, by a voice vote. No
amendments were offered during full Committee consideration.
Committee Votes
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires the Committee to list the record votes
on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto.
There were no recorded votes taken during consideration or
ordering H.R. 1236 reported to the House. A motion by Mr.
Dingell to order H.R. 1236 favorably reported to the House, as
amended, was agreed to by a voice vote.
Committee Oversight Findings
Regarding clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the oversight findings of the
Committee are reflected in this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
The purpose of H.R. 1236 is to extend the authority of the
USPS to issue a special postage stamp to support breast cancer
research.
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures
Regarding compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of
the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee adopts
as its own the estimate of budget authority and revenues
regarding H.R. 1236 prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. The Committee finds that H.R.
1236 would result in no new or increased entitlement authority
or tax expenditures.
Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits
Regarding compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, H.R. 1236 does not contain any
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI.
Committee Cost Estimate
The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate on H.R.
1236 prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974.
Congressional Budget Office Estimate
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the following is the cost estimate
provided by the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974:
October 18, 2007.
Hon. John D. Dingell,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1236, a bill to
amend title 39, United States Code, to extend the authority of
the United States Postal Service to issue a semipostal to raise
funds for breast cancer research.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark
Grabowicz.
Sincerely,
Peter R. Orszag,
Director.
Enclosure.
H.R. 1236--A bill to amend title 39, United States Code, to extend the
authority of the United States Postal Service to issue a
semipostal to raise funds for breast cancer research
Summary: The Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act (Public Law 105-
41) authorized a special postage stamp for first-class mail.
The price of this stamp is 55 cents, 14 cents above the regular
rate of 41 cents. The authority to issue the stamp expires on
December 31, 2007. After accounting for the Postal Service's
administrative costs, amounts above the regular postal rate
collected from sales of the special stamp are transferred to
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of
Defense (DoD) to spend on breast cancer research. H.R. 1236
would extend this program until December 31, 2011.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1236 would affect direct
spending in most of the years 2008 through 2014, but would have
no net effect on direct spending over the period as a whole. On
balance, we estimate that enacting the bill would result in a
net reduction in direct spending of $5 million over the 2008-
2012 period; that savings would be offset by increased direct
spending in 2013 and 2014, leading to no net impact over the
2008-2017 period.
The legislation would not affect revenues and would have no
impact on direct spending after 2014. CBO estimates that
implementing the bill would have discretionary costs of less
than $500,000 annually for NIH to prepare reports on its
spending of the proceeds from sales of the special stamp.
H.R. 1236 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of H.R. 1236 is shown in the following table.
The costs of this legislation fall within budget functions 050
(national defense), 370 (commerce and housing credit), and 550
(health).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2008- 2012 2008- 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN DIRECT SPENDING\1\
Off-Budget Effects
Impact on the Postal Service:
Estimated Budget Authority.......................... -4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated Outlays................................... -4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
On-Budget Effects
Impact on NIH and DoD:
Estimated Budget Authority.......................... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated Outlays................................... -2 -4 -1 0 2 4 1 0 0 0 -5 0
Unified Budget Effects
Total Changes:
Estimated Budget Authority.......................... -4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated Outlays................................... -6 -4 -1 0 6 4 1 0 0 0 -5 0
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1Implementing H.R. 1236 also would increase discretionary spending by NIH to prepare reports to the Congress on the breast cancer stamp. CBO estimates that those costs would be less than
$500,000 in each year.
Basis of estimate: Extending the authority to issue the
special breast cancer stamp would generate additional
offsetting receipts that would be spent without further
appropriation action for research on the disease. The amounts
collected and transferred by the Postal Service would be
classified as ``off-budget,'' while the amounts received and
spent by NIH and DoD would be recorded on the budget. All of
those transactions would be considered direct spending. The
budgetary impacts on each category and in individual years
would vary because of the timing of such collections and
spending, but all of the additional receipts would ultimately
be spent, so CBO estimates that implementing this bill would
have no net impact on the unified budget over the 2008-2017
period.
Based on sales of the special breast cancer stamp in recent
years, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1236 would generate
collections above the regular postage rate of $36 million--
roughly $7 million in fiscal year 2008, $9 million in each of
fiscal years 2009 through 2011, and $2 million in 2012. After
covering its administrative costs (about $100,000 over this
period), the Postal Service would transfer those collections to
NIH and DoD in May and November of each year. In fiscal year
2008, for example, the Postal Service would transfer $3 million
to NIH and DoD, resulting in a net reduction of $4 million in
Postal Service outlays in 2008. The net impact on Postal
Service outlays over the 2008-2012 period, however, would be
zero. Spending and collections of the Postal Service are
classified as ``off-budget.''
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1236 would increase NIH
and DoD collections (from Postal Service transfers) by $3
million in 2008, $9 million annually over the 2009-2011 period,
and $6 million in 2012. Spending of those collections by the
two agencies would lag behind the amounts collected by several
months. For example, in fiscal year 2008, we estimate that NIH
and DoD would collect $3 million from the Postal Service but
spend only $1 million. We estimate that research spending would
be $5 million in 2009, $8 million in 2010, $9 million in 2011,
$8 million in 2012, $4 million in 2013, and about $1 million in
2014. The on-budget NIH and DoD accounts would show net outlay
reductions totaling $7 million over the 2008-2010 period and a
corresponding increase in outlays from 2012 through 2014. Thus,
the net impact of the proposal on the unified budget (including
on budget and off-budget effects) would be zero over the 2008-
2014 period, with no effect after 2014.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 1236
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of state,
local, or tribal governments.
Previous CBO estimate: On September 27, 2007, CBO
transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 1236 as ordered reported
by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on
September 20, 2007. The two bills are very similar, and the
cost estimates are identical.
On August 9, 2007, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
597, a bill to extend the special postage stamp for breast
cancer research for two years, as ordered reported by the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
on August 1, 2007. CBO estimated that enacting that bill would
have no net effect on direct spending over the 2008-2012
period. In contrast, enacting H.R. 1236 would lead to net
savings over that five-year period, but would have no net
impact over the 2008-2017 period.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Mark Grabowicz; Impact
on state, local, and tribal governments: Elizabeth Cove; Impact
on the private sector: MarDestinee Perez.
Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
Federal Mandates Statement
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates regarding H.R. 1236 prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
Advisory Committee Statement
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act would be created by H.R.
1236.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that the
Constitutional authority for this legislation is provided in
Article I, section 8, clause 3, which grants Congress the power
to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the several
States, and with the Indian tribes, and in the provisions of
Article I, section 8, clause 1, that relate to expending funds
to provide for the general welfare of the United States.
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation
Section 1. Extension of authority
Section 1 extends the authority of USPS to issue a special
postage stamp to support breast cancer research until December
31, 2011.
Section 2. Reporting requirements
Section 2 requires NIH to prepare reports on spending of
the proceeds from sales of the BCRS stamp.
Section 2 requires the title so as to read: ``A bill to
amend title 39, United States Code, to extend the authority of
the United States Postal Service to issue a semipostal to raise
funds for breast cancer research.''
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE
* * * * * * *
PART I--GENERAL
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 4--GENERAL AUTHORITY
* * * * * * *
Sec. 414. Special postage stamps
(a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(h) This section shall cease to be effective after December
31, [2007] 2011.
* * * * * * *
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