PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

House members must put a clear notice on any mass mailing paid with government money. The notice must be on the front of the mailing, or on the envelope or outer wrapper, and printed in at least 7‑point type. The notice can either name the Member’s office, name the Member’s district number and State, or say it was paid with official House-authorized funds. The House Oversight Committee will make rules to carry out these requirements. "Member" means a Representative, a Delegate, or a Resident Commissioner. "Mass mailing" uses the postal law definition. The House must publish in its itemized disbursement report, for each Member, the total number of mass-mail pieces and their total cost. That report must also show the cost per address and pieces per address, using the number of non-business addresses in the Member’s district as set by the Postmaster General under postal law. These rules apply to sessions of Congress beginning after September 16, 1996.

Title 2, §506

The Congress, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notice that mailing is at taxpayer expense

(1)Each mass mailing sent by a Member of the House of Representatives shall bear in a prominent place on its face, or on the envelope or outside cover or wrapper in which the mail matter is sent, one of the notices described in paragraph (2) or a notice to the same effect in words which may be prescribed under subsection (c). The notice shall be printed in a type size not smaller than 7-point.

(2)The notices described in this paragraph are as follows:

(A)“Paid for with official funds from the office of _____.”, with the blank filled in with the name of the Member sending the mailing.

(B)“Paid for by the funds authorized by the House of Representatives for District __ of _____.”, with the first blank filled in with the name of the congressional district number, and the second blank filled in with the name of the State, of the Member sending the mailing.

(C)“Paid for by official funds authorized by the House of Representatives.”

(b)Publication of each Member’s total expense and amount

(1)There shall be published in the itemized report of disbursements of the House of Representatives as required by law, a summary tabulation setting forth, for the office of each Member of the House of Representatives, the total number of pieces of mass mail mailed during the period involved and the total cost of those mass mailings.

(2)Each such tabulation shall also include—

(A)the total cost (as referred to in paragraph (1)) divided by the number (as determined by the Postmaster General) of addresses (other than business possible delivery stops) in the Congressional district from which the Member was elected (as such addresses are described in section 3210(d)(7)(B) of title 39); and

(B)the total number of pieces of mass mail (as referred to in paragraph (1)) divided by the number (as determined by the Postmaster General) of addresses (other than business possible delivery stops) in the Congressional district from which the Member was elected (as such addresses are described in section 3210(d)(7)(B) of title 39).

(c)Regulations

The Committee on House Oversight shall prescribe such rules and regulations and shall take such other action as the Committee considers necessary and proper for Members to conform to the provisions of this subsection and applicable rules and regulations.

(d)Definitions

For purposes of this section

(1)

(2)the term “mass mailing” has the meaning given such term by section 3210(a)(6)(E) of title 39.

(e)Applicability

This section shall apply with respect to sessions of Congress beginning after September 16, 1996.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 59h of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section. Section is from the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997.

Amendments

2020—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–260 designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted “one of the notices described in paragraph (2) or a notice” for “the following notice: “this mailing was prepared, published, and mailed at taxpayer expense.”, or a notice”, and added par. (2).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on House Oversight of House of Representatives changed to Committee on House Administration of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Jan. 6, 1999.

Effective Date

of 2020 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 116–260 applicable with respect to communications disseminated on or after Dec. 27, 2020, see section 116(f) of div. I of Pub. L. 116–260, set out as a note under section 501 of this title.

§506 Mass Mailing Sent by House Members