§506 — Title 2 The Congress | U.S. Code

Summary

Members must put a clear notice on the front, envelope, or outer wrapper of any mass mailing they send. The notice must be at least 7‑point type. It can say one of three things: that the mailing was paid from the Member’s office (with the Member’s name), that it was paid from funds authorized by the House for District [number] of [State], or that it was paid from official funds authorized by the House. The House Oversight Committee will make rules to carry this out. The House must publish, for each Member, how many mass mail pieces were sent and the total cost. The report must also show the cost per district address and the pieces per district address using the Postmaster General’s address count (excluding business possible delivery stops). Mass mailing and Member are defined as: Member = Representative, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner; mass mailing = as defined in federal postal law. This took effect for sessions starting after September 16, 1996.

Title 2, §506

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(a)(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)(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)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)For purposes of this section—

(1)the term “Member of the House of Representatives” means a Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress; and

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

(e)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