[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8100 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8100
To provide for the issuance of a Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal
Stamp.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 19, 2024
Mr. Walberg (for himself, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Kildee, Mrs.
McClain, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Moolenaar, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Huizenga, Ms.
Moore of Wisconsin, and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability,
and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure,
and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the issuance of a Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal
Stamp.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Great Lakes
Restoration Semipostal Stamp Act of 2024''.
(b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Great Lakes consist of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron,
Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Superior, and border the
States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York.
(2) The Great Lakes watershed provides habitats for
numerous fascinating species of wildlife.
(3) The Great Lakes have exceptional surrounding parks,
forests, shorelines, and islands, which are a source of
recreation through swimming, hiking, picnics, boating, fishing,
hunting, and wildlife watching.
(4) The Great Lakes region is currently home to 27 million
people.
(5) The Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater
system on Earth, with over 20 percent of the world's fresh
water supply.
(6) The Great Lakes are the source of drinking water for
over 40 million people and 56 billion gallons of water a day
for municipal, industrial, and agricultural use.
(7) The Great Lakes are vital for the region's economy,
attracting tourism and providing transportation for goods.
(8) The Great Lakes region's environment and economy depend
on the health and well-being of the Great Lakes.
(9) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has played a
critical role in restoring the Great Lakes.
(10) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is vital in
combating the introduction of invasive species into the Great
Lakes.
(11) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is pivotal in
mitigating harmful algal blooms.
(12) The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has restored
over 250,000 acres of habitat.
SEC. 2. GREAT LAKES RESTORATION 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
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, as described under the fourth
undesignated paragraph under the heading ``Administrative Provisions,
Environmental Protection Agency'' in Public Law 111-88 (123 Stat. 2938;
commonly known as the ``Interior Department and Further Continuing
Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010''), the United States Postal
Service shall issue a semipostal stamp (referred to in this Act as the
``Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp'') in accordance with the
provisions of this section.
(b) Cost.--The Great Lakes Restoration 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 25 percent.
(c) Other Terms and Conditions.--The issuance and sale of the Great
Lakes Restoration 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 Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal
Stamp shall be transferred to the Environmental
Protection Agency for the purpose of funding the
operations of the Initiative described in subsection
(a), through payments which shall be made at least
twice a year.
(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 Great Lakes Restoration
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 the Initiative identified in subsection
(a).
(2) Duration.--The Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp
shall be made available to the public for a period of at least
5 years, beginning no later than 12 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(3) Stamp depictions.--Stamps issued under this Act shall
depict images of each of the five Great Lakes.
(4) Limitation.--The Great Lakes Restoration 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.
(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.
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