[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 39, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 39CFR551.3]

[Page 173-174]
 
                        TITLE 39--POSTAL SERVICE
 
                 CHAPTER I--UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
 
PART 551_SEMIPOSTAL STAMP PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  551.3  Procedure for selection of causes and recipient executive

agencies.

    The Postal Service is authorized to select causes and recipient 
executive agencies to receive funds raised through the sale of 
semipostal stamps. The procedure for selection of causes and recipient 
executive agencies is as follows:
    (a) In advance of the issuance of a semipostal stamp, the office of 
Stamp Services will publish a request for proposals in the Federal 
Register inviting interested persons to submit proposals for a cause and 
recipient executive agencies for a future semipostal stamp. The notice 
will specify the beginning and ending dates of the period during which 
proposals may be submitted. The notice will also specify the approximate 
period in which the semipostal stamp for which proposals are solicited 
is to be sold. The office of Stamp Services may publicize the request 
for proposals through other means, as it determines in its discretion.
    (b) Proposals will be received by the office of Stamp Services, 
which will review each proposal under Sec.  551.4.
    (c) Those proposals that the office of Stamp Services determines 
satisfy the

[[Page 174]]

requirements of Sec.  551.4 will be forwarded for consideration by the 
Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which is described in Administrative 
Support Manual (ASM) section 644.5. For availability of ASM 644.5, 
contact the Office of Stamp Services (202) 268-2319.
    (d) The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee will review eligible 
proposals forwarded by the office of Stamp Services. Based on the 
proposals submitted, the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee will make 
recommendations on a cause and eligible recipient executive agency(ies) 
to the postmaster general. If no eligible proposals are recommended, the 
Postal Service will solicit additional proposals through publication of 
a notice in the Federal Register and through other means as it 
determines in its discretion.
    (e) Meetings of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee are closed, 
and deliberations of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee are 
predecisional in nature.
    (f) The postmaster general will act on the recommendations of the 
Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. The decision of the postmaster 
general shall consist of the final agency decision.
    (g) The office of Stamp Services will notify the executive 
agency(ies) in writing of a decision designating the agency(ies) as 
recipients of funds from a semipostal stamp.
    (h)(1) A proposal submission may designate one or two recipient 
executive agencies to receive funds, but if more than one executive 
agency is proposed, the proposal must specify the percentage shares of 
differential revenue, net of the Postal Service's reasonable costs, to 
be given to each agency. If percentage shares are not specified, it is 
presumed that the proposal intends that the funds be split evenly 
between the agencies. If more than two recipient executive agencies are 
proposed to receive funds and the proposal is selected, the proposal is 
treated as prescribed by paragraph (h)(3) of this section.
    (2) If more than one proposal is submitted for the same cause, and 
the proposals would have different executive agencies receiving funds, 
the funds would be evenly divided among the executive agencies, with no 
more than two agencies being designated to receive funds, as determined 
by the vice president and consumer advocate.
    (3) Within 10 days of receipt of a notice indicating that it has 
been selected to receive funds, a selected agency could request a 
proportionately larger share if it can demonstrate that its share of 
total funding of the cause from other sources (excluding any additional 
funds available as a result of the semipostal stamp) exceeds that of the 
other recipient executive agency. The request must be in writing and 
must be sent to the manager of Stamp Services. In those cases, the 
determination regarding the proportional share to be divided among the 
recipient executive agencies is made by the Postal Service's vice 
president and consumer advocate.
    (i) As either a separate matter, or in combination with 
recommendations on a cause and a recipient executive agency(ies), the 
Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee will recommend to the postmaster 
general a design (i.e., artwork) for the semipostal stamp. The 
postmaster general will make a final determination on the design to be 
featured.