§ 3204. — Restrictions on use of penalty mail.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 39USC3204]
TITLE 39--POSTAL SERVICE
PART IV--MAIL MATTER
CHAPTER 32--PENALTY AND FRANKED MAIL
Sec. 3204. Restrictions on use of penalty mail
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, an officer,
executive department, or independent establishment of the Government of
the United States may not mail, as penalty mail, any article or document
unless--
(1) a request therefor has been previously received by the
department or establishment; or
(2) its mailings is required by law.
(b) Subsection (a) of this section does not prohibit the mailing, as
penalty mail, by an officer, executive department, or independent agency
of--
(1) enclosures reasonably related to the subject matter of
official correspondence;
(2) informational releases relating to the census of the United
States and authorized by title 13;
(3) matter concerning the sale of Government securities;
(4) forms, blanks, and copies of statutes, rules, regulations,
instructions, administrative orders, and interpretations necessary
in the administration of the department or establishment;
(5) agricultural bulletins;
(6) lists of public documents offered for sale by the
Superintendent of Documents;
(7) announcements of the publication of maps, atlases, and
statistical and other reports offered for sale by the Federal Power
Commission as authorized by section 825k of title 16; or
(8) articles or documents to educational institutions or public
libraries, or to Federal, State, or other public authorities.
(Pub. L. 91-375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 752; Pub. L. 99-87,
Sec. 1(c)(1), Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 291.)
Amendments
1985--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99-87 temporarily inserted ``or section
3220(a) of this title'' after ``this section'' in introductory
provisions. See Termination Date of 1985 Amendment note below.
Termination Date of 1985 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 99-87 not effective after Dec. 31, 2002, see
section 5 of Pub. L. 99-87, as amended, set out as a Termination Date
note under former section 3220 of this title.
Transfer of Functions
Federal Power Commission terminated and its functions, personnel,
property, funds, etc., transferred to Secretary of Energy (except for
certain functions transferred to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
by sections 7151(b), 7171(a), 7172(a), 7291, and 7293 of Title 42, The
Public Health and Welfare.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in title 12 section 1701z-2; title 15
section 637; title 16 section 460l-1; title 29 section 2900; title 42
section 12651d.
