Use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children

39 U.S.C. § 3220

• Title: 39 — Postal Service
• Chapter: 32 — PENALTY AND FRANKED MAIL

Text

(a)(1) The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, after consultation with appropriate public and private agencies, shall prescribe general guidelines under which penalty mail may be used to assist in the location and recovery of missing children. The guidelines shall provide information relating to—
(A) the form and manner in which materials and information relating to missing children (such as biographical data and pictures, sketches, or other likenesses) may be included in penalty mail;
(B) appropriate sources from which such materials and information may be obtained;
(C) the procedures by which such materials and information may be obtained; and
(D) any other matter which the Office considers appropriate.
(2) Each executive department and independent establishment of the Government of the United States shall prescribe regulations under which penalty mail sent by such department or establishment may be used in conformance with the guidelines prescribed under paragraph (1).
(b) The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Communications Standards Commission shall prescribe for their respective Houses rules and regulations, and shall take such other action as the Committee or Commission considers necessary and proper, in order that purposes similar to those of subsection (a) may, in the discretion of the congressional official or office concerned, be carried out by the use of franked mail sent by such official or office.
(c) As used in this section, "Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention" and "Office" each means the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the Department of Justice, as established by section 201 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974.

History

(Added Pub. L. 99–87, §1(a)(1), Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 290; Pub. L. 116–260, div. I, title I, §116(b)(2)(A)(iii), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1637.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

References in Text
Section 201 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (c), is section 201 of Pub. L. 93–415, which enacted section 11111 of Title 34, Crime Control and Law Enforcement, and amended section 5108 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Amendments
2020—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–260 substituted "House Communications Standards Commission" for "House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2020 Amendment
Amendment 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 Title 2, The Congress.

Termination Date
Pub. L. 99–87, §5, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 290, as amended by Pub. L. 100–202, §101(m) [title VI, §627(a)], Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329–390, 1329–430; Pub. L. 102–514, §1(2), Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3371; Pub. L. 105–126, §1(2), Dec. 1, 1997, 111 Stat. 2542, which provided that the amendments made by section 1 of Pub. L. 99–87, enacting this section and amending sections 3201 and 3204 of this title and section 733 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents, and any guidelines, rules, or regulations prescribed to carry out such amendments were to cease to be effective after December 31, 2002, was repealed by Pub. L. 109–426, §1, Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 2911.

Issuance of Guidelines, Rules, and Regulations
Pub. L. 99–87, §2, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 291, provided that:
"(a) Guidelines.—The guidelines described in section 3220(a)(1) of title 39, United States Code, as added by this Act, shall be prescribed not later than ninety days after the date of the enactment of this Act (Aug. 9, 1985).
"(b) Rules and Regulations.—The regulations described in subsection (a)(2) of section 3220 of title 39, United States Code, as added by this Act, and the rules and regulations described in subsection (b) of such section, as so added, shall be prescribed not later than one hundred and eighty days after the date of the enactment of this Act (Aug. 9, 1985)."

Reporting Requirements
Pub. L. 99–87, §3, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 291, as amended by Pub. L. 100–202, §101(m) (title VI, §627(b)), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329–390, 1329–430; Pub. L. 102–514, §1(1), Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3371; Pub. L. 105–126, §1(1), Dec. 1, 1997, 111 Stat. 2542, required the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards each to submit a report no later than June 30, 2002, on the authority provided by this section.

Clarification Relating to Coordination of Government Programs
Pub. L. 99–87, §4, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 292, provided that: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the authority provided by section 3220(b) of title 39, United States Code, as added by this Act, shall not be considered to be subject to the authority of any agency within the executive branch of the Government of the United States to coordinate programs relating to missing children."

Editorial Notes

Amendments
2019—Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title X, §1055(c)(2), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1593, added item 3401 and struck out former item 3401 "Mailing privileges of members of Armed Forces of the United States and of friendly foreign nations".
1986—Pub. L. 99–410, title II, §201(b)(1), Aug. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 928, added item 3406.
1979—Pub. L. 96–70, title I, §1331(e)(3)(B), Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 482, struck out item 3402 "Mailing privileges of members of Armed Forces of the United States and of friendly foreign nations in the Canal Zone".