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 § 551.4.
(c)
Those proposals that the office of Stamp Services determines satisfy the requirements of § 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.