§3220. Use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children

(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 Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards 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.

(Added Pub. L. 99–87, §1(a)(1), Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 290 .)

Termination of Section

For termination of section by section 5 of Pub. L. 99–87, see Termination Date note below.

References in Text

Section 201 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (c), is classified to section 5611 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.

Termination Date

Section 5 of Pub. L. 99–87, 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 , provided that: "The amendments made by section 1 [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 shall cease to be effective after December 31, 2002."

Issuance of Guidelines, Rules, and Regulations

Section 2 of Pub. L. 99–87 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

Section 3 of Pub. L. 99–87, 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 , provided that:

"(a) General Requirements.-Not later than June 30, 2002, a written report containing the matter described in subsection (b) shall be prepared by-

"(1) the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and submitted to the President, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

"(2) the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and submitted to the President pro tempore of the Senate; and

"(3) the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards and submitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

"(b) Content of Reports.-Each report under this section shall include-

"(1) an assessment of the effectiveness with which any authority provided by section 3220 of title 39, United States Code, as added by this Act, has (during the period covered by the report) been used, insofar as such authority was subject to guidelines or rules and regulations prescribed by the reporting entity;

"(2) recommendations as to whether the authority under such section should, insofar as such authority was subject to such guidelines or rules and regulations, be extended beyond the termination date otherwise applicable under section 5 [set out as a note above]; and

"(3) any other information which the reporting entity considers appropriate."

Clarification Relating to Coordination of Government Programs

Section 4 of Pub. L. 99–87 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."

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 3204 of this title; title 44 section 733.