On July 17, the House approved, by voice vote, legislation (H.R. 4437) that would reauthorize the sale of special U.S. postage stamps to raise money for breast cancer research. Created in 1997 under the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act (P.L. 105-41), the expiring program would be extended through 2002. At a cost of 40 cents—rather than the regular 33-cent rate for first-class postage—the special stamp raises 7 cents per stamp for breast cancer research at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. The special stamp is known as a “semipostal.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), stated, “It was not that long ago in the 105th Congress under the guidance of two of our former colleagues, a fellow state associate of mine, the gentlewoman Susan Molinari from New York, and Vic Fazio, the gentleman from California, who worked so hard in realizing what became the first ever semipostal issuance in the history of the United States. Since that time, since the creation of the breast cancer research stamp, the proceeds from the sales of these issues from voluntary purchases has resulted in some $15 million in additional funds made available for breast cancer research.”
In addition to continuing the breast cancer stamp, the bill would expand the semipostal program to allow the sale of stamps to help fund other types of medical research, as well as other causes (see The Source, 6/30/00).
