THEY MAY BE HONORED WITH A HIM MOTHERLY STAMP ON THE FIRST
           BIRTH ANNIVERSARY FOLLOWING THEIR DEATH. EVENTS OF HISTORICAL
           SIGNIFICANCE SHALL BE CONSIDERED FOR COMMEMORATION ONLY ON
           ANNIVERSARIES IN MULTIPLES OF 50 YEARS, ONLY EVENTS AND THEMES
           OF WIDESPREAD NATIONAL APPEAL AND SIGNIFICANCE WILL BE
           CONSIDERED FOR COMMEMORATION. EVENTS OR THEMES OF LOCAL OR
           REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR A POSTAL
           CANCELLATION RATHER THAN A COMMEMORATIVE. STAMPS OR STATION

           ERIE ITEMS WILL NOT BE ISSUED TO HONOR FRATERNAL, POLITICAL OR
           SERVICE CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS THAT EXIST PRIMARILY TO
           SOLICIT OR DISTRIBUTE FUNDS. NOR SHALL STAMPS BE ISSUED TO
           HONOR COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES OR PRODUCTS. AND THESE CRY TOO I
           CAN'T -- AND I'VE JUST READ -- THESE CRITERIA, AND I'VE JUST
           READ SEVEN OF THEM, AND THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 12, ARE SET FORTH
           FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE AND FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE A FAIR CHANCE
           ACCORDING TO CERTAIN CRITERIA SET FORTH IN ADVANCE TO HAVE A

           RECOMMENDATION CONSIDERED. NOW THE STAMP ADVISORY COMMITTEE,
           HOWEVER, DOES NOT ISSUE SEMIPOSTALS. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WHICH
           WE NEED TO FACE AS A CONGRESS IS WHETHER OR NOT GIVEN THE FACT
           THAT WE NOW ARE BEGINNING TO AUTHORIZE SEMIPOSTALS SUCH AS THE
           BREAST CANCER RESEARCH SEMIPOSTAL, IT WOULD NOT BE BETTER FOR
           US TO AUTHORIZE THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE POSTAL SERVICE TO
           BE PERFORMING THIS IMPORTANT FUNCTION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT

           SINCE THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STAMP HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED WE
           HAVE HAD DOZENS OF REQUESTS FOR SEMIPOSTAL STAMPS. THIS IS A
           LIST OF SOME OF THE BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED. THESE ARE
           JUST THE BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED FOR SEMIPOSTAL. AIDS
           RESEARCH AND EDUCATION, DIABETES RESEARCH. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
           RESEARCH. PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH. EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF IN

           THE UNITED STATES. ORN AND TISSUE DONATION AWARENESS. WORLD WAR
           II MEMORIAL. THE AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION. DOMESTIC
           VIOLENCE PROGRAMS. VAN NIRK WILDLIFE PROTECTION PROGRAMS.
           HIGHWAY RAIL WAY GRAY CROSSING SAFETY. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
           PROGRAMS, ANOTHER BILL. ANOTHER BILL ON ORGAN AND TISSUE
           DONATION AWARENESS. CHILDHOOD LITERACY. MR. PRESIDENT, THERE
           ARE NOT TOO MANY OF US, I BELIEVE, WHO ARE ABOUT TO VOTE

           AGAINST A STAMP THAT COULD EMPHASIZE SOME FUND BECAUSE THE COST
           OF THESE ISSUES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DEDUCTED FROM THE RECEIPTS.
           BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US THAT ARE IN A
           POSITION WHERE WE WOULD WANT TO VOTE AGAINST A STAMP OR
           ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD ASSIST AIDS RESEARCH OR DIABETES
           RESEARCH OR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH OR
           ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION. MANY OF US HAVE DEVOTED A GREAT DEAL
           OF OUR LIVES TO THOSE AND OTHER CAUSES LIKE THE WORLD WAR II

           MEMORIAL, THE AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION. NOW WHEN
           THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STAMP WAS APPROVED, I VOTED AGAINST
           IT. I WAS ONE OF THE FEW THAT DID. THAT CREATED FOSH ME AND FOR
           OTHERS WHO VOTED "NO" THE PROSPECT THAT SOMEBODY WOULD THEN SAY
           I OPPOSE FUNDS FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH, WHICH OBVIOUSLY I
           DON'T. I WOULD HAVE IN A SPLIT SECOND HAVE INCREASED THE
           APPROPRIATION FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH BY THE AMOUNT OF MONEY

           WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN RAISED BY THE STAMP SO THAT WE COULD GIVE
           TO N.I.H. AN AMOUNT OF MONEY AT LEAST EQUAL TO WHAT MIGHT BE
           RAISED BY SUCH A STAMP. SO OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT OPPOSED TO
           ADDITIONAL FUNDS. INDEED THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. WHAT DOES
           TROUBLE ME, HOWEVER, IS THAT WE ARE NOW BEGINNING A COURSE
           WHICH WILL POLITICIZE THE ISSUANCE OF STAMPS AGAIN IN THIS
           COUNTRY. WE'VE TAKEN IT OUT OF POLITICS BY THE CREATION OF THIS
           ADVISORY COMMITTEE. FOR 40 YEARS THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND

           THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ALONE HAS DECIDED, MADE THE
           RECOMMENDATION TO THE POSTAL SERVICE WHAT COMMEMORATIVES WILL
           BE ISSUED. THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED ANY SEMIPOSTALS NOR WERE ANY
           EVER ISSUED BY THIS COUNTRY UNTIL THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH
           STAMP WAS APPROVED. BUT NOW IN THIS BILL WE HAVE ANOTHER GOOD
           CAUSE, MONEY WHICH COULD GO TO PROGRAMS AIMED AT REDUCING
           DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AND THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THE VALIDITY OF

           THE CAUSE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAVE NO CRITERIA, THAT WE DO
           THIS AD HOC HELTER-SKELTER. WE'VE ALREADY AUTHORIZED ONE STAMP
           WHICH I'LL GET TO IN A MOMENT THAT RELATES TO GRADE CROSSING
           SAFETY. THIS IS ON THE CALENDAR APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE, BY
           THE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, NOT YET APPROVED BY THE
           SENATE. THROUGH THESE ARE -- THIS IS GOING TO UNLEASH A
           POLITICIZATION PROCESS OF THE ISSUANCE OF STAMPS WHICH I DO NOT

           BELIEVE WILL BENEFIT THIS NATION. I THINK IT WILL BE INCREDIBLY
           DIFFICULT FOR THE POSTAL SERVICE WHICH DOES NOT WANT US TO
           REQUIRE THE ISSUANCE OF SEMIPOSTALS. THEY ARE STILL SORTING
           THROUGH THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STAMP COST. I THINK WE AND
           SHOULD BE AUTHORIZED -- REAUTHORIZE THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH
           STAMP BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE AUTHORIZED IT. THE STAMPS HAVE
           BEEN PRINTED. UNLESS WE REAUTHORIZE IT IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS,
           THIS PROGRAM WILL RUN OUT. THAT'S A VERY DIFFERENT ISSUE FROM

           VOTING FOR ADDITIONAL, THE NEXT ONE AND THE NEXT ONE AND THE
           NECK ONE. AND I'M GOING TO SPEND A FEW MORE MINUTES THIS
           AFTERNOON GOING INTO WHAT HAPPENED WITH ANOTHER SEMIPOSTAL
           STAMP WHICH WAS PROPOSED TO US IN A BILL, WHICH WAS APPROVED BY
           THE COMMITTEE. I DID NOT VOTE FOR IT. GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
           COMMITTEE. NOT BECAUSE I OPPOSE ITS CAUSE, BUT AGAIN BECAUSE OF
           WHAT THIS IS GOING TO UNLEASH UPON US IN TERMS OF POLITICS,
           ISSUANCE OF STAMPS AND USING THE ISSUANCE OF STAMPS TO RAISE

           MONEY FOR CAUSES WHICH WILL THEN BE VYING AGAINST EACH OTHER,
           AND I DON'T THINK THAT THAT IS IN ANYBODY'S INTEREST. THE ONE
           EXAMPLE THAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON FOR A FEW MOMENTS IS A PROPOSAL
           WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
           COMMITTEE, AND THAT'S WHAT'S CALLED THE "LOOK, LISTEN AND LIVE"
           STAMP ACT. THAT STAMP, THAT BILL WOULD REQUIRE THE POSTAL

           SERVICE TO ISSUE A SEMIPOSTAL STAMP FOR AN ORGANIZATION CALLED
           "OPERATION LIFE SAVER." "OPERATION LIFESAVER" IS A NONPROFIT
           ORGANIZATION WHICH IS DEDICATED TO HIGHWAY AND RAIL SAFETY
           THROUGH EDUCATION. "OPERATION LIFESAVER" SEEMS TO BE A FINE
           ORGANIZATION, BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY ORGANIZATION WHICH IS
           COMMITED TO PREVENTING RAILROAD KARMT. AS A MATTER OF FACT,
           RAILWAY SAFETY ADVOCATES ARE SPLIT ON THE ISSUE OF GRADE
           CROSSING SAFETY AND THE BEST METHOD TO PREVENT RAIL-RELATED

           INJURY. OPERATION LIFESAVER, FOR EXAMPLE, EMPHASIZES SAFETY
           THROUGH EDUCATION WHILE OTHER RAILWAY SAFETY ADVOCATES PROMOTE
           SAFETY BY FUNDING AUTOMATIC LIGHTS AND GATES AT RAILWAY
           CROSSINGS. AFTER THE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORTED
           THE STAMP PROPOSAL, RAILROAD SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS CONTACTED MY
           OFFICE TO REPRESENT THEIR DISAGREEMENT WITH THE "LOOK, LISTEN
           AND LIVE" STAMP PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE EMPHASIS THAT THAT ONE

           ORGANIZATION, OPERATION LIFESAVER, PUTS ON EDUCATION AND
           EDUCATION ONLY. THE PRESIDENT OF A GROUP CALLED THE COALITION
           FOR SAFER CROSSINGS WROTE ME THE
           
           FOLLOWING LETTER: "DEAR
           
           SENATOR LEVIN: I PERSONALLY FIND OPERATION LIFESAVER'S SPIN ON
           EDUCATION APPALLING. THREE AND A HALF YEAR AGO I LOST A VERY
           DEAR AND CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE AT AN UNPROTECTED CROSSING IN
           SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS. ERIC WAS 19. I FOUGHT TO CLOSE THE

           CROSSING WHERE ERIC WAS KILLED, AND SINCE HELPED MANY FAMILIES
           AFTER THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE THROUGH MY ORGANIZATION, THE
           COALITION FOR SAFER CROSSING. AND NOW TODAY WE'RE MOVING
           FORWARD WITH OTHER SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS TO FORM A NATIONAL
           ORGANIZATION TO COMBAT CERTAIN TYPES OF EDUCATION BEING PUT OUT
           BY OTHER GROUPS TO HELP VICTIMS' FAMILIES AND TO HELP CHANGE
           THE TREND OF ESCALATING COLLISIONS. THE NATIONAL RAILWAY SAFETY

           COALITION IS COMPRISED OF FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF VICTIMS OF
           RAILROAD CAR COLLISIONS, UNLIKE OPERATION LIFESAVER. AGAIN,
           OPERATION LIFESAVER WAS THE GROUP THAT WAS GOING TO RECEIVE THE
           DOLLARS OF ANY -- THE NET DOLLARS THAT WERE RAISED BY THE
           ISSUANCE OF THIS "LOOK, LISTEN AND LIVE" STAMP. THEN, HE SAYS,
           THE HEAD OF THIS OTHER GROUP, COMPETING GROUP, "I PERSONALLY
           AND PROFESSIONALLY OPPOSE THIS MEASURE. IF THE UNITED STATES

           CONGRESS IS TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE OF RAILROAD
           CROSSING SAFETY AND IS DEAD SET ON MAKING STAMPS, THEN YOU
           SHOULD MAKE A RAILROAD SAFETY STAM, NOT AN OPERATION LIFESAVER
           STAMP. RATHER THAN HAVE THE MONEY GO TO THEIR TYPE OF
           EDUCATION, HAVE IT GO TOWARDS THE STATES' FUND FOR GRADE
           CROSSING UPGRADES IN THAT STATE. A MATCHING-DOLLARS SCHEME
           COMES TO MIND FROM THE STATE." AND THEN HE CONCLUDES, "I'M
           CURRENTLY 23 YEARS OLD. WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL I RECEIVED

           THE SAME DRIVER SAFETY TRAINING REGARDING GRADE CROSSING SAFETY
           AS MY BEST FRIEND ERIC DID. ERIC IS NOW GONE. THE FUNDS FROM
           THIS PROPOSED STAMP WOULD NOT HAVE HELPED HIM. NOW IF THIS
           STAMP WOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND PRIOR TO 1996 AND FUNDS WERE
           ALLOCATED TO THE STATE OF ILLINOIS FOR HARDWARE AND A SET OF
           AUTOMATIC LIGHTS AND GATES WERE INSTALLED AT THIS CROSSING IN
           QUESTION, I WOULDN'T BE WRITING YOU THIS LETTER TODAY. I HOPE

           YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE." MR. PRESIDENT, AT THE TIME THAT
           THIS STAMP WAS APPROVED IN THE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE,
           I SUBMITTED MINORITY VIEWS ON THIS ISSUE. IN PART THIS IS WHAT
           I WROTE. JUST ABOUT A YEAR AGO THIS MONTH. "FOR OVER 40 YEARS
           THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS RELIED ON THE CITIZENS STAMP ADVISORY
           COMMITTEE TO REVIEW AND SELECT STAMP SUBJECTS THAT ARE
           INTERESTING AND EDUCATIONAL. THE COMMITTEE CHOOSES THE SUBJECTS

           USING CRY TEAR -- 12 CRITERIA OR GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED ABOUT
           THE TIME OF THE POSTAL REORGANIZATION ACT. THEY HAVE GUIDED THE
           COMMITTEE IN ITS DECISION-MAKING FOR DECADES. THE TENTH
           CRITERIA GUIDING THEIR SELECTION MAKES REFERENCE TO SEMIPOSTAL
           STAMPS, THE TYPE OF STAMP THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE WOULD BE
           REQUIRED TO ISSUE IF THE "LOOK, LISTEN AND LIVE" STAMP ACT WERE
           ENACTED. WITH RESPECT TO SEMIPOSTALS, THE GUIDELINES STATE,

           "STAMPS OR POSTAL STASH NERRY WITH ADDED VALUES -- STATIONERYRY
           SHALL NOT BE ISSUED. IT IS DIFFICULT TO SINGLE OUT SPECIFIC
           ONES TO RECEIVE SUCH REVENUE. THERE'S ALSO A STRONG U.S.
           TRADITION OF PRIVATE FUND-RAISING FOR CHARITIES AND
           ADMINISTRATIVE SALES WOULD -- ADMINISTRATIVE COST FOR SALES
           WOULD TEND TO NEGATE THINGS." THAT WAS FROM THE POSTMASTER,
           WILLIAM HENDERSON, WHO HAS CAUTIONED AND URGED OUR COMMITTEE

           NOT TO MANDATE THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIFIC SEMIPOSTALS. SO I DON'T
           BELIEVE THAT WE CAN AND SHOULD BE IN THE BUSINESS OF DECIDING
           TO PROMOTE ONE WORTHY CHARITY OVER ANOTHER. ONE SPECIFIC
           ORGANIZATION OVER ANOTHER. THIS STAMP, THE ONE THAT NOW IS ON
           THE CALENDAR -- NOT THE ONE IN THIS BILL, THE ONE ON THE
           CALENDAR FOR SAFETY AT RAILWAY CROSSINGS, IS, IT SEEMS TO ME,
           AN EXAMPLE OF THE STAMP THAT MAY NOT BE WORKABLE. AND YET THE

           FULL GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HAS REPORTED THIS BILL OUT. THEN WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
           WE'RE OBVIOUSLY DETERMINED, OR WE'RE GOING TO BE PRESENTED WITH
           A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS RELATIVE TO SEMIPOSTALS. MANY OF OUR
           COLLEAGUES HAVE INTRODUCED BILLS. THE BILL BEFORE US HAS SUCH A
           PROVISION. 50EUB8 THE ANSWER COMES FROM REPRESENTATIVE MCHUGH
           WHO -- AND REPRESENTATIVE FATAH. WHO ARE THE CHAIRMAN AND THE

           RANKING MEMBER OF THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT REFORM SUBCOMMITTEE ON
           POSTAL SERVICE WHICH PUT THEIR VIEWS IN A BILL, HOUSE BILL
           4437, WHICH PASSED THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON JULY 17. IT
           GIVES THE POSTAL SERVICE THE TO ISSUE THE SEMIPOSTAL. IT
           REQUIRES THE POSTAL SERVICE TO ESTABLISH REGULATIONS BEFORE
           ISSUING ANY STAMP RELATING TO, FIRST, WHICH OFFICE WITHIN THE
           POSTAL SERVICE SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING DECISIONS WITH
{END: 2000/07/26 TIME: 13-45 , Wed.  106TH SENATE, SECOND SESSION}