Library / Laws / 113th / s / S. 2982 / Introduced in Senate
II
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2982
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 4, 2014Mr. Toomey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
A BILL
To provide for the issuance of a forever stamp to honor the sacrifices of the brave men and women
of the Armed Forces who are still prisoner, missing, or unaccounted for,
and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Perpetual POW/MIA Stamp Act of 2014.
2.
Findings
Congress finds that—
(1) the Department of
Defense reports that more than 83,000 servicemembers remain missing since
World
War II;
(2) the United States
Government has an obligation to—
(A) achieve the fullest possible accounting
for the
people of the United States who have gone missing while serving the
country; and
(B) leave no
person
unaccounted for in future conflicts;
(3) in 1982, the
National League of Families POW/MIA flag (referred to in this Act as the POW/MIA flag) became the first flag other than the flag of the United
States to
fly over the White House in Washington, DC;
(4) Public Law 101–355, enacted on August 10,
1990, designated the POW/MIA flag as the symbol of
our Nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the
fates
of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast
Asia; and
(5) the POW/MIA flag
should maintain continued visibility as a constant reminder of the plight
of
the people of the United States who are prisoners of war or missing in
action.
3.
Perpetual POW/MIA
stamp
(a)
In
general
In order to continue to honor the sacrifices of the brave
men and women of the Armed Forces who have been prisoners of war, missing
in action, or
unaccounted for, the Postal Service shall issue
a
forever stamp that—
(1) is suitable for that purpose; and
(2) depicts the POW/MIA flag.
(b)
Definition
For
purposes of this Act, the term forever stamp means a
stamp that—
(1) meets the postage required for first-class mail up to 1
ounce in
weight; and
(2) retains full validity for the postage described in paragraph (1) even if the rate
of
that postage is later increased.
(c)
Effective
Date
The stamp described in subsection (a) shall be issued
beginning as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this
Act
and shall not thereafter be discontinued.