,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #digf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #a1        
#bjai,mr4 ,king of ,new ,york 7for      
himself1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of 
,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4     
,de,fazio1 ,ms4 ,pingree1 ,ms4 ,moore1  
and ,mr4 ,mc,govern7 introduced the     
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,armed ,services  ,a  
,,bill  ,to provide for free mailing    
privileges for personal correspondence  
and parcels sent to members of the      
,armed ,forces serving on active duty in
 ,iraq1 ,afghanistan1 or other          
designated hostile fire areas4  #a4     
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,supply ,our ,soldiers ,act of      
#bjai4  #b4 ,postal benefits program for
 members of the ,armed ,forces  7a7 ,in 
general ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in 
consultation with the ,united ,states   
,postal ,service1 shall provide for a   
program under which postal benefits     
shall be provided to qualified          

individuals in accordance with          
succeeding provisions of this ,act4  7b7
 ,qualified individual ,for purposes of 
this ,act1 the term qualified individual
 means an individual who-- 7#a7 is a    
member of the ,armed ,forces of the     
,united ,states on active duty 7as      
defined in section #aja of title #aj1   
,united ,states ,code72 and  7#b7  7,a7 
is serving in ,iraq1 ,afghanistan1 or   
other designated hostile fire area1 as  
described in section #cea7;a77#a7 of    
title #cg1 ,united ,states ,code2 or    
7,b7 is hospitalized at a facility under
 the jurisdiction of the ,armed ,forces 
of the ,united ,states as a result of a 
disease or injury incurred as a result  
of service described in subparagraph    
7,a74  7c7 ,postal benefits described   
7#a7 ,in general ,the postal benefits   
provided under this ,act shall consist  
of such coupons or other similar        
evidence of credit 7whether in printed1 
electronic1 or other format1 and in this
 ,act referred to as vouchers7 as the   

,secretary of ,defense 7in consultation 
with the ,postal ,service7 shall        
determine1 entitling the bearer or user 
to make qualified mailings free of      
postage4  7#b7 ,qualified mailing ,for  
purposes of this ,act1 the term         
qualified mailing means the mailing of a
 single mail piece which-- 7,a7 is      
described in subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7  
of paragraph 7#c72  7,b7 is sent from   
within an area served by a ,united      
,states post office2 and  7,c7 is       
addressed to a qualified individual4    
7#c7 ,mail described ,mail described in 
this paragraph is-- 7,a7 any first-class
 mail 7including any sound- or          
video-recorded communication7 not       
exceeding #ac ounces in weight and      
having the character of personal        
correspondence2 and  7,b7 parcel post   
not exceeding #ae pounds in weight4     
7#d7 ,limitations  7,a7 ,number ,an     
individual shall be eligible for #a     
voucher for each month in which such    
individual is a qualified individual4   

7,b7 ,use ,any such voucher may not be  
used-- 7i7 for more than a single       
qualified mailing2 or  7ii7 beyond the  
expiration date of such voucher1 as     
designated by the ,secretary of         
,defense4  7#e7 ,coordination rule      
,postal benefits under this ,act shall  
be in addition to1 and not in lieu of1  
any reduced rates of postage or other   
similar benefits which might otherwise  
be available by or under law1 including 
any rates of postage resulting from the 
application of section #cdja7;b7 of     
title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code4  7d7  
,regulations ,not later than #cj days   
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense 7in    
consultation with the ,postal ,service7 
shall prescribe any regulations         
necessary to carry out this ,act1       
including--  7#a7 procedures by which   
vouchers will be provided or made       
available in a timely manner to persons 
duly identified by qualified individuals
 to receive those vouchers2 and  7#b7   

procedures to ensure that the number of 
vouchers provided or made available with
 respect to any qualified individual    
complies with subsection 7c77#d77;,a74  
#c4 ,funding  7a7 ,in general ,there is 
authorized to be appropriated to the    
,department of ,defense1 for fiscal     
years #bjbj through #bjbe1 a sum        
determined by the ,secretary of ,defense
 to be equal to the expenses incurred by
 the ,department in providing the       
benefits described in section #b7;c7 for
 such fiscal years4 ,such sum shall be  
derived from amounts appropriated in    
each such fiscal year for ,operation and
 ,maintenance1 ,defense-wide1 for the   
,office of the ,secretary of ,defense1  
and shall not to exceed #ge million for 
the total period beginning with fiscal  
year #bjbj and ending with fiscal year  
#bjbe4  7b7 ,transfers to ,postal       
,service  7#a7 ,based on estimates ,the 
,secretary of ,defense shall transfer to
 the ,postal ,service1 out of any amount
 so appropriated and in advance of each 

calendar quarter during which postal    
benefits under this ,act may be used1 an
 amount equal to the amount of postal   
benefits that the ,secretary of ,defense
 estimates will be used during such     
quarter1 reduced or increased 7as the   
case may be7 by any amounts by which the
 ,secretary finds that a determination  
under this section for a prior quarter  
was greater than or less than the amount
 finally determined for such quarter4   
7#b7 ,based on annual determination ,for
 each of the fiscal years #bjbj through 
#bjbe1 an annual determination of the   
amount necessary to correct any previous
 determination under this section during
 such fiscal year1 and any transfer of  
amounts between the ,postal ,service and
 the ,department of ,defense based on   
that annual determination1 shall be made
 not later than #f months after the end 
of such fiscal year4  7#c7 ,based on    
final determination ,a final            
determination of the amount necessary to
 correct any previous determination     

under this section1 and any transfer of 
amounts between the ,postal ,service and
 the ,department of ,defense based on   
that final determination1 shall be made 
not later than #f months after the end  
of fiscal year #bjbe4  7c7 ,consultation
 required ,all estimates and            
determinations under this section of the
 amount of postal benefits under this   
,act used in any period shall be made by
 the ,department of ,defense in         
consultation with the ,postal ,service4 
#d4 ,duration ,the postal benefits under
 this ,act shall apply with respect to  
mail matter sent during the period      
beginning on ,october #a1 #bjai1 and    
ending on ,september #cj1 #bjbe4