republic-os/legal/us/code/title-39/chapter-32/section-3220.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, corpus, kind, title_number, title_name, chapter_number, chapter_name, section, citation, status, release_point, release_date, source, source_url, source_identifier, source_file, source_hash, raw_snapshot_hash, text_hash, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	corpus	kind	title_number	title_name	chapter_number	chapter_name	section	citation	status	release_point	release_date	source	source_url	source_identifier	source_file	source_hash	raw_snapshot_hash	text_hash	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
LegalText	39 U.S.C. § 3220	Use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children	us	united_states_code	code_section	39	POSTAL SERVICE	32	PENALTY AND FRANKED MAIL	3220	39 U.S.C. § 3220	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc39@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t39/s3220	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-39/usc39.xml	6e914a907a53810b15325ea8412e94c22d157d35b6f45e30b6d54ae38709b0e8	ccea35969be78d053165f1170bf2aa826a68e5b4dea1fe3356d8a09e86e19a65	d1965aa7f87a559c9231d7126e976bc3c8e9ff44baad22e7a0fa45be36af0f83	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

39 U.S.C. § 3220 - Use of official mail in the location and recovery of missing children

Text

(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 Communications Standards Commission 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; Pub. L. 116–260, div. I, title I, § 116(b)(2)(A)(iii), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1637.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextSection 201 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (c), is section 201 of Pub. L. 93–415, which enacted section 11111 of Title 34, Crime Control and Law Enforcement, and amended section 5108 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Amendments2020—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–260 substituted “House Communications Standards Commission” for “House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2020 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 116–260 applicable with respect to communications disseminated on or after Dec. 27, 2020, see section 116(f) of div. I of Pub. L. 116–260, set out as a note under section 501 of Title 2, The Congress.

Termination DatePub. L. 99–87, § 5, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 290, 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, which provided that the amendments made by section 1 of Pub. L. 99–87, 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 were to cease to be effective after December 31, 2002, was repealed by Pub. L. 109–426, § 1, Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 2911.

Issuance of Guidelines, Rules, and RegulationsPub. L. 99–87, § 2, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 291, 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 RequirementsPub. L. 99–87, § 3, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 291, 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, required the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards each to submit a report no later than June 30, 2002, on the authority provided by this section.

Clarification Relating to Coordination of Government ProgramsPub. L. 99–87, § 4, Aug. 9, 1985, 99 Stat. 292, 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.”