39 U.S.C. § 3627
Section 3627 · Adjusting free rates
Amended 5 times on record
Applied in 6 court decisions — leading case Association of American Publishers, Inc. v. The Governors of the United States Postal Service, Direct Mail Advertising Association, Inc., Intervenors. Associated Third Class Mail Users v. The Governors of the United States Postal Service, J. C. Penney Company, Inc., and United Parcel Service, Intervenors (1973)
Most recently applied in Spencer v. Herdesty (September 1983)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
If Congress fails to appropriate an amount authorized under section 2401(c) of this title for any class of mail sent free of postage under section 3217 or 3403–3406 1 the rate for that class may be adjusted in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter so that the increased revenues received from the users of such class will equal the amount for that class that the Congress was to appropriate.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Amendments
1993—Pub. L. 103–123 substituted “free rates” for “free and reduced rates” in section catchline and “sent free of postage under section 3217 or 3403–3406” for “sent at a free or reduced rate under section 3217, 3403–3406, 3626, or 3629 of this title,” in text.
Pub. L. 103–31 substituted “3626, or 3629 of this title” for “or 3626 of this title,”.
1986—Pub. L. 99–410 substituted “3406” for “3405” and struck out “under the Federal Voting Assistance Act of 1955, or under the Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act of 1975” after “3626 of this title,”.
1978—Pub. L. 95–593 inserted provisions relating to applicability of Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act of 1975.
Effective Date of 1993 Amendments
Amendment by Pub. L. 103–123 applicable with respect to rates for mail sent after Sept. 30, 1993, see section 704(c)(1) of Pub. L. 103–123, set out as a note under section 3626 of this title.
Amendment by Pub. L. 103–31 effective (1) with respect to a State that, on May 20, 1993, has a provision in the constitution of the State that would preclude compliance with section 1973gg et seq. of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, unless the State maintained separate Federal and State official lists of eligible voters, on the later of Jan. 1, 1996, or the date that is 120 days after the date by which, under the constitution of the State as in effect on May 20, 1993, it would be legally possible to adopt and place into effect any amendments to the constitution of the State that are necessary to permit compliance with section 1973gg et seq. of Title 42 without requiring a special election, and (2) with respect to a State not described above, on Jan. 1, 1995, see section 13 of Pub. L. 103–31, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1973gg of Title 42.
Effective Date of 1986 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 99–410 applicable with respect to elections taking place after Dec. 31, 1987, see section 204 of Pub. L. 99–410, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1973ff of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.