US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

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[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 39USC3601]

 
                        TITLE 39--POSTAL SERVICE
 
                          PART IV--MAIL MATTER
 
             CHAPTER 36--POSTAL RATES, CLASSES, AND SERVICES
 
                  SUBCHAPTER I--POSTAL RATE COMMISSION
 
Sec. 3601. Establishment

    (a) The Postal Rate Commission is an independent establishment of 
the executive branch of the Government of the United States. The 
Commission is composed of 5 Commissioners, appointed by the President, 
by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Commissioners 
shall be chosen on the basis of their professional qualifications and 
may be removed by the President only for cause. Not more than 3 of the 
Commissioners may be adherents of the same political party.
    (b) A Commissioner may continue to serve after the expiration of his 
term until his successor has qualified, except that a Commissioner may 
not so continue to serve for more than 1 year after the date upon which 
his term otherwise would expire under section 3602 of this title.
    (c) One of the Commissioners shall be designated as Chairman by, and 
shall serve in the position of Chairman at the pleasure of, the 
President.
    (d) The Commissioners shall by majority vote designate a Vice 
Chairman of the Commission. The Vice Chairman shall act as Chairman of 
the Commission in the absence of the Chairman.

(Pub. L. 91-375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 759; Pub. L. 94-421, Sec. 3(a), 
Sept. 24, 1976, 90 Stat. 1304; Pub. L. 103-123, title VII, Sec. 708(c), 
Oct. 28, 1993, 107 Stat. 1273.)


                               Amendments

    1993--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103-123 substituted ``consent'' for 
``concent''.
    1976--Pub. L. 94-421 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), 
required that appointments by the President be subject to Senate 
confirmation, substituted provision permitting the President to remove 
commissioners for cause for provision which required a Civil Service 
Commission hearing for removal, and added subsecs. (b) to (d).


                             Effective Date

    Subchapter effective Aug. 12, 1970, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91-
375, set out as a note preceding section 101 of this title.


      Postal Rate Commissioner Holding Office on September 24, 1976

    Section 3(b) of Pub. L. 94-421 provided that: ``The provisions of 
section 3601(a) of title 39, United States Code, as amended by 
subsection (a) of this section, shall not apply with respect to any 
Commissioner of the Postal Rate Commission holding office on the date of 
the enactment of this Act [Sept. 24, 1976], except that such provisions 
shall apply to any appointment of such a Commissioner occurring after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.''