§ 3204. Restrictions on use of penalty mail

• (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section or section 3220(a) of this title , an officer, executive department, or independent establishment of the Government of the United States may not mail, as penalty mail, any article or document unless—
  • (1) a request therefor has been previously received by the department or establishment; or
  • (2) its mailings is required by law.
• (b) Subsection (a) of this section does not prohibit the mailing, as penalty mail, by an officer, executive department, or independent agency of—
  • (1) enclosures reasonably related to the subject matter of official correspondence;
  • (2) informational releases relating to the census of the United States and authorized by title 13;
  • (3) matter concerning the sale of Government securities;
  • (4) forms, blanks, and copies of statutes, rules, regulations, instructions, administrative orders, and interpretations necessary in the administration of the department or establishment;
  • (5) agricultural bulletins;
  • (6) lists of public documents offered for sale by the Superintendent of Documents;
  • (7) announcements of the publication of maps, atlases, and statistical and other reports offered for sale by the Federal Power Commission as authorized by section 825k of title 16 ; or
  • (8) articles or documents to educational institutions or public libraries, or to Federal, State, or other public authorities.