What Are Franked Materials?
For mass mailings to their Congressional district, Members may use their signature,
or frank, instead of a postage stamp. The term mass mailing is defined
as follows: “with respect to a session of Congress, a mailing of newsletters
or other pieces of mail with substantially identical content (whether such pieces
of mail are deposited singly or in bulk, or at the same time or different times),
totaling more than 500 pieces of mail in that session…” –Rule
XXIV of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives
In accordance with House Rule 24, Members must submit a sample or a description
of the contents of mass mailings to the House Commission on Congressional Mailing
Standards and obtain the approval of the commission before the mass mailing can
be sent. Copies of materials approved by and filed with this Commission are available.
Individuals requesting access to these records must fill out a form, which will
be retained. Materials from January 1996 to the present, including advisory opinions,
are available for viewing and photocopying.
Obtain Documents
Public disclosure documents filed with the Clerk are available from: