One way or another, it looks like a major congressional battle is
headed our way over the U.S. Postal Service’s long-sought goal of ending
most six-day mail delivery. One possible flash point is the postal
overhaul bill (H.R. 2309) sponsored by Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and
Dennis Ross, R-Fla., which would allow postal officials to begin moving
to five-day delivery within six months of the legislation’s being
signed into law.
The House’s Republican leadership had hoped to bring the Issa measure to the floor this month; earlier this week, the National Association of Letter Carriers said its “most urgent goal is to prevent this devastating bill from ever becoming law” and announced that it was setting up a toll-free number for members to contact individual lawmakers in opposition.
With mail volume in steady decline, curtailing six-day delivery is at the top of the Postal Service’s cost-cutting agenda. The projected savings are close to $3 billion per year. But the NALC, whose members obviously have a lot to lose, says that step would “destroy” 200,000 jobs. In today’s fractured Congress, this is one of those rare issues that can bring lawmakers together across party lines, raising questions about whether the Issa/Ross bill can pass. A slim bipartisan majority of 222 House members have signed on to a non-binding resolution sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., urging the Postal Service to stick with the status quo.
Read more: http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2012/07/11/six-day-mail-delivery-key-issue-in-congressional/
Postal Reform Act:
Bill Summary & Status
The House’s Republican leadership had hoped to bring the Issa measure to the floor this month; earlier this week, the National Association of Letter Carriers said its “most urgent goal is to prevent this devastating bill from ever becoming law” and announced that it was setting up a toll-free number for members to contact individual lawmakers in opposition.
With mail volume in steady decline, curtailing six-day delivery is at the top of the Postal Service’s cost-cutting agenda. The projected savings are close to $3 billion per year. But the NALC, whose members obviously have a lot to lose, says that step would “destroy” 200,000 jobs. In today’s fractured Congress, this is one of those rare issues that can bring lawmakers together across party lines, raising questions about whether the Issa/Ross bill can pass. A slim bipartisan majority of 222 House members have signed on to a non-binding resolution sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., urging the Postal Service to stick with the status quo.
Read more: http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2012/07/11/six-day-mail-delivery-key-issue-in-congressional/
Postal Reform Act:
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