WASHINGTON – The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today approved H.R. 2748, the Postal Reform Act of 2013, on a vote of 22-17.
“I appreciate all of the amendments offered to improve this legislation today,” said Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., sponsor of the legislation. “The Committee has adopted a bill with broad input from all stakeholders that would bring USPS back to financial solvency with cost-cutting reforms and innovative new sources of revenue.”
Among the cost-cutting reforms is a provision that would move many older “door-slot” delivery units toward curbside delivery mailboxes and, where appropriate, neighborhood boxes. “Door-slot” delivery costs USPS, on average, $353 per unit per year. Delivery to curbside mailboxes cost USPS $224 per unit per year. This transition would save over $4 billion annually.
“This bill is a huge step towards a financially sound 21st century Postal Service that meets the needs of America,” said Subcommittee Chairman Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, a cosponsor of the legislation. “It improves efficiency, right-sizes operations, and will keep the taxpayers off the hook for a massive bailout.”
“The postal service is hemorrhaging money at a rate of $25 million a day,” said Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., cosponsor of the legislation. “Maintaining the status quo is not an acceptable solution to this growing problem. The Postal Reform Act of 2013 enacts common-sense, bipartisan solutions that will meet our nation’s changing needs and help save our postal service.”
The Committee adopted several amendments at today’s markup.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., to ensure that local communities had specific input into the delivery point modernization process.
- Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga., offered an amendment to limit the size of non-cash compensation to very senior postal executives until the financial crisis is resolved.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, chairman of the postal reform subcommittee and cosponsor of the legislation, to ensure USPS adheres to generally accepted accounting principles in developing plans to return USPS to solvency.
- Amendments offered by Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, which encourage the increased use of innovative mailpiece design as a way to spur the increased use of mail.
“While I am disappointed that my Democratic friends chose not to support the Postal Reform Act despite the incorporation of many of their ideas into the introduced version legislation and the moderation of many provisions originally in the legislation, I will continue to work with the Ranking Member and his colleagues,” said Chairman Issa.
Issa continued: “However, legislation that does not include cost-cutting measures or adopts provisions that would force USPS to be frozen at its current size in perpetuity will only further harm the agency as America’s reliance on paper mail continues to fade.”
Despite more than a dozen amendments being offered, no amendment was offered with the goal of baring the Postal Service from implementing its modified six-day delivery plan. Ranking Member Cummings offered an amendment as a full substitute bill which included a study on the provision.
For more background information on H.R. 2748- visit http://oversight.house.gov/PostalReformAct. Click here for more information on the other bills considered at today’s business meeting.
How does Issa keep getting re elected when he and his republican buddies want to get rid of jobs!
Get rid of Issahole, Goofy, Donuthole, Obuma, McClown…they’re all crooks!
Hey, If they’re gonna get rid of the no layoff clause will they get rid of the “you can’t go on strike” clause as well? Why doesn’t every postal union give all of there PAC money to support the Democrat who will be running against Issa next year. They could run spots about his grand theft auto charges, etc. and show the A-holes that keep re-electing him what a real piece of s@%t he really is!
NALC president should resign because he says alot but shows no results(like Obama)…All your union dues are doing what…NOTHING….This Bill has sverything the union opposes and they can’t do anyything about it….Keep wasting 23.44 each paycheck for nothing…Thats roughly about 2 million dollars a paycheck the NALC gets….
Apwu, Napmh, Nalc should demand Donahoe’s resignation. Issa’s bill is way too extreme and unrealistic. Hopefully it gets nixed.
Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., sponsor of the legislation will get kick-backs from FEDEX who also endorses this Bill.
WOW!!THAT WAS HEAVY
Issa isn’t one bit worried about the Post Office becoming solvent. he’s only trying to help his repub buddies get their collective mitts on the PO’s trillions in property. Every thing else is a smoke screen. He is nothing more than a modern day carpet bagger!
HEY KEN. I GOT 30 PLUS YEARS. NO LAYOFF FOR ME. JUST WAITING FOR MY GOING AWAY PRESENT! I’LL TAKE 20K TO LEAVE THIS MESS FOR THE CCA’S
hey NYC, no incentive for carries, they going to lay you off with the new act.
WHERE’S THE CARRIER RETIREMENT INCENTIVE??? I JUST WANT TO GO WHILE THE GETTINS GOOD!!!!
Darrell Issa is out of touch & does not understand the problems of the Postal Service. This will only worsten the problem & not do the things needed to fix the suitation!! this needs to be defeated. There are more bills that would be lots better.H-res 30—-H.R. 630—-H.R. 961 offers lot better solutions to the problem!!
Supporting anybody who wanted to make it possible for management to reopen contracts and remove no layoff language among other things after they had been discussed and arbitrated is someone who favors the demise of the Postal Service and supports one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington. Is staying loyal to your rat fink party more important than thousands of potential job losses? Are you so brainwashed and arrogant that you would rather see people suffer than admit you might be wrong? You have to be an indifferent jerk totally out of touch with anybody but your own selfish interests to back up people like Issa.
I predict five day delivery will be accepted to placate the GOP and keep them from messing with layoff clauses in the union contracts. Should be interesting.
Hey “thank God”, until the crooks and thieves that are usps mgmt. are held accountable and have their bloated numbers drastically reduced, nothing will change.
Mgmt. is the sole cause of the current state of the USPS.
Looks like the crook Issa has got some momentum to realize his, and his corporate buddies, agenda of privatizing the USPS for their own financial gain.
dues paying APWU member-AWPU employees have already gone down courtesy of Cliff Goofy and your stupidity in supporting hom.
I just retired back on January 31st and the reason why did is because of the depletion of the employees ethics it seems when I first started we all actually work and work hard but now we have a group of new kids that expect everything to be handed to them and they don’t work very hard unfortunately the system is broken and it needs to change the unions are broken and they also need to changeyou can’t run a business with a bunch of overage overweight and overpaid workers or just sitting out there last few years before they retire management is running the place into the ground hoping that still get the full privatization of the postal service just like the Royal Mail did then last week and hope that they get there percentage of stocks which was 10 percentpercent in England from the postal service so they can all sit back fat and happy the end
This will never float ,No one will support Issa that isnt sticking thier hand in his pocket.The Postal Worker reflects the county as a whole ,you should hope the postal worker never goes down.
Where do these loosers come from Issaville USA.
The price of gas has just gone up, and the postal worker has just gone down.
Support Issa!
Just get it done already!!! And now I yield the remaining time I have to the gentleman of Texas!!!