July 29, 2015 Washington, DC– Today, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) and Jared Huffman (CA-2) introduced legislation to create a framework that will modernize the United States Postal Service (USPS) to address its growing financial problems and ensure it remains a cornerstone of the American community. The Postal Innovation Act of 2015 would bring USPS vehicles in line with environmental and safety standards to reduce the postal fleet’s carbon emissions while simultaneously cutting costs, and making our streets safer. It would also bring the USPS’s services in line with the evolving demands of modern day consumers. Last week, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
“By upgrading the postal fleet to meet fuel-efficiency standards and implement industry-standard collision-avoidance and active safety technology, the Postal Innovation Act will save USPS money on fuel and vehicle damages, will cut carbon emissions nationwide, and will make streets safer in every community in America,” said Representative Blumenauer. “Additionally, this legislation will give the Postal Service flexibility to offer services above and beyond mail delivery – simple banking services and Internet connectivity, to name a few. These reforms are low-cost, high-impact, and have the potential to benefit society and increase the viability of our postal infrastructure.”
“Our bill allows the U.S. Postal Service the freedom to expand their business model and add new services, helping them increase revenues and reach financial stability,” Representative Huffman said. “I am glad to partner with Rep. Blumenauer to help the USPS invest in a modern vehicle fleet and become a global leader in efficiency and innovation.”
The Postal Innovation Act of 2015:
- Allows the Postal Service to implement pilot programs in five postal regions for nonpostal services, including financial services, public wireless broadband Internet access, experimental postal products market testing, warehousing, and Internet voting.
- Allows the Postal Service to ship beer, wine, and spirits.
- Allows the Postal Service to enter into contracts to upgrade the postal fleet by increasing long-term savings through the reduction of collision, maintenance, fuel, and other costs.
- Requires postal vehicles to be outfitted with collision-averting technology.
- Instructs the Postal Service to reduce its vehicular consumption of petroleum products by no less than two percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2025.
- Requires postal vehicles to comply with standards established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with the agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act.
- Allows the Postal Service to utilize savings from this act to reinvest in innovation, research, and development.
- Provides guidelines for the Comptroller General to conduct a study of potential opportunities and challenges related to the Postal Service providing public internet access and online voting.
Politicians that cannot achieve anything burp as to improving postal whatever get them noticed.
Why not address the pre funding from last major Postal bill?
they obviously just got some type of PAC $ from the unions and were told to make it news….. same thing, another day….. and nothing changes
I think that is a great idea. It is time for the Postal Service to become innovatI’ve and endorse change
Amazing how these clowns who can’t balance there own checkbook or fix the 19 trillion national debt, think they can help the post office. perhaps they should fix or address the problems in gov’t, before they look elsewhere. amazing how everyone wants to spend usps $$$$$, now that they can’t spend any $$$$, because congress can’t agree on anything. Heck, every jerk is running for president for the next 15 months, so, who’s running all the asylums.
just split it in two and give half to UPS and the other half to FDX………..now the US Postal Circus is Modernized! case close. UPS/FDX will not need nor will they want the 110,000 uneducated, low IQ, affirmative action postal mismanaging dolts play acting at real american business manager. I would bet that within one year both halfs will be making triple money of the former corrupt govt whole…..bet on it!
The real problem with the post office is government. UPS and FDX could not handle the mail volume sorting and delivery.
There is no saving for the postal service in this act. This bill provides no funding for purchasing postal vehicles.
If you do the math based on the Postal Service’s annual report, the average cost to deliver a piece of standard mail is 20 cents. According to the services website, if a small mailer sends mail to all the addresses for a certain zip code the price runs between 30 and 40 cents a letter. This means that the largest mailers may be paying 10 cents a letter or less and have not had a price increase in over 40 years!