Postal employee groups, mailers and the Postmaster General declared their support on Tuesday for House postal legislation that would address the declining health of the Postal Service. The legislation, the Postal Reform Act of 2017, H.R. 756, received multiple endorsements from key House lawmakers at the hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. NAPS endorsed the measure a day before Tuesday’s hearing.
The postal reform measure, H.R. 756, is similar to a bipartisan bill last year, H.R. 5714, that was overwhelmingly approved by the House Oversight and Government Reform (HOGR) Committee in July, but did not reach the floor because of the short session. Since then, further negotiations between Republicans and Democrats resulted in this year’s bill, H.R. 756, and its introduction by committee leaders Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), along with four Republican and Democrat colleagues on the committee. A committee vote on the bill could come in the next month. Before a House floor vote can occur, the bill requires approval by the HOGR Committee and two other House panels — Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce, chiefly for their review of the Medicare integration provisions.
Witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing testified that H.R. 756 will help to restore the financial solvency of the Postal Service and reduce the Postal Service’s heavy burden to prefund its retiree health benefit obligation, a long-standing source of Congressional concern.
Lawmakers and postal stakeholders in their comments and testimony at Tuesday’s hearing reflected the multiple compromises underlying the bill and acknowledged that the bill is not perfect, but that it represents the best agreement toward addressing the financial threats facing the Postal Service and its survival as a postage-reliant institution. Lori Recetanus, the hearing witness from the Government Accountability Office, summarized the situation, saying: “Congress faces difficult choices and tradeoffs to address USPS’s financial challenges. The status quo is not sustainable.”
Register Today for the NAPS LTS
On March 7-8, over 500 NAPS leaders and members will be on Capitol Hill to educate their Members of Congress and urge prompt action on H.R. 756, as well as other matters. NAPS delegates to the LTS will receive a valuable day of training on Monday, March 6, prior to Hill meetings on March 7 and 8.
Registration and room block deadlines for the NAPS Legislative Training Seminar, March 5-8, are fast approaching. The hotel room block expires on February 18; LTS delegate registration closes on February 24.
Bruce Moyer, NAPS Legislative Counsel
I have FEHB and medicare parts A & B. For me it makes medical sense to have both. I started with medicare in August of 2015 and was paying $104 per month. In 2016 my medicare premium increased to $121 and in 2017 it increased to $134 per month. I am not eligible for social security so when medicare payments increase I am not “held harmless” and pay a much higher premium. You have to be receiving social security and your medicare premiums deducted from your ss check to be “held harmless”. This means no increase in premiums to those receiving social security. I don’t see anywhere in HR 756 where Postal employee’s would qualify for being “held harmless” and therfore would pay higher premiums year after year. Now the Postal Service is willing to pay a declining percent for your medicare the first three years if this bill passes. After that you on your own. If medicare premiums increase $10 a year that would mean in the fourth year you would be paying a minimum of $174.00 per month for you and $174.00 per month for your spouse if they are covered by your FEHB. We can all post a comment on these boards but I doubt our elected officials read these. NAPS and the unions can send all the people they want to talk to Congress. They can line them up a mile long for all I care. What is important is that you call or write you House Representative and ask them to vote “NO” on HR 756. Elected officials work for us and they need to hear us. If NAPS can send 500 members to speak with House Representatives then the Postal Service can reduce Supervisor positions by 500 since they’re not needed at work. Call your Representative today!!!
Call your Congressman and ask them to vote no on HR 756. Let your Congressman know that the unions or management organizations do not represent you and they have never discussed or asked for your input on this bill. Let your Representative know that passage of this bill would cost you more money every month in paying for Medicare parts A & D in addition to paying for your FEHB.
Wow, not only does “NAPS” endorse this bill, they are sending 500 NAPS to educate Members of Congress?? 500 “Postal Supervisors” probably 204b’s will be on hand to do the same thing they have done to the Postal Service from day one “screw it up”!! Did you know what NAPS really stands for: Nincompoops, Asinines, + Pitiful Servitudes!! They wouldn’t survive a day if they really had to do a days’ work!!!
Still not right that the Postal Service, and only the Postal Service, must pre pay for health care. It is but a political decision, nothing more. If one is waiting for the Congress to end the pre funding crap, you have a long wait. Congress knows it was a terrible idea. However they don’t care! If only Congress could start another war some place every thing will be fine!