WHERE DID WE START?
We started this journey for postal reform in 2011 and have exceeded all of the expectations. When we first began we were faced with a Congress comprised of members that had no idea the postal leasing program even existed. With the help and hard work of the board we have changed that dramatically. We have legislative champions in both the House and the Senate who we can count on to be sympathetic to our causes and issues.
We have had over 100 meetings with members and staff and have hosted a successful Hill Day in Washington D.C. We are continuing to build on that success every day!
Why have we been so successful? Everyone has had a hand in our journey to success. Each visit, call, and letter is more impactful than words can describe. Members of Congress pride themselves on communicating and responding to their constituents, that is their job after all! So please know that if we ask you to reach out and contact your members, it is an important step towards reaching our goals and maintaining our success.
WHERE IS REFORM AND WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
Within the House, Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) is termed out after the election. However, he is pushing hard for reform as a legacy issue before he terms out. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) knows that Representative Issa is pushing for reform and the two have begun briefing members about the issue, which is a great sign! However, we are running out of time as the annual appropriations process is starting and it is an election year, both of which will take up time and complicate the already busy calendar. There is some conversation about breaking the bill up and moving pieces at a time, although we are not certain that this will happen. Regardless of the outcome we are remaining vigilant and staying strong with our issues.
Within the Senate, there has been no inclination by leadership to move the bill to the floor. If it does get moved to the floor, it will likely be in June or July. If it hasn’t been moved by August, we anticipate that they will not bring it up. If the latter occurs, we will be starting over again next year in a new congress.
WHAT IS NEXT?
We will continue to work with our champions in the House and Senate to ensure that their moratorium on closure language is included in the final product. We have discussed a great deal about cluster boxes during this process, and in reality, your post offices are big cluster boxes themselves. Having language included in the Act that spells that option out could be very beneficial to our cause. As always, we look forward to hearing your feedback and ideas!
We will continue to work diligently and look forward to an exciting Hill Day in June.